Don't know Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Randy “The Natural” Couture? Is an octagon merely a distant memory from your 10th grade geometry class? If so, you've somehow sidestepped the anything-goes, street- and cage-fighting craze called mixed martial arts.

Fans of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stars such as Liddell and Couture are hitting the gym to learn the mixed martial arts techniques used in The Octagon (the cage that houses these fights) or to simply train like their favorite fighter. And in response, some fitness facility owners around the country are designing fitness programs to attract these fans, many of whom are young men.

This movement is not without apprehension, however. Mixed martial arts is a contact sport, so safety is the greatest concern. Operators also must worry about finding or training qualified teachers and storing the equipment needed for these classes.

Still, when it comes to re-vamping a fitness center's image or injecting something new into the mix, mixed martial arts may be just the thing.

“It's a trend that we're seeing proliferate in clubs, as people are looking for new ways to work out,” says Kara Thompson, public relations coordinator for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). “The UFC phenomenon has aided the interest in mixed martial arts.”

What's the Buzz?

Just as the name implies, mixed martial arts is a combination of martial arts disciplines, including jiu-jitsu, judo, karate and kempo, as well as techniques from boxing, kickboxing and wrestling. Typically associated with street fighting, the sport is intense and strategic, fought in a cage designed to contain the one-on-one competitors. Techniques include striking and grappling, but no one discipline dominates.

Mixed martial arts first came to the United States, where the UFC was born, in the 1980s. At first, UFC fights had few rules, no weight classes and no equipment requirements. This made for ugly and contentious battles that went into pay-per-view time slots. Although some of these negative first impressions remain, the backlash led to internal regulations that require judges and gloves and put the kibosh on head-butting and hair-pulling. These changes didn't diminish fans' passion, however. In 2006, the UFC brought in nearly$223 million in pay-per-view revenue — more than HBO Boxing or World Wrestling Entertainment. And “The Ultimate Fighter,” a UFC reality program on the cable channel Spike TV, just finished its ninth season.

With all of this buzz, it's no wonder mixed martial arts is hitting health clubs. Clubs such as Newtown Athletic Club in Newtown, PA, and Meridian Sports Clubs of California, North Hills, CA, are adding mixed martial arts to their facilities. Fans want to fight and train like their favorite UFC stars.

“Over the years, you looked at boxing physiques and would say, ‘Boxers are really in shape.’ Now the same is happening with UFC fighters and mixed martial arts,” says Tony Santomauro, president of The Santomauro Group, a health, fitness and martial arts consulting and management firm in Hackensack, NJ, and partner in Can Do Fitness Clubs.

Bringing in the Boys

The goal of adding mixed martial arts classes is to increase exactly what mixed martial arts attracts: testosterone. IHRSA reports that since 1987, the number of men joining health clubs has risen by more than 84 percent. However in 2007, men represented only 45.8 percent of the for-profit and nonprofit health club membership and only 43 percent of for-profit clubs nationally. For some fitness centers, these numbers translate to opportunity.

“Mixed martial arts is very appealing to men,” says Carol Espel, national director of group fitness for Equinox, with locations in New York, Chicago, Dallas and California. Meanwhile, group exercise classes are not so attractive to men.

“The barriers [to group exercise] are the formats,” Espel says. “What happens for most men is the visibility factor. They remember [group exercise] as some dancing thing from the past. When you have programs that sound a little less like group fitness but more like overall fitness, you get men enrolled. When we do a boxing series, they're lining up.”

Equinox's demographics mirror IHRSA's numbers — about 40 percent of the total membership is male.

“Men — it's something that all of us [fitness centers] are missing,” Espel says. Equinox currently does not offer mixed martial arts fitness programs or classes, but it's something the health club has considered, she notes.

“The fitness industry is so homogeneous right now,” says Jim Rowley, CEO of New Evolution Fitness Co., Lafayette, CA. “There's an audience that's left out and wants a little more of an edge.”

Together with the UFC and business partner Mark Mastrov, founder of 24 Hour Fitness, Rowley is launching a series of gyms that allow members to train like UFC fighters. The first UFC Gym will open in October in Concord, CA. Rowley plans to open five to seven others by the end of the calendar year, and long term, he plans to grow even further.

“We're very confident that it's going to really take off,” Rowley says.

John Hackleman, World Kickboxing Association's North American Champion, Pacific Heavy Weight, has been offering mixed martial arts training since 1985 at The Pit, his Arroyo Grand, CA, club.

“It's always been about two things: martial arts and fitness,” he says. By focusing on Hawaiian kempo, a discipline that combines kickboxing, boxing, judo, kempo, jiu-jitsu and wrestling, Hackleman has built a fitness system that definitely attracts men — 75 percent of his membership is male.

Still, a mix of men, women and children is important.

“Our program is not male oriented,” Rowley says. “We wanted to create a fun atmosphere for kids and teach cool ways to exercise. We think we have broad appeal.”

Early enrollment for the first UFC gym began last month, and so far, the breakdown of men and women is 50-50, Rowley says. Kids' membership numbers are still unclear.

The Pit has a solid kids program that emphasizes many of the same disciplines as traditional martial arts — focus, teamwork, control, balance, memory, fitness and coordination.

“It's a family gym,” Hackleman says. “But there's also an elite, hardcore team that trains separately.”

These athletes — including Liddell and Antonio Banuelos — compete in UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting events. They also elevate The Pit's image among fans of the sport.

Risk Assessment

When dipping a toe into a bloody sport like mixed martial arts, safety is a big consideration.

“The potential for injury is high — much more so than anything we offer,” says Equinox's Espel. “I could see doing the training one-on-one. In a group setting, it would be much more risky.”

Santomauro says, “Mixed martial arts is more along the lines of boxing. Most fights end up on the ground.”

To combat this concern, Hackleman requires his members to sign ironclad liability waivers.

“We have a very, very, very extensive waiver,” he says. “But most of my students don't do full contact. Most people don't spar full contact — they grapple."

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