Navy SEAL veteran and MMA coach Brian Sargent had a vision of a cutting-edge mixed-martial-arts facility. He knew what equipment was needed, but it was not until 2007—when he teamed with Joe Mannino, a 30-year owner and operator of a health club—that the nitty-gritty details fell into place. With Mannino’s newly envisioned facility and Sargent’s training know-how, the two built Victory MMA and Fitness, bringing on a staff of top-notch trainers to teach a burgeoning clientele of professional MMA fighters.

The sounds of pumping hearts and fists swooshing through the air that Brian and Joe love to hear can be sensed between the glass walls and doors that divide the 22,000-square-foot facility into eight training areas, and there’s room left over for a retail shop and ringside café. A 20-foot mixed-martial-arts cage and 7,000 square feet of mats host aspiring pugilists as they train their wrists and fists among a forest of hanging punching bags, while students in Jiu Jitsu and MMA classes learn the practical art of self defense. The nearby cardio and weightlifting areas are the metaphorical psychologist’s couch upon which personal trainers condition their clients, and a cordoned-off yoga studio breaks the black-and-red patterning of the gym with bright white walls and a pale hardwood floor.