The Mixed martial arts (MMA, for its acronym in English) are a sport that, although it has not reached the popularity of soccer, has increased its number of fans and practitioners thanks to the influence of sports leagues such as the UFC, which is also a successful business.
The MMA They are a very complete sport because it includes techniques from various disciplines such as boxing, Olympic wrestling, muay thai and jiu jitsu. Hence, many people today, regardless of their age, find it interesting to practice it. In addition to its general health benefits, it can be very useful as a form of self-defense in an emergency.
So if you have thought about starting with a specialized gym mixed martial artshere we share how much it could cost you.
How to open an MMA school or gym?
Basic facilities for mixed martial arts
To begin, consider what you want and how you envision the gym: is it a business to which you can dedicate only part of your time and, therefore, are you going to start with a small project? Or do you want to make a gym with more capacity because you can dedicate more time to it and do you have plans to expand it?
Depending on what you expect and what you visualize, the first thing will be to have the space for the gym. Do you have a large space in your house that you do not use and that you can allocate to the gym? Would you rent a space to start your mma gym? If you already have enough space at home, you can save yourself the cost of space. But if you are going to rent a space, the cost will depend a lot on the area where you are going to open the gym.
The average cost of premises that could be used for a gym mixed martial arts round among the 40 thousand and 175 thousand pesos per month in Mexico City, according to a query on the Vivanuncios portal. Costs vary based on square footage of the space and location, primarily. Although some spaces are already equipped with some necessary devices and implements to exercise. Of course, verify that they have adequate ventilation and lighting.
All mma gym It must be equipped and conditioned for the practice of this discipline, as it is very important for the proper performance and safety of the practitioners. The basics that a gym or martial arts school should have are:
Octagon or ring. The boxing ring It must measure at least 5.5 meters per side and must have 4 posts as well as the ropes that contain the practitioners. Costs range from 32 thousand pesos and up to 250 thousand pesosEverything will depend on the materials, the provider that makes it and even the brand.
If you opt for octagon, this must be at least 6.1 meters in diameter inside the fence. Each corner must have posts covered with material that cushions possible impacts as well as a security mesh that prevents practitioners from being thrown in any movement.
Making a quote on sites like Mercado Libre, the cost of a MMA octagon round among the 60 thousand and 190 thousand pesos. As with the ring, the cost will depend on the materials, the supplier that makes it, and even the brand. Also, consider that some suppliers sell you only the cage, that is, the posts and the mesh, and the floor itself is sold separately.
It doesn’t matter so much if you choose ring or octagon, in the end it is possible to practice almost all disciplines in either of the two spaces. The important thing is that, whatever you choose, comply with the security measures for a risk-free practice. Choose the one that best suits your budget without neglecting the part of quality standards.
Tatami. Jujutsu and wrestling can be practiced in an area known as tatami, which has an average cost of 50,000 pesos, depending on the quality of the material as well as the surface. The area can go from 6×6 to 12×12 meters (regulatory in Olympic wrestling), it will depend a lot on the space you have.
Dressing rooms and bathrooms. They are essential facilities in a gym. The average cost of a plumber to fit out gym bathrooms ranges from 10 thousand 400 pesos in Mexico City. If you are going to require the services of a mason who makes adjustments in the bathrooms and dressing rooms, the cost for his services can range from 6 thousand and up to 17 thousand pesos.
Implements to practice MMA
The dummies are some of the implements that you will require if you put a mixed martial arts gym. There are several types and shapes: the basic ones, which are generally rectangular and can be used for tae kwon do, muay thai and some boxing punches, have costs from 400 pesos per piece, depending on the material from which they are made and the brand or supplier.
There are more specialized dummies with human forms such as those used in wrestling and jujitsu and can have average costs between 2 thousand and 20 thousand pesos, equally depending on the quality and the supplier. Suppose you start with 4 rectangular dummies and 4 human-shaped ones, the approximate price estimating that you buy the cheapest ones would be 10 thousand pesos.
If you’re going to have a box area very specific, you should also invest in boxing bags and pears. The average cost of the sacks ranges from 400 and up to 3 thousand pesos per piece, depending on the materials and the brand or supplier. Suppose you buy about 8 sacks and take the most expensive supplier, the approximate investment would be about 24 thousand pesos.
The boxing pears They can be based or with leagues. The base ones have an average cost of 5,000 pesos, while the league ones range from 300 pesos and up to a thousand pesos. Assuming that you buy about 8 pears for your gym, your average investment in these implements would be 24 thousand pesos.
Regarding gloves and masks, it is recommended that each practitioner bring their own. Why? For hygiene reasons. Although there are gyms where these implements are provided, remember that during exercise we sweat so much that humidity can become a source of infections, so it is not recommended to share equipment such as boxing gloves, MMA gloves or face shields that are worn. they use to protect themselves.
Another important aspect is having a first aid kit, because when dealing with combat sports, in which impacts are frequent, an accident can occur. The average cost of a first aid kit can range from 300 pesos and up to 6 thousand pesos.
Instructors and other staff of the mixed martial arts gym
Unless you are an instructor in one or more disciplines, you should hire instructors to train practitioners.
Here it will depend a lot on the scheme you want to handle with the instructors: they can receive a direct salary from the gym considering the hours of training they give.
Some mma gyms they pay at least 500 pesos per hour of training to the instructors according to the discipline they teach, some can be paid more according to the number of students who attend that class.
Other gyms collect a percentage of what the instructor charges each practitioner for training. In some gyms, depending on the area of the city, the trainers can charge each practitioner from 100 pesos and up to 300 pesos per training. Or, they can give practitioners custom trainings based on their needs, which can cost an average of 600 pesos per session. In these cases, the trainer can leave the gym a percentage of what he charges. So it’s a matter of seeing which of these mentioned schemes suits you best.
Regarding the staff, if you are starting it is essential to have someone at the reception who can attend to those interested in training in your school or gymnasium mixed martial arts, as well as give the reports they require. The average salary of a receptionist in Mexico is 10 thousand pesos per month.
It is also essential to have someone to clean the mma gym, because hygiene is basic in any sports practice. The average salary of cleaning staffaccording to the Glassdoor portal, is from 5 thousand 500 pesos per month.
Depending on how comprehensive you want to make the service of your mixed martial arts gymYou can also count on a physiotherapist, a sports doctor, a sports nutritionist and a sports psychologist. As with the trainers, choose whether you will pay a monthly salary to these profiles or leave a percentage of what they charge to practitioners interested in their services.
If you choose to pay them a salary, the average salaries for these profiles, according to information from the misalario.org portal, are:
Coach: at least 12 thousand pesos per month (will depend a lot on the discipline and your career)
Physiotherapist: from 6 thousand and up to 27 thousand pesos per month
Sports doctor: 25 thousand 500 pesos per month
Sports Nutritionist: from 9 thousand and up to 20 thousand pesos per month
Sport psychologist: from 8 thousand and up to 15 thousand pesos per month
What would be the approximate initial investment to open an MMA gym?
If we consider the sum of the costs mentioned above, the average initial investment to start with the mixed martial arts school or gym would be:
The minimum investment if you are not going to pay salaries to coaches, physiotherapists, doctors, nutritionists and psychologists (if they are going to collect their fees and leave you a percentage) will be 238 thousand 100 pesos. This amount is considering the estimated minimum prices.
The maximum investment contemplated considering salaries and the maximum prices estimated in this listing exercise can be up to more than 1 million pesos.
Again, the initial investment will depend on the area in which the mixed martial arts gym that you want to open, the size, the suppliers with which you buy the implements and the schemes that you manage with the trainers, physiotherapist, doctor, nutritionist and psychologist.
Also, consider that if you want to open a mma gym Under the scheme of a franchise, you must pay the corresponding cost that will vary according to the sports league with which you are going to acquire the franchise.
What do you think of this business idea? If you want other ideas to undertake, to inspire you we share 8 ideas that turned out to be great businesses.
Rocio Reyes Communicologist specialized in science journalism and digital marketing. Curiosity leads this being with a cat personality to find links where apparently there are none. Whenever I can, I like to contribute even a bit of what I’ve learned. Fan of the world of entrepreneurship and MMA.