Beyond the Octagon: Why UFC Gym Market Square Is More Than Just a Fight Club

Written by Christine Julia Dingzon

-Photo by UFC Gym

When you first walk into the UFC Gym Market Square, you might expect a space focused solely on combat sports. With its official octagon, mat rooms, and bag work areas, it certainly honors its mixed martial arts (MMA) roots. But as soon as you step further into the space, you realize this place is far more than a fight gym; it’s a full-scale wellness and fitness center designed for everyone.

I toured the gym with Jessica Cline, the General Manager of UFC Gym, who instantly made the space feel welcoming and accessible. “People think we’re just fighters in here,” she smiled. “But really, our classes and amenities attract many people of all ages and fitness levels.”

Located at 236 Fifth Avenue, the Market Square location opened in June 2023 and spans three floors and is 35,000 square feet. It’s one of two UFC Gym locations in Pittsburgh, with the second being in the Waterfront. The moment you step in, you are greeted with an expansive selection of training spaces: a spacious studio for yoga, spin, and Zumba, an indoor turf area for functional training, and a mat room used for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (GI and No-GI), wrestling, and MMA. There’s also a dedicated bag area for boxing and kickboxing classes, and of course, the official octagon used for competition-style training.

Beyond combat sports, the gym is loaded with equipment to suit every kind of workout. There are many rows of cardio machines, including treadmills, ellipticals, and rowing machines. There are also Olympic lifting platforms and a full range of free weights.

“We’re busiest in the evenings, especially Monday through Thursday,” Cline shared. “That’s when you’ll really feel the community energy, people coming in after work, focused and ready to move.”

The gym offers small-group training and classes. The popular Daily Ultimate Training (HIIT) class delivers a high-intensity interval workout, with stations that rotate between kettlebell swings, rope juggles, and more. Other offerings include boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and group fitness favorites like yoga, Pilates, and spin. The gym also runs a youth program starting at age six. Specialty classes like Muscle Makeover provide targeted strength-building sessions, while personal training is available in a variety of formats like boxing, weight lifting, and MMA.

One of the most standout features of UFC Gym Market Square is its high-tech recovery spa. For just $65 a month, members gain unlimited access to a suite of recovery tools: red light therapy pods, HydroMassage beds, Normatec compression therapy, percussion massagers, and even cryotherapy sessions that drop down to negative 75 degrees. The facility also offers traditional tanning beds and a full-body Styku scanner for detailed body composition analysis.

Whether you’re throwing punches, perfecting your form, chasing a new personal record, or simply looking for a space to reset and recharge, UFC Gym delivers more than just a workout, it offers a complete fitness experience.

📍 236 Fifth Avenue

⏳ Monday – Thursday: 5:00 AM – 10:00 PM

     Friday: 5:00 AM – 8:00 PM

     Saturday – Sunday: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM