Freestyle MMA opens its doors to a fresh Alta challenge

It's why he bought an old church with a Spartan fight gym as a "hobby" after giving away nights on pub and night club doors.

Getting someone to a UFC would have been a bonus - it's proven more than that given Alex Volkanovski is currently considered the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet in the eyes of many good judges.

It takes up plenty of his time these days, but a new program is set to take him back to his teaching roots, with Freestyle MMA opening its doors to a new group, most of whom have never set foot on a mat.

It's part of the Alta program, a transformative program aimed at teaching newcomers all aspects mixed martial arts with the option of stepping into the cage at program's end.

It's going the whole hog, with the program stretching 20 weeks, but for Lopez it's going full circle.

"It's how I started and it's what I still love, coaching people and seeing them progress," Lopez said.

"I think if you commit yourself for 20 weeks, mentally and physically, you're going to come out a much stronger person.

"You need to put in that time. People only really see someone getting in the cage but it's all about the time spent in [the gym] and particularly the fitness side of things.

"Doing anything, particularly boxing and martial arts, it's about habit and repetition and a lot of people don't see that.

"It's humbling as well and that's the beauty of martial arts, it'll make you a better person. Once you're fit and you have that confidence you just think differently.

"If you go that way and end up in the cage across from someone at the end of it and you face that fear, it'll make you a stronger better person."

Train Alta's Richy Walsh - a veteran of six UFC fights and The Ultimate Fighter 'The Smashes' series - says the program is transformative for people of all fitness and experience levels.

"For anyone, martial arts is life-changing in general at any stage of you life," Walsh said.

"We understand 20 weeks is a big time commitment but MMA is such a unique sport that combines a lot of different skills so we couldn't do it justice if we said it was eight weeks, 10 weeks.

"I think as you move through life you lose that fear that drives you forward and it starts to hold you back.

"A lot of people who start this program have battled with addiction or mental health issues, some are just looking for a challenge in life that they're not getting. For that purpose it's a very powerful journey."

While the program's run in more than a hundred locations around the world, running the program in Wollongong allows participants to train in truly elite company.

"Running the first one in Wollongong at Freestyle, you have Joe Lopez who's Alex Volkanovski's coach," Walsh said.

"I believe Alex is the best fighter on the planet at the moment so it's an opportunity for people in Wollongong to really train with the best of the best.

"It's open to people of all size, experience and fitness levels. We've had guys come from rugby, football or other sports, and people with no experience at all.

"You get to train like a professional mixed martial artist and, at the end, you get the option of fighting in an amateur fight - an even match up between someone in the series.

"It's an opportunity as a transformational journey and it's going to get you to a much better place afterwards."

The program is due to begin in mid-June. Interested participants can visit the Train Alta website for information on how to register.

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