The MMA Lab

The MMA Lab (also known as MMA Lab and The Lab) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) gym based in Glendale, Arizona. It has produced two UFC champions, Benson Henderson (former UFC Lightweight Champion) and Sean O'Malley (former UFC Bantamweight Champion).

The MMA Lab

Est.	November 16, 2006; 17 years ago (2006-11-16)
Founded by	Jason Beck
Primary owners	John Crouch Benson Henderson Joe Ervin
Past titleholders	Benson Henderson Sean O'Malley
Training facilities	Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
Website	www.mmalab.com

History

According to Bloody Elbow, MMA Lab was incorporated on November 16, 2006, with its two largest shareholders being Khonkhor Enterprises and JBeck Investments. Both were investment companies owned by Royce Gracie and Jason Beck respectively. Beck previously trained at a Gracie Academy and had expressed interest in opening his own gym in central Arizona. He later brought in his training partner and Gracie Academy instructor, John Crouch to join MMA Lab.^[1][2]

In early 2012, Gracie and Beck transferred their ownership interest of MMA lab to Crouch, Benson Henderson and Joe Ervin.^[1][2][3]

In early 2015, Gracie was involved in a tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service where it claimed Gracie and his wife fraudulently evaded paying over $1.1 million in personal income taxes from 2007 to 2012 via various means. It disallowed a 2011 Khonkhor expense deduction for $338,871 which was for MMA Lab having a net loss.^[1]

In 2018, the MMA Lab facility was upgraded to have three training rooms, a full-sized octagon and a weight room for strength and conditioning.^[2]

MMA Lab has currently produced two UFC champions, Benson Henderson and Sean O'Malley.^[1][2][3][4]

Notable fighters

• Benson Henderson^[1][2][3][5]
• Sean O'Malley^[4]
• Jared Cannonier^[1]
• The Korean Zombie^[6]
• Mackenzie Dern^[7]
• Joe Riggs^[5]
• Mario Bautista^[1][4]
• Kyler Phillips^[1]
• Jamie Varner^[3]
• Efrain Escudero^[5]
• John Moraga^[3]
• Johnny Case^[6]
• Steven Siler^[8]
• Alex Caceres^[9]
• Bryan Barberena^[10]
• Rick Story^[11]

See also

• List of professional MMA training camps

References

1. "IRS: Royce Gracie's company fraudulently failed to report over $1.4 million in income". Bloody Elbow. May 11, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
2. Alam, Adnan (March 26, 2022). "Reputation of MMA Lab grows with recent success of fighters". Cronkite News. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
3. Finley, Duane. "The MMA Lab on the Rise & Building Champions". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
4. "Mario Bautista Describes 'Humble' Sean O'Malley's Nature In The Gym". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
5. Finley, Duane. "The Fighting Life: The Team Mentality of John Crouch and the MMA Lab". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
6. "Johnny Case discusses Korean Zombie camp". Asian MMA. August 24, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
7. "Mackenzie Dern says MMA Lab coach asked her to leave the team". Bloody Elbow. May 3, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
8. "Video: Steven Siler hopes a Titan FC 32 title win tonight could lead to UFC return". MMA Junkie. December 19, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
9. McElroy, Jordy. "UFC on Fox 10: What We Learned from Sergio Pettis vs. Alex Caceres". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
10. Kontek, Riley. "UFC 186 Preliminary Card Predictions". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
11. "UFC: Rick Story feels that training in Arizona paid off". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 12, 2023.

External links

• Official website