Although MMA is an individual sport, it’s important to realize that teams play a big role in the sport. From training to game planning to coaching cage-side, a fighter’s camp is their main support system. which is why the best are often the ones who produce champions, or highly ranked contenders.
So, which fight camps are the best in MMA? I’ve attempted to find the answer using statistics. Using the UFC’s Ranking system, as well as my own judgement, I organized a ranking system that replaces the fighter’s names with their training camp.
I then assigned points based on those rankings. A camp with a UFC Champion is given 20 points, #1 Contender = 15 points, #2 = 10 points, #3 = 9 points, #4 = 8 points, #5 = 7 points, #6 = 6 points, #7 = 5 points, #8 = 4 points, #9 = 3 points, #10 = 2 points and #11-15 = 1 point.
| Rank | Team | Total | Champion | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| #1 | Greg Jackson’s | 84 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| #2 | Nova Uniao | 69 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| #3 | ATT | 63 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| #4 | Alpha Male | 58 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #5 | AKA | 53 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| #6 | Blackzillians | 42 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #7 | Alliance MMA | 39 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #8 | Kings MMA | 36 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| #9 | Blackhouse | 32 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| #10 | Glendale | 29 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
With an staggering 84 points, Team Jackson-Winkeljohn has proven that they are currently the best fight camp in MMA. They have a total of 12 fighters ranked in the Top 15 of a weight-class, and have both a champion and a #1 contender, although a new champion will be crowned this weekend to replace their champion Jon Jones.
Nova Uniao (69), American Top Team (63) and Team Alpha Male (58) place 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectfully, with each having a current champion, as well as a whole list of potential title challengers.
Notable fight camps that didn’t make the Top 10 were Serra-Longo (#11), Roufusport (#15), MMA Lab (#20), Tri-Star (#23), The Pit (#34) and Reign MMA (#51).
Here is a chart outlining where every fight camp landed on the UFC Rankings:
There are a total of 84 fight camps that represent the 160 ranked UFC fighters. The chart is in accordance with the UFC Rankings that were released on Monday, May 18th 2015 (UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber). I have included Jon Jones and Phil Davis in the Light-Heavyweight Rankings as their exclusion from the Official UFC Rankings were not based on performance or a failed drug test.
If you enjoy learning about how fight camps effect a fighter, make sure to check out my article on the Most Injury Prone Fight Camps in MMA.
