Home Away From Home

“The gym feels like a home away from home”

Technically speaking, Mixed Martial Arts is an individual sport. When a fighter steps into the cage they step in by themselves. But when a fighter steps into the cage they’ve spent countless hours with training partners and coaches in the lead up. They are backed by a team. They wouldn’t be the same fighter without that team. They wouldn’t be the same person without that team.

In fact, for Dean Bruckshaw, who joined the North Lakes gym when it first opened, the term ‘team’ doesn’t do the bond between Fightcross members justice. He prefers ‘family’. “Most of those I train with have become like family to me. I couldn’t think of training anywhere else.” This sentiment is echoed by Craig Lankester, who was a member of the original Fightcross gym at Geebung. “Fightcross is a community I belong to; it’s a place I can turn up to, even if I weren’t to train that day, just to say ‘hello’.”

The comradery and respect creates an environment where all can strive to be their best. Dean says that this was one of the first things he picked up when joining Fightcross three years ago, “It was all about helping each other get better on our own individual journeys.”

A simple conversation after a grueling boxing session, a friendly piece of advice from across the mat, a word of encouragement with one minute left on the cycle, all are instances that bring out the best of those who train at Fightcross.

The mission of bettering individuals was at the core of Fightcross when the first gym opened in Geebung and remains at the core to this day. Whether it is Logan, North Lakes or Bowen Hills, each Fightcross gym has its own unique vibe but the underlying principles are the same for all. This allows for fighters to easily transfer from one gym to another. Chris Millevoy is one such individual who made this seamless transition from one gym to another. He began training at Fightcross last year and says the gym is a place of self-expression, “I go hard in something I love, I meet new people and I am always learning more about how to be the best version of myself.”

MMA isn’t a walk in the park. And Fightcross doesn’t give any illusions that it is. The classes are challenging and exhausting. Yet people turn up night after night to put themselves through the wringer because for them it is a sanctuary, a place where they grow in the company of people they trust and respect.

Their teammates.

Their family.