MMA Gym Near Me in Flatlands: Brooklyn MMA and Terry Gold Since 2008

Brooklyn Mixed Martial Arts calls itself Brooklyn's first MMA academy, and founder Terry Gold has run it since 2008. The gym sits at 2418 Ralph Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234, on the Flatlands side of Ralph Avenue just south of Avenue N, across the street from Bergen Beach. Its live schedule for the week of Oct. 18, 2026 shows six all-level adult MMA classes and a Wednesday fight-team sparring hour. If you are searching mma gym near me in southeast Brooklyn, this is the long-running local option.

This corner of Brooklyn has no subway stop nearby, so plan on a bus ride or a car. The B47 runs the length of Ralph Avenue past the door, from Woodhull Hospital in Bedford-Stuyvesant down to its last stop in front of Kings Plaza. From the Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College station, the end of the 2 and 5 lines, Google Maps routes riders on the B41 in about 16 minutes, or on the B6 with a transfer to the B47.

Once you are on Ralph Avenue, the landmark to look for is the Mill Basin branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at 2385 Ralph Avenue, near Avenue N. It is about a one-minute walk from the gym, on the opposite side of the street. Ralph Avenue is the dividing line here: Flatlands lies to the west, where the gym stands, and Bergen Beach lies to the east, toward Paerdegat Basin and Jamaica Bay.

Coach Terry Gold founded Brooklyn MMA in 2008 to bring serious mixed martial arts training to the borough before the sport went mainstream. The gym started about ten blocks away and later moved to its current home on Ralph Avenue. A MyMMANews feature on the move noted that the bigger space added strength and conditioning equipment and kept the same mix of classes for kids, women and the fight team.

Gold's signature move as an owner has been bringing elite names into a neighborhood room. The academy's own history lists seminars and guest sessions with Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Al Iaquinta, Ryan LaFlare, Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz, Jake Shields and Randy Brown, plus jiu-jitsu black belts Danielle Kelly and Kyra Gracie. MyMMANews reported that Nick Diaz's jiu-jitsu seminar at the gym was a success.

The fight team has competed on Ring of Combat cards in Atlantic City, a regional promotion MyMMANews ranks among the best in the country. At ROC 58 in February 2017, Brooklyn MMA's Sukhrob Aydarbekov fought for the vacant 135-pound title against Merab Dvalishvili, who later became UFC bantamweight champion. At ROC 60, Nekruz Mirkhojaev won a unanimous decision, and Taj Abdul-Hakim won the 170-pound ROC belt with a first-round TKO.

Adult MMA runs twice on Mondays and Wednesdays, at 10:30am and again at 8pm, plus noon on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday. Every one of those hour-long sessions is labeled all levels, so a first-timer and a member with years of training share the same class. The gym's FAQ says adult MMA gives you access to the jiu-jitsu, boxing and kickboxing classes as well, so you train the full system rather than one piece of it.

Around the core MMA hours sit the supporting classes. Pad work and conditioning runs Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm to 7pm, No-Gi Grappling follows on Tuesday at 8pm, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu runs Monday at 7pm and Thursday at 8pm. On Wednesday from 7pm to 8pm, Fight Team Sparring takes over the room, just before the 8pm MMA class, so you can watch the competitors work before stepping in yourself.

Members on Google describe the training as demanding but patient. One reviewer wrote that he went from essentially no practical experience to a confident, competent fighter, and others single out Coach Terry for pushing students hard while caring about their progress. The gym itself says most members train for fitness, fun and personal growth rather than to fight, and that coaches walk beginners through every class.

Brooklyn MMA's booking page lists a six-month unlimited plan, promoted as a back-to-school sale, at $899. The same page offers separate free trial sessions for men, women and youth, each good for one class, and the website's FAQ puts it simply: the first class is free. Membership covers most classes, while private lessons and some special programs carry extra fees.

The gym has also partnered with Truemed, which helps members pay for training with HSA or FSA money. If Truemed decides that exercise can help prevent or treat a health condition you have, it issues a Letter of Medical Necessity for a one-time $30 fee. After that you send your membership receipts and the letter to your HSA or FSA provider for reimbursement, which the gym says can save around 30 percent.

Every session sits on the PushPress calendar, and each class has a Reserve button, so book your slot online before you head over. The drop-in page asks newcomers to arrive a few minutes early and sign in at the front desk, where staff give a quick orientation before training starts. Visitors from out of town can join a single session the same way, and no previous martial arts experience is required.

You do not need to buy anything first. The gym says all equipment is provided, so comfortable workout clothes are enough for the first class. If you plan to keep training, private lessons run separately for one-on-one work, and the front-desk team will steer you toward the right program based on your goals, whether that is losing weight, learning to defend yourself or eventually stepping into the cage.

The weekday schedule is built around families. Kids Fitness runs at 4:15pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, Junior Warriors trains at 5pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and an advanced Junior Warriors group takes the 5pm slot on Tuesday and Thursday. Teen MMA follows at 6pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with an extra Saturday class at 1pm. The FAQ says young students learn boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and self-defense.

Women's Kickboxing and Fitness is the other big program, and it has its own morning and evening tracks. Morning classes run Monday through Thursday at 9:30am, with the Saturday class at 10am, and evening classes run Monday through Thursday at 7pm. The program blends technical striking with cardio conditioning, and the morning track lets women train while the kids classes are still hours away.

The Mill Basin branch of the Brooklyn Public Library sits almost directly across Ralph Avenue at number 2385, handy for anyone waiting out a child's class. For food and errands, Kings Plaza is about a 12-minute walk south, or a short ride on the B47. Opened in September 1970 at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U, it is the largest indoor shopping center in Brooklyn, with more than 120 stores, including Target, Primark and Macy's.

Kings Plaza also has a waterfront side many visitors miss. A marina wraps around the mall's parking garage on the Mill Basin Inlet, built so shoppers could arrive by boat, and the mall runs its own power plant on the roof. A Saturday noon MMA class, a shower, and a walk down to the water at the Kings Plaza Marina make an easy afternoon in this part of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Mixed Martial Arts, 2418 Ralph Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234, on Ralph Avenue just south of Avenue N. All-level adult MMA Monday and Wednesday at 10:30am and 8pm, Saturday 12pm, Sunday 1pm. Fight Team Sparring Wednesday 7pm. No-Gi Grappling Tuesday 8pm. Six-month unlimited plan $899. First class free, gear provided. Bus: B47 on Ralph Avenue, B41 from the 2 and 5 trains.