Wrestling in Miami: takedowns, control and getting back up, trained inside our MMA program
Takedowns, takedown defence, control on the floor and getting back to your feet, taught by coaches who started on a high-school wrestling mat and went on to the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships. We do not run a wrestling class — wrestling is taught alongside the mixed martial arts program at 1423 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33174, against people who are also allowed to punch you. If you want to learn to take someone down and keep them there, this is a place to do it.
Start my 30-Day Free TrialOr call 305-225-4610
The free lesson and the 30 days are for South Florida residents, at our Miami location.
So can I wrestle here, or not?
You can wrestle here. You cannot enrol in a wrestling class here, because there is not one — and unlike boxing, there is no plan for one.
It is worth being precise about what you would actually get. You learn to change levels and shoot, to finish a single and a double leg, to sprawl and defend when someone shoots on you, to control a person once the fight is on the floor, and — the part most people underrate — to get back to your feet when you are underneath.
What you do not get is a folkstyle or freestyle competition room with a singlet and a season. The wrestling here is taught for mixed martial arts and for self-defense, which changes it: there are no points for riding time, you have to worry about being hit while you shoot, and giving up your back to escape a pin is a much worse idea than it is under wrestling rules.
Why is wrestling the part that matters most?
Because it is the only skill that decides where the fight happens.
Every other discipline answers the question “what do I do here?” Striking tells you what to do at range. Jiu-jitsu tells you what to do on the ground. Wrestling is the one that decides which of those you are doing — and therefore whether you get to use the thing you are actually good at.
That is why wrestling has been the most successful single base in mixed martial arts, and it is why we do not treat it as an optional extra for the competition team. For self-defense the same logic applies twice over: the ability to stay on your feet when someone grabs you, and the ability to get up if you end up on the floor, matter more than any particular punch or submission.
It is also the honest answer to why there is no separate class. Taking wrestling out of MMA and putting it in its own room would teach it without the two things that most change it — someone allowed to punch you and someone allowed to submit you. It is more useful where it is.
Who would be teaching me?
Two brothers who started exactly where you would — on a high-school wrestling team. Marcos and David Avellan began wrestling at Killian High School in 1997 under Tirso Valls, who wrestled at Lock Haven, and they have used it ever since.
David Avellan
Founder and Head Instructor, and still visits to teach. A five-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships veteran and its 2009 bronze medalist, 56-21 in grappling, and the creator of the Kimura Trap System.
Marcos Avellan
Founder and Head Instructor, teaching on the regular adult roster. ADCC 2004 US Trials Champion, ADCC 2005 World Championships veteran, 3x NAGA Pro Champion, 39-15 in grappling.
The name of that competition is not a coincidence: ADCC is the Submission Wrestling World Championships, and it is the highest level either of them competed at. Beyond the records, every coach here has passed our own 12-week Instructor Program, a pass-or-fail course in the science of teaching rather than in technique. See the full roster and what each coach teaches.
Can my child learn to wrestle here?
Yes, in the same way — inside the children’s martial arts program rather than as a wrestling class. Our Kids program (8–12) teaches wrestling alongside Muay Thai kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, and it is named in the curriculum rather than added here as an afterthought.
For a child, the grappling is often the part that does the most good away from the mat: it is hard, it is physical, and none of it involves being hit in the head. See the three children’s age groups — they start at age 2.
Where would I start?
In the Adult MMA Intro Program — the beginner track, and where every adult with no background begins, including everyone who arrived wanting to wrestle.
You send the form, or call or text 305-225-4610
All three reach the same people. The form asks for a first name, an email and a phone number, and nothing else.
We call you back within 24 hours
A member of staff calls to find a time that suits you, and to answer anything you want to ask first — including whether we are the right gym for what you want.
You come in for a free private lesson and a tour
A one-to-one lesson with an instructor and a look around the gym. It comes with 30 days of group classes, a uniform and online video access, at no charge.
The free lesson is for South Florida residents and is available at our Miami location only. It stays open for one month from the date we send it to you.
The other disciplines have pages of their own: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai kickboxing and boxing. If you came here wanting to be able to defend yourself, that is a slightly different answer.
Where are we, and when can you come in?
Freestyle Fighting Academy is at 1423 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33174, Across the street from FIU, in the Publix Shopping Center, and we have been here since October 2001. Most people who train here come from Westchester, Tamiami, University Park, Fontainebleau and Kendall (where students travel from).
The facility is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and staffed, with over 70 classes a week running from 6AM until 1:45AM, plus open mat every day. The class timetable is a separate thing and we do not publish it online — ask us when you visit and we will go through the timetable with you.
There is free parking at the address — a strip mall lot with plenty of spaces.
Call 305-225-4610Or text usinfo@ffagyms.com
Directions and parking · The gym’s history · What members say · Contact us
Frequently asked questions
- Does Freestyle Fighting Academy have a wrestling class?
- No. There is no separate wrestling class at Freestyle Fighting Academy and none is planned. Wrestling is taught alongside the mixed martial arts program at 1423 SW 107th Ave, Miami — takedowns, takedown defence, control on the ground and getting back to your feet are trained as part of MMA rather than in a room of their own. Adults with no experience start in the Adult MMA Intro Program.
- Can I learn to wrestle at Freestyle Fighting Academy?
- Yes. You will learn to shoot and finish takedowns, to defend them, to control someone once the fight is on the floor and to stand back up when you are underneath. What you will not get is a folkstyle or freestyle competition room. The wrestling here is taught for mixed martial arts and self-defense, against training partners who are also allowed to strike and submit.
- Do the coaches actually have a wrestling background?
- Yes. Marcos and David Avellan began wrestling in high school, at Killian High School in 1997, under Tirso Valls, who wrestled at Lock Haven. Both have since competed at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships six times between them, and David won a bronze medal there in 2009.
- Is wrestling useful if I am not going to compete?
- It is arguably the most useful part of the training. Wrestling is what decides whether a fight stays standing or goes to the floor, so it is the skill that gives you the choice. For self-defense that matters more than any single strike or submission, which is why it is trained by every adult here rather than kept for competitors.
- Where do I start if I have never wrestled?
- In the Adult MMA Intro Program, the beginner track, with a free private lesson first. Send the form, or call or text 305-225-4610, and we will call you back within 24 hours to arrange it. The free trial includes 30 days of group classes, a uniform and online video access, for South Florida residents at the Miami location.
Start your 30-Day Free Trial
Leave your details and we will call you within 24 hours. The appointment is a free private lesson with an instructor and a tour of the gym.
Here is everything you get, at no charge:
- Train mixed martial arts for 30 days
- Get a FREE uniform
- Get a FREE private lesson
- Get instant access to FREE MMA and self-defense instructional videos
In your private lesson you learn the basics: the jab, the cross, the hook, the roundhouse kick, the closed guard, the rear naked choke and the armbar.
And if you join, you have our 60-day money-back guarantee: attend all of your classes in the first 60 days, and if you are unsatisfied, get your money back.
Call or text 305-225-4610. The gym is staffed 24 hours a day, so someone picks up. Prefer not to talk on the phone? Text us and we reply within 24 hours.
For South Florida residents, at our Miami location. The offer stays open for one month from the date we send it. Bring a spouse or your children along if you would like them to take part.