The Jackson Wink Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico is an elite training facility for MMA fighters. It’s home to the current UFC Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm, who in November beat Ronda Rousey. Holm says Mike Winkeljohn (the Wink of the Academy) is “the best striking coach on the planet.” She should know – they’ve been training together for half her life — for 17 years. (Holm is 34.)
Since Holm’s win against Rousey, the Academy has been enjoying a lot of added publicity including a feature on 60 Minutes Sports. In the segment, cameras go beyond the ring and upstairs to the “Spartan-like dorms” — “where fighters, eat, sleep, and breathe martial arts.” You don’t have to be a champ like Holm to spend the night. The Academy rents dorm rooms for as low as $500 a month. That includes access to the common kitchen, common living area, common bathrooms, and common laundry room. If you don’t want to partake in the communal aspect of the gym, a studio can be had for $750 a month; and a one-bedroom apartment goes for $1000 a month.
