MMA Junkie’s 2021 Gym of the Year: Xtreme Couture
Xtreme Couture is MMA Junkie’s 2021 Gym of the Year.
In a year filled with ups and downs for the majority of high-profile MMA gyms, Xtreme Couture quietly built up a strong 2021 resume with two UFC titles and assisting numerous other fighters to go undefeated over the 12-month stretch.
Heavyweight Francis Ngannou and bantamweight Aljamain Sterling both captured UFC titles in 2021 with lead-up preparation at Xtreme Couture.
Sean Strickland emerged as a top middleweight contender with back-to-back wins over Krzysztof Jotko and Uriah Hall, and Casey O'Neill skyrocketed up the women’s flyweight rankings with three straight victories. In addition, Chris Curtis won MMA Junkie’s 2021 Comeback Fighter of the Year for his improbable 6-0 run including two wins in the UFC.
In Bellator, top contenders Patchy Mix and Mads Burnell called Xtreme Couture their training home and each went 2-0 in the calendar year with wins against some of the promotion’s finest.
Other notable fighters include Miesha Tate, Dan Ige, Brad Tavares, Manel Kape, Kevin Lee, Walt Harris, Cheyanne Buys, Kai Kamaka III, Julian Erosa, Jeremy Kennedy, Tim Johnson, Ion Cutelaba, Roman Dolize, Gustavo Lopez, Dalcha Lungiambula, Puna Soriano, Cynthia Calvillo, and more.
Headed by coach Eric Nicksick, the staff also includes Eddie Barraco, Jimmy Gifford, Jake Shields, Dennis Davis, Roman Isabell, Rich Castro, Chad Lyman, Bryce Harley, Montel Williams, Jamie Huey, Nate Pettit, Tim Lane, Danny Davis, Gil Guardado, Ryan Couture, Clinton Treadway and more, as well as team captains Randy Couture and Ray Sefo (according to the gym’s official website).
