Monarchy MMA (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — After spending four months in Melbourne, Australia, Southeast Asia was calling me again. I planned a brief trip to Malaysia and Vietnam before I returned to Australia for a road trip with my friend. The first stop was Kuala Lumpur, where pretty much every airplane in Southeast Asia passes by. Of course, the first mission was to book a hostel closer to the training. Luckily, I was able to secure a bed 10 minutes walking distance from Monarchy MMA in Kuala Lumpur.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
Kuala Lumpur, commonly referred to as KL, is the capital and the largest city in Malaysia. The city combines its modern skyline dominated by iconic Petronas Twin Towers with the eclectic culture of Malaysia. Recently, the city has undergone a rapid development into the cultural and economic center of Malaysia creating a metropolis. Also, with its diverse and modern shopping and dining options, Kuala Lumpur is attracting tourists from all over the world.

Overview
Monarchy MMA is one of the well-known mixed martial arts academies in Southeast Asia. With athletes competing from One Championship to other MMA competitions, Monarchy is a home ground for various active MMA competitors. Accordingly, Monarchy MMA offers a variety of combat sports classes ranging from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling to Muay Thai and boxing, which are led by qualified experts in the field. 

Monarchy’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program is headed by Professor Bruno Barbosa who is a 3rd-degree black belt under Professor Adalberto de Souza of Team Buda Jiu-Jitsu. The professor is still an active BJJ competitor who frequently places in Asian Opens including IBJJF Tokyo Open 2018 and ADCC Open Philippines 2017. Setting an example for his students, he encourages and inspires his students to compete and challenge themselves.

When I walked into Monarchy MMA, Professor Bruno personally invited me to be a guest at the academy and created a comfortable training environment for me. I was able to join lunch classes and an evening class, which were focused on various sweeps and submissions from the Lasso guard including shoulder locks and Omoplata. Lunch classes were rather small with around 15 students. On the other hand, evening classes had over 30 students filling Monarchy’s massive mat space, which provides me with a chance to train and roll with various students.

Given that there is a massive expat community in Kuala Lumpur, it was easy to interact with people from all around the world. Despite having different backgrounds, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu never failed to bring me closer to people who I encountered at the gym. Thank you, Professor Bruno and the Monarchy MMA family, for welcoming me to the Monarchy’s community. I will be back in the near future!

Location & Facility
Monarchy MMA is located in the heart of the city next to the iconic Kuala Lumpur Tower. Due to its convenient location, the academy can be easily reached via public transportation. Monarchy MMA’s enormous and clean mat space with heavy bags and other weight training equipment will provide everything you need for your training. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
Monarchy MMA’s most recent training program is posted below:

Visitor Fee
Monarchy MMA offers visitor passes:

• Day Pass: 80 MYR (Malaysian Ringgit) (~$19 USD)
• Week Pass: 200 MYR (~$48 USD)

<<Exchange Rate: 10 MYR=~$2.4 USD as of October 3rd, 2018>>

Miscellaneous
– Monarchy MMA’s Website

Tourist Attractions

• Heli Lounge Bar — This helicopter pad rooftop bar is a fully functioning helipad by the day that converts into a rooftop bar. This bar will provide you with a perfect evening to enjoy a panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur and a glass of whiskey.

• Night Market Jalan Alor — Once the sun goes down, this street food market will transform into one of the best culinary delights that Malaysia has to offer. The food stalls will take up both sides of the road selling diverse cuisines from satay to Char Kway Teow. Be sure to bring your appetite before visiting Jalan Alor!

• Batu Caves — With the colossal statue of the Hindu God at the entrance, Batu Caves is an iconic tourist attraction located about 11 km north of Kuala Lumpur. As a Hindu temple incorporated with a limestone hill and three major caves, it attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists from all over the world.

• Kuala Lumpur Tower — Along with the Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Malaysia. As the highest tower in Kuala Lumpur, it provides a spectacular view of the city.

Source
– Website