Sanford MMA team begins training in new Florida facility
Contact:
Paul Heinert
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / paul.heinert@sanfordhealth.org
@paulheinert
SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Aug. 25, 2020 — Sanford Mixed Martial Arts is now training in its new state-of-the-art facility in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The Sanford MMA gym is the primary training site for more than 40 professional athletes, including current and former world champions. The 10,000 square-feet building features mats, cage panels and an octagon as well as a sports medicine clinic for the fighters and a lounge. It was recently nominated for Gym of the Year by the World MMA Awards, scheduled to be held this October.
The Sanford MMA team is led by sports agent Dave Martin, a world-renowned coaching staff consisting of Henri Hooft, Greg Jones, Kami Barzini and lead strength and conditioning coach Corey Peacock with Sanford Health supporting the team with its health care needs. A contingent of the team also trains at a different building in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, aspiring to graduate to the new facility.
“Moving into this incredible building is another important step for the team,” said Steve Young, president of Sanford Sports. “We believe the Sanford MMA gym is one of the best training facilities in the country — it’s like an MMA version of the Sanford Pentagon, one of the premier national sports facilities.”
In 2019, Sanford began sponsoring the team composed of world champions and up-and-coming fighters to provide the science, technology and training methods needed to maximize performance, as well as implement injury reduction and recovery methods.
Athletes involved with Sanford Mixed Martial Arts include ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Aung La Nsang, ONE Featherweight Champion Martin Nguyen, UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman, former Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler, former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler, former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, No. 1 ranked UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns and South Dakota wrestling legend Logan Storley.
Sanford Sports and Orthopedic sponsored fighters include current Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader and former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Darrion Caldwell.
Sanford Health physician Brad Reeves, M.D., serves as the athletes’ exclusive medical director and physician. Reeves has worked with MMA athletes for years in addition to previously serving as team physician for the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University.
The Sanford Sports Science Institute is also involved with the Sanford MMA team, conducting research around performance, hydration, injury prevention and more.
The Sanford MMA gym is connected to BARWIS Performance Center, operated by world-renowned strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis. He has trained thousands of collegiate, Olympic and professional athletes in more than 40 sporting events and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) and Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach Emeritus (RSCC*E).
On August 28, Legacy Fighting Alliance continues its second four-week residency of Friday night cards at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The events will air on UFC Fight Pass and feature Sanford MMA athletes.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, one of the largest health systems in the United States, is dedicated to the integrated delivery of health care, genomic medicine, senior care and services, global clinics, research and affordable insurance. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization includes 44 hospitals, 1,400 physicians and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and nine countries. Nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford have transformed how Sanford Health improves the human condition. For information, visit sanfordhealth.org.
