Having opened their third outlet at Mont Kiara in April 2019, Monarchy MMA Combat Fitness Gym has been growing from strength to strength.

Since it’s first gym opened under such humble beginnings in 2011 (a small dedicated space in a kindergarten), co-founder Samir Mrabet‘s vision for an inclusive mixed martial arts (MMA) gym, has created and unleashed a formidable league of fighters who are winning titles, medals, and regional fame under Monarchy.

Hailing from Brussels, Belgium, Samir, a former model-turned-martial-artist, has dedicated 100% of his time and career in running a gym that not only churns out top-notch fighters, but also operates as a place where anyone is welcome to try out a different approach to fitness and healthy living.

Besides coaching and training, Samir who holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, still actively competes in BJJ tournaments around the world alongside Monarchy’s chief BJJ instructor, Bruno ‘Bruninho’ Barbosa. Monarchy operates under Samir’s philosophy being, ‘You do not need to be a fighter, to train like one’ and follows a strict guide of principles that include:

• To build a martial arts business where the owners are themselves martial arts practitioners
• To teach martial art forms which are practical for competition, self defense, and overall fitness
• To create an environment where everyone from novice to professional fighter is able to see and achieve personal goals
• To create a training environment where poor attitudes or arrogance from students and even more importantly from instructors will not be tolerated
• To ensure that anyone who represents the Monarchy name in competition does so with integrity and respect
• To create a business model that is sustainable long term
• To create a sense of community and family among the gym’s membership

The best example of this practice is seen emulated in our very own homegrown Agilan ‘Alligator’ Thani who just recently won his highly-anticipated debut at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on 15 June 2019 in Shanghai against veteran Japanese MMA legend Yoshihiro ‘Sexiyama’ Akiyama.

Having started only as an amateur 7 years ago, Agilan, 23, has quickly become a darling of the local MMA scene with his heartwarming and life-changing story of battling weight issues, and dealing with childhood bullying trauma by investing his time training with Samir. He is now a professional fighter, and considered as one of the top welterwights in ONE Championship.

Creating success stories such as Agilan’s was what drove Samir and co-founder Mike Rodgers to open Monarchy 8 years ago. Together with a carefully recruited team of professional trainers and coaches from all over the world, Monarchy offers classes for MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, No-Gi, Muay Thai, Boxing, Krav Maga (self defense), Strength and Conditioning, and both Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling.

There are also classes just for children as Monarchy believes that it’s never too early to begin training, and it proves to be a wonderful activity where they learn new skills in a controlled environment, while developing coordination, discipline, and respect, as well as building friendships.

Monarchy’s positive and successful growth is evident in the opening of a 3rd gym outlet in Mont Kiara. They are currently ranked as one of Malaysia’s best MMA gyms, and their members have gone on to win medals in various championships around the world.

This is the ethos of Monarchy– that there is a champion in anyone who believes in unleashing their inner winner through hard work, dedication, and grit. After all, their tagline ‘We Teach Heart’ is not just waved around, it is practiced thoroughly by every instructor and trainer, which in turn, is also adopted by Monarchy members. This is something everyone can learn at Monarchy, and it doesn’t matter if you’re training to be a professional, or working out to lose weight.

Having experienced a few Muay Thai classes, I can fully attest to the fun you’ll have, so much so that you won’t even notice how fast a 90 minute class can go by when you’re purely focused on throwing punches and kicks at a sandbag, exerting all the stresses of your day. Of course, techniques play an important role in how you execute your combos, and each instructor is on hand for individual coaching. Just keep going, and you’ll eventually find yourself competing at a whole new level you never thought possible.

Sign up here for a free trial class.

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*Monarchy MMA principles are sourced from their official site and subject to strict copyright.

Location and details

Address: Monarchy MMA Bangsar: 34-02 &, 36, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar, 51900 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-2201 1202

Address: Monarchy MMA City Centre: Wisma Mpl, Unit 146, 348, Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur​

Tel: +603-2022 3608

Address: Monarchy MMA Mont Kiara: 10-1, Jalan Solaris 5, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-6211 4043

Email: [email protected]

Website: monarchymma.com