Team Warrior MMA will welcome the community Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. The open house will include a free class, gym tours and an opportunity to meet the coaches.
By Tom Foley, Storm Lake Times Pilot
A rising star on the U.S. Midwest mixed martial arts scene, amateur featherweight Yunior Escobar wants to give the Storm Lake community a “second chance at life.”
To that end, he’s self-funded the city’s only dedicated MMA and boxing gym for both aspiring fighters and fitness enthusiasts — Team Warrior MMA. There, Escobar plans to train the community in boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and judo.
It opens this Saturday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. at 607 Geneseo St. Guests can partake in a free class, meet the coaches, tour the gym and purchase mega teas and hydration drinks from local vendor Southern Sips.
“I believe the community needs something to focus on and guide people to want something in life, because this is what basically changed my life,” Escobar said. “In the cage and out of the cage, personally and in my sport.”
Throughout his career, Escobar said he’s seen the drive to keep fighting as an MMA athlete push people through battles with addiction and other struggles. He said this kind of environment for youth is one the community needs.
Escobar said the Storm Lake community has eagerly requested that he open this gym for “a long, long time.” And there is certainly a lot of energy surrounding the gym’s grand opening. Just this month, his gym’s Facebook page has had nearly 60,000 page views.
Much of that energy is likely a result of Escobar’s burgeoning career. At 145 pounds, he fights in the featherweight class. His first fight took place just one month after he began his MMA training in 2019. Today, he’s a four-time champion.
Escobar’s professional Instagram account now boasts more than 16,400 followers, and the fighter said he hopes to make his professional debut in the UFC by the end of the year.
“I came to Storm Lake from Las Vegas. Before Las Vegas, I came from Cuba,” Escobar said. “I basically didn’t know what I was gonna do with my life. Then I started doing MMA and everything changed. Now I had goals that I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to be someone.”
Original Warrior gym in Alta
When 18-year-old Escobar first arrived in Storm Lake, he met Brent Koppie, who had opened the first Team Warrior MMA in Alta. Escobar credits Koppie with getting him into the sport in the first place.
“He’s like my dad, basically,” Escobar said.
During the time they trained together, Koppie’s gym continued to grow until they outgrew their aging Alta facility. Today, Koppie owns a gym in Everly, and the two have maintained their close partnership as Escobar begins to build a space of his own.
Though the two locations share the same name, Escobar owns this gym outright.
“I’m from Team Warrior MMA,” Escobar said. “I decided not to do a different name because we stand together.”
Storm Lake fighter Yunior Escobar is opening a mixed martial arts and boxing gym downtown, creating a new place for residents to train, exercise and learn combat sports.
Team Warrior MMA will hold its grand opening Saturday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. at 607 Geneseo St. Visitors can take a free class, meet the coaches and tour the new facility.
The gym will offer instruction in boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo. Escobar plans to work with aspiring fighters as well as people interested in fitness, self-defense or building confidence.
Southern Sips, a local beverage vendor, will also sell mega teas and hydration drinks during the open house.
Team Warrior MMA opens Aug. 1
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 1
- Time: 10 a.m.
- Location: 607 Geneseo St., Storm Lake, Iowa
- Activities: Free class, gym tours and opportunities to meet the coaches
- Training: Boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and judo
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