About us

UPSU Kickboxing, MMA & BJJ is one of the largest and most active societies in the Athletic union with over 100 members last academic year. We host weekly training sessions and weekly socials. Kickboxing, MMA and BJJ are great ways to exercise as they're fun, interesting, and effective.

We train out of Gym01 based in Fratton. Gym01 is one of the best martial arts gyms in the country and especially the south. Active members include ex UFC fighter Phil Harris and BAMMA fighters Cameron Hardy and Michael D'Aguiar. Gym01 has a very friendly atmosphere and everyone is willing to help everyone out, no matter what your level. Our fully qualified coaches Ollie, Emmeline and Michael originally started off as part of the university team, they started where you are now seven years ago and Ollie currently holds the Flyweight Championship belt for on top promotion in Scotland. Henry our BJJ coach is a purple belt and fully qualified personal trainer who is FMS certified.

Our membership currently stands at a £25 joining fee, via the union website. This lasts the whole academic year and includes a free t-shirt with our team logo. Members will also need to pay £5 for each session they attend if they don't already have a Gym01 membership. There's also an option to get a discount by paying for sessions upfront per term or year.

Training Sessions

Our sessions consist of a variety of discipline specific exercises including fitness, flexibility, technical drills and some fun and games! When experienced enough, there is also a chance to technical spar with your teammates, to put the techniques you have learnt into practice and see where they fit in within a fight.

All fitness levels are welcome. Please see our Facebook and Instagram page for information about taster sessions.

A lot of people are worried about coming to a martial arts class but there's nothing to worry about. Nobody will make you do anything you don't feel comfortable with. If someone is too aggressive or has too big of an ego and they do not calm down when asked they get kicked out. Simple as that. We don't tolerate egos. Gym01 is also strictly following all Covid regulations including a limit on the number of people attending each class, sanitising the mats and equipment before and after each training session.

Our session times

Monday:

Fitness session 18:00 - 19:00, activities room, student union

Wednesday:

BJJ 12:00 - 13:30

Kickboxing 13:45 - 15:15

Thursday:

MMA 12:00 - 13:00

Friday:

Women’s only kickboxing 13:30 - 14:30

Running club 18:00 onwards

Opportunities

For those looking for something to work towards to or to progress their training, there are plenty of opportunities to compete in inter-clubs and against other universities. We also have a good relationship with the Portsmouth based fight promotion Shock and Awe with club members fighting on their main show as well as their amateur contenders show. You can watch videos of members and ex-members fighting on this show in the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLED9d2UStP3NXhsjdIw6uGZMoEsvSwbvF

If you don't wish to compete but are interested in working on your technique, understanding and fitness we offer grading where you can aim towards achieving a coloured belt from yellow to black. It's a great way to see how far you've progressed.