Sherdog’s Top 10: Training Camps

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz calls Alliance MMA home. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

10. Alliance MMA

As the home of elite fighter such as former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz, former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Michael Chandler and contenders such Phil Davis, Kelvin Gastelum and Luke Barnatt, San Diego’s Alliance MMA has established itself as one of the top camps in the sport. Founded by former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight Brandon Vera and trainer Eric del Fierro, Alliance has attracted boatloads of talent and done well to produce and hone the games of numerous UFC-quality fighters.

While Vera himself never reached his full potential, his gym has grown into a powerhouse, and had Cruz not lost most of the last four years to a series of injuries, its reputation would likely be even more sterling. Fighters like Ross Pearson and Myles Jury blossomed into top-15 talents under the camp’s direction, while Davis grew from a novice wrestler to a top-10 light heavyweight with a shiny new deal from Bellator. Alliance excels at teaching all the component skills, with an emphasis on powerful takedowns and in-and-out movement at range.

Alliance suffers in these rankings due to a lack of truly homegrown talent -- it is mostly a home for relocated fighters rather than a place to build from the beginning of a fighter’s career -- and recent performances have been a bit worrisome. All of the tools are in place, however, for Alliance to remain one of the very best camps in the sport.

Number 9 » Serra-Longo Fight Team