MMA Gym in Long Island City: Team Savage LIMMA Classes

Team Savage LIMMA puts MMA on its Long Island City schedule twice a week, Monday at 9pm and Wednesday at 7pm, and backs it with daily boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. The academy is at 24-09 41st Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101, in the Queensbridge pocket of LIC, a short walk from the elevated Queensboro Plaza station. It is the Queens branch of Long Island MMA, founded in 2009, and newcomers start with a free private lesson, so this mma gym near me works for beginners.

The gym sits on 41st Avenue just north of Queensboro Plaza, the two-level elevated station where the 7 and the N and W share island platforms with cross-platform transfers. The station opened in 1916, and from its stairs the walk to the door takes only a few minutes. The gym itself lists the 7, E, M, R, N and W lines as its nearest service, so riders from Midtown, Astoria, Jackson Heights and Flushing all have a one-seat ride or a single easy transfer.

The E, M and R stop at Queens Plaza, under Queens Boulevard at Jackson Avenue, a few blocks south of the gym, while the F stops at 21st Street-Queensbridge, about two blocks to the west. Buses converge on Queensboro Plaza too, including the Q32, Q39, Q60, Q66, Q69, Q100, Q101 and Q102. With MMA starting at 7pm on Wednesday, the train is the realistic way to make the first bell after work.

Long Island MMA was founded in 2009 by head coach Gregg DePasquale, a former wrestler who moved into grappling and earned a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, with Ryan LaFlare, a former UFC welterweight who retired 14-3 as a professional and once held the Ring of Combat welterweight title. The first gym was a run-down room of about 2,000 square feet, and one early promotion signed 17 members in a single night, enough to cover the overhead.

Today the headquarters in West Babylon covers more than 15,000 square feet with a full-size cage, and the Long Island City academy is described by the gym as a newer school built in partnership with Team Savage, which is why the sign and the schedule carry the Team Savage LIMMA name and a griffin crest. Dennis Bermudez, who later fought on The Ultimate Fighter, trained at the original gym, and DePasquale credits him with much of its early growth.

Several coaches split their weeks between Suffolk County and Queens. Hugh McKenna, a second-degree jiu-jitsu black belt, retired pro MMA fighter and former college wrestler, has been with LIMMA for nearly 20 years and is listed as a head MMA coach at both locations. Ashiek Ajim, a black belt under DePasquale and Brian Michelino and a veteran of Dana White's Contender Series, also teaches at both gyms and is known for switching between orthodox and southpaw stances.

The striking room in LIC belongs largely to Enrique Lopez, an undefeated professional heavyweight kickboxer who came up through the West Babylon program before moving into coaching in Queens. His classes lean on bag work, pad rounds and structured partner drills, he is known for unusual footwork for a heavyweight, and he teaches in both English and Spanish. Brian Michelino, an owner and head coach, is a New York State certified teacher who has worked UFC corners.

The MMA hour connects ranges rather than rotating disciplines. Coaches teach striking that has to account for takedowns, takedowns that set up ground control, and the clinch and transitions in between. The method is labeled traditional instruction plus a Constraints Led Approach, meaning you learn mechanics first and then apply them in live, guided situations with rules that force decisions, instead of drilling memorized sequences against a passive partner.

Sparring is optional and never on a calendar. Coaches decide when a student is ready, and early live work comes in controlled formats such as jab-only rounds and positional rounds. Experienced members are expected to work under control with newer students, and anyone who wants to compete is evaluated on attendance, attitude, durability and performance before moving onto a custom schedule. The amateur fight team is coached by John O'Dea, a pro fighter and former U.S. Marine.

Monday evening at 41st Avenue is a stack: boxing at 6pm, kickboxing at 7pm, no-gi jiu-jitsu at 8pm and MMA at 9pm, which lets a fighter warm up on strikes and grappling before the mixed hour. Wednesday runs no-gi at 6pm, MMA at 7pm and Muay Thai kickboxing at 8pm. Friday adds a wrestling class at 7pm, the most useful backup for anyone who missed both MMA sessions that week and still wants takedown reps.

Morning trainees get no-gi at 6:30am on Monday and Friday, boxing at 8am on Wednesday and Friday, and kickboxing at 11am Tuesday through Thursday. Weekends bring no-gi at noon and boxing at 1:30pm on Saturday, then boxing at 10am, kickboxing at 11am and a 75-minute jiu-jitsu class at 12:30pm on Sunday. A separate strength timetable lists Power sessions with coaches Roman and Sheila, plus 11am weekend conditioning with Roman on Saturday and Adrian on Sunday.

The feature that sets this branch apart is an outdoor rooftop training deck with city views. Coaches lead outdoor sessions through spring, summer and early fall when the weather allows, and Muay Thai work moves up there on good days. One member, Matt from LIC, is quoted calling rooftop training unreal, while Sasha from Queens trains after work and likes having the outdoor option, a fair picture of the commuter crowd that fills the evening classes.

Every new member starts with a complimentary one-on-one private lesson with a professional coach, who shows you around and helps pick a starting class. After that, signing up for a one-year membership comes with 60 days of training free. Monthly rates are not posted online; the team discusses membership options during the first visit. The gym suggests a quick call or text first, so say whether MMA, striking or grappling interests you and the staff will point you to a session.

The posted schedule lists the gear the gym recommends. For MMA, bring MMA gloves. For striking, plan on 16-ounce gloves, 180-inch hand wraps, shin guards and a mouthpiece. Grapplers need a gi and belt for the jiu-jitsu classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, plus a rash guard and grappling shorts for no-gi. On day one comfortable gym clothes and water are enough, and the coaches advise on equipment later. Tell your coach about any injury before the warm-up.

The gym's code is blunt: bullying, ego-driven behavior, shortcuts and abuse of instructor authority have no place on the mats, and members are encouraged to speak up if something feels wrong. Its listed values include being on time and prepared. The kids program, called Little Savages, runs at 5:15pm on weekdays and 11:15am on Saturday, so the room turns over from children to adults right before the 6pm block begins.

After a Wednesday class, head west along 41st Avenue toward Vernon Boulevard and Queensbridge Park, a 20.34-acre city park on the East River that the city acquired in 1939, the same year the Queensbridge Houses opened across Vernon Boulevard. A seawall built in 2014 added a riverside promenade named for longtime park advocate Elizabeth McQueen, and the park takes its name from the Queensboro Bridge beside it, a good cooldown with Manhattan across the water.

Queensbridge Park also hosts summertime concerts ranging from R&B to Latin music, and it is home to the Queensbridge Little League, so early-evening ballgames often share the space with joggers on the running paths. The 21st Street-Queensbridge F station sits between the park and the gym, which makes the riverfront an easy detour before riding back toward Manhattan after a Monday night MMA session.

Team Savage LIMMA, 24-09 41st Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101. MMA Monday 9pm and Wednesday 7pm; wrestling Friday 7pm; boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu through the week. Kids classes, Little Savages, weekdays 5:15pm. Free one-on-one intro lesson for newcomers; 60 days free with a one-year membership. Subway: 7, N, W at Queensboro Plaza; E, M, R at Queens Plaza. The West Babylon headquarters is at 669 Sunrise Highway.