Among the wrestling, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts (MMA) that take place daily at the Black House MMA gym, a family-like community of pro fighters and everyday people alike come to practice and learn.
The gym offers many different classes to teach each sport at different levels, from beginner to pro classes. The reasons people go there vary heavily: some want to take the class as a hobby, sport, career or self-defense.
Although there are many options available, the structure of most of the sessions stays consistent throughout, starting with an intense warm-up, then tapering off into learning a few new techniques and then putting them into practice to apply the newfound knowledge.
Senior Matisse Gleason has been going to Black House MMA consistently ever since his junior year, with the goal of becoming an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter in the future, willing to see how far it will take him and believing the teachings of Black House MMA is a vital step in his pathway.
“There’s a really high-level coaching there, and they really know how to build great fighters. That’s what they’ve been doing forever,” Gleason said.
Over the years, Black House MMA has cranked out more than 50 athletes into the UFC, including Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, The Nogueira Brothers, Antônio Rodrigo and Antônio Rogério and various others.. With physical proof, the Black House is the place to learn fighting skills and gain a “ life-changing experience.”
Though the thought of training at a gym where professionals train as well may seem scary or intimidating to some people, the owner and a Jiu-Jitsu instructor at the Black House MMA gym in Gardena, Ilan Xanthakis, assures otherwise.
“I like to run the gym with discipline, but I also like to crack jokes. I think it’s a really welcoming place where a first timer can go and feel comfortable while being in a challenging environment,” Xanthakis said.
The gym is not only a place where people are comfortable but a “family environment” where strong bonds and uplifting relationships form between trainees and trainers alike. To inspire to keep showing up and keep going. While building community, the gym also builds a sense of self and independence in day-to-day life.
‘It’s done tremendous things for my physical and mental health, 100%, and even for my confidence, too. Learning good self-defense techniques can do wonders for a person’s self-confidence, just walking around, knowing that you can protect yourself a little bit,” Gleason said.
The gym has also given Xanthakis opportunities to be able to learn how to use your mind in a different sense, which is usually not the first thing people think of when speaking about a sport.
“I think I’m smarter because of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Every time you’re doing Jiu-Jitsu, you’re solving problems. Your opponent brings you problems every minute, and to [solve it] you use your mind a lot. I say that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is human chess,” Xanthakis said.
In the future, Xanthakis hopes more people will join Black House MMA and realize the many ways it can positively contribute to their lives.
“[Learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu], I became the superhero that I used to see [in] the movies when I was a kid. I always wanted to have that self-confidence and strength: the abilities that I have today because of practicing Jiu-Jitsu,” Xanthakis said. “Now that I’m a teacher, I [am] able to see the same transformation in many lives. I think Jiu-Jitsu impacted my life a lot, and transformed me into someone a lot better.”
