Kill Cliff FC explained

Kill Cliff FC, officially known as Kill Cliff Fight Club (formerly known as Sanford MMA, Hard Knocks 365, and Combat Club)[1] is a mixed martial arts gym based in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It was originally founded in 2017 by Henri Hooft and Greg Jones as Combat Club and later Hard Knocks 365[2] [3] before being rebranded to Sanford MMA in 2019 after obtaining a sponsorship deal with Sanford Health. In July 2022, the gym rebranded to Kill Cliff FC.[4]

Overview

In 2017, Henri Hooft left the Blackzilians and alongside Greg Jones, founded the gym, Combat Club in Boynton Beach, Florida. This was later rebranded as Hard Knocks 365 after moving the gym to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to accommodate a bigger facility. Some of the fighters who were originally training at the Blackzilians would join the new gym.

In 2019, Hard Knocks 365 rebranded to Sanford MMA after obtaining a sponsorship deal with Sanford Health. A new training facility was opened in Deerfield Beach, Florida as part of the deal and Sanford Health also opened a supporting clinic adjacent to the team training facility.[5]

In July 2022, the gym rebranded to Kill Cliff FC after Kill Cliff, an energy drink and CBD company acquired naming the rights to the gym.[4]

The team includes roughly 40 fighters, 25 of whom fight within the largest three MMA promotions (UFC, Bellator and ONE), as well as former and current world champions.[6]

Kill Cliff FC is notable for producing former UFC Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman. However, after being scheduled to fight Kill Cliff FC teammate Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, Usman left the gym in June 2020 to join Trevor Wittman at ONX Sports in Denver, Colorado.[7] [8] In 2022, Usman returned to Kill Cliff FC to prepare for his title defense against Leon Edwards at UFC 278. Usman subsequently lost his championship.[9]

Notable fighters

Mixed martial artists

UFC

Bellator MMA

ONE

PFL

KSW

Kickboxers

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: VARSALLONE. JIM. April 21, 2021. Henri Hooft and Greg Jones took it one step at a time to reach Sanford MMA, a game changer. Miami Herald.
  2. Web site: Knocks 365. Hard. Hard Knocks 365 Opens All-New Training Facility At Xtreme Action Park. January 25, 2021. www.prnewswire.com. en.
  3. Web site: Carlson. Ollie. Hard Knocks 365 rebrands to Sanford MMA with sponsorship from Sanford Health. January 25, 2021. thebodylockmma.com. December 13, 2019 . en-US.
  4. Web site: 'More financial power': Top gym Sanford MMA, rebranded to Kill Cliff FC . ESPN.com . en . July 1, 2022.
  5. Web site: August 27, 2020. Sanford MMA facility opens in Florida with fights on the way. January 25, 2021. Sanford Health News. en.
  6. Web site: Mixed Martial Arts . January 25, 2021 . Sanford Sports Complex . en-us.
  7. Web site: Mckeever . Lewis . June 24, 2020 . Kamaru Usman changes training camp ahead of title defense vs. teammate Gilbert Burns . February 13, 2021 . Bloody Elbow . en.
  8. Web site: February 12, 2021 . Inside the split that led Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns to their tense main event . February 13, 2021 . ESPN.com . en.
  9. Web site: May 29, 2022 . Gilbert Burns Opens Up On Sanford MMA Reunion With Kamaru Usman . June 23, 2022 . MMA News . en-US.
  10. Web site: July 31, 2020. Vicente Luque Breaks Down Potential Fight Between Teammates Kamaru Usman & Gilbert Burns. January 25, 2021. MMA News. en-US.
  11. Web site: September 24, 2019 - 11am. Jeremy Fugleberg . Sanford Health buys into mixed martial arts, sponsors team of fighters. January 25, 2021. The Mitchell Republic. September 24, 2019 . en.
  12. Web site: August 10, 2020. Ex-champ Luke Rockhold decides against retirement, angles for 2020 return. January 25, 2021. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  13. Web site: Gilbert Burns answers back at criticism from Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal for getting UFC 251 title fight. January 25, 2021. CBSSports.com. en.
  14. Web site: Sherdog.com. Volkan. January 25, 2021. Sherdog.
  15. Web site: Sherdog.com. Michael. January 25, 2021. Sherdog.
  16. Web site: Steven Mowry is focused on 'Smashing people' . MyMMANews.com . March 28, 2020.
  17. Web site: Takashi Sato scores quickfire KO win at UFC on ESPN 12. Nissi Icasiano. June 28, 2020. asianmma.com.
  18. Web site: UFC 259's Randy Costa hopes to continue gaining promotional push with fan-friendly style. December 5, 2020. MMAjunkie.com. Farah Hannoun.
  19. Web site: Sherdog.com. 5 Things You Might Not Know About Shavkat Rakhmonov. February 3, 2022. Sherdog. en.
  20. Web site: Jingliang Li calls out Geoff Neal! . Asian MMA . en . April 18, 2022.
  21. Web site: Шавкат Рахмонов "подтянул" другого казахского бойца в UFC - Бокс/ММА . Sports.kz . ru.
  22. Web site: UFC's Ian Garry explains why he left Ireland to train at Sanford MMA: 'I want to be pushed' . MMA Junkie . April 5, 2022.
  23. Web site: Rafael Fiziev says he believes in his power . Asian MMA . en . July 6, 2022.
  24. Web site: A HUGE WEEKEND FOR KILL CLIFF FC FIGHTERS!. killcliff.com. Buzz McClain. July 22, 2022. December 7, 2023.
  25. Web site: September 23, 2019. Sanford Health to sponsor, support mixed martial arts team. January 25, 2021. Sanford Health News. en.
  26. Web site: Tyrone Spong calls out ONE Championship heavyweight champion Brandon Vera Asian MMA . AsianMMA . en . October 9, 2020.