Blog Post 13 - Making moves at 6,752 feet!

Big names are training in big bear

If you have been regularly training with us, you’ve probably noticed some changes in the gym and also the clientele we are attracting.

We had the privilege of hosting Marlon “Chito” Vera as he prepped for UFC Fight Night in Mexico City. Chito (@chitoveraufc) brought with him Coach Jason Parillo (@parilloboxing), and we all benefited from watching them work on the mats and around town.

Chito wearing our pink shorts, no biggie.

Chito’s teammate, Andres Alvarado, also trained up here and even offered to teach a Jiu Jitsu class for our students. Andres (@nomade.bjj) is an AOJ black belt and is a decorated grappler, most recently taking bronze at IBJJF Pan Ams.

Coach Parillo reached out to us on social media, leading to their two week stint in Big Bear Lake. Mexico City is another high altitude destination, so we were able to provide a similar environment for Chito here in Southern California.

Champ camp: khamzat chimaev and arman tsarukyan

We are in the middle making improvements to the gym (new cage panels around the mat area plus an octagon, with more to come!) and in walks UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev (@khamzat_chimaev). We were so caught off guard that we almost fumbled the opportunity to host him and his team. The ongoing construction in the gym certainly added to the pressure, but we were able to finish the improvements and have the champ and his team use our space.

Check out the octagon!

Cage panels now line the mat space!

Khamzat brought up an entire team of established fighters, young rising stars, Division 1 All-American and USA Wrestling stand out Pat Downey (@patdowney), and UFC lightweight number 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan (@arm_011). Getting to see these guys work was surreal. Even more amazing was the UFC film crew that recorded content of these massive stars in our gym.

Khamzat and Arman post-training session.

Just the beginning

These high profile camps are going to become the new normal for us. It’s exactly why this space is here and why Fight Syndicate Big Bear has partnered with The Sports Office (@the.sports.office).

Other than UFC fighters, we also recently hosted professional rugby team California Legion (@legion.rugby). These giants used our space for conditioning and even did a team hike led by TSO Director Johnny Burnham (@jb_the_mvp).

We also just announced a three year contract with US Rowing (@usrowing) as they prepare for the LA 2028 Olympics.

link to article is here

Is it a coincidence that these camps are choosing us for their training? Or are we beginning to see the fruits of our labor that began three years ago in 2023?

We’re going to continue moving forward, doing our absolute best to position Big Bear Lake as THE high altitude training destination for world class athletes and fighters.

See you in the gym!

Coach Red