Summit County Citizens Voice

Pete Baker trains at his new mixed martial arts gym. PHOTO BY JENNIFER BRANCACCIO.

MMA 9150 grand opening set for May

By Jennifer Brancaccio

SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit High School’s head wrestling coach, Pete Baker, has opened Summit County’s only mixed martial arts gym, 9150 MMA in Dillon, hoping to reach customers of all ages.

Mixed martial arts is a full contact sport comprised of striking and grappling moves derived from various forms of martial arts around the world. Baker’s training center also offers conditioning and circuit training classes including kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, and wrestling for all ages.

Women’s boot camp, cardio circuit, and self-defense classes are also offered. Aside from the private and group classes, Fridays allow for practicing and “open mat” training in all disciplines.

In his youth, Baker was a wrestler in high school and became involved in mixed martial arts after following the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), seeing the sport as an outlet for his competitive energy. After training in world-class gyms like The Lion’s Den, in Reno, NV, Baker came to Colorado to train with other professionals.

“I never want to stop progressing,” Baker said. Opening a martial arts gym was the perfect way to help others get into the best shape of their lives, he said.

“Boxers and martial artists are some of greatest athletes, they have more lean muscle mass and are in better shape than most soccer players and basketball players. You burn more calories than simply lifting weights or doing cardio,” he added.

Baker wants to encourage women to participate in all of the classes 9150 has to offer and wants to accommodate mothers with young children. As the father of a two-year-old, Baker understood the problem of needing to train or work out away from home while having young children.

“We’ll have a kids area with toys so moms can come and work out without having to worry about leaving them at home,” Baker said. “You can watch your children and they can see you while you work out. They may also make a few friends,” he said.

Baker wants to create a homegrown atmosphere where children start practicing martial arts or wrestling at a young age and progress in the sport on into adulthood.

“I want to see kids start here when they’re six or seven and go on to win championships and earn college scholarships,” Baker said with pride. He also wants law enforcement officers and fire fighters to participate in his classes in order to build their endurance and strength.

9150 has wall-to-wall mats for grappling during gi (the traditional martial arts uniform), no-gi jiu jitsu, and wrestling. In another area of the gym, Baker will erect a half cage for MMA training with hanging bags being available for boxing and kickboxing.

Baker eventually wants to bring together a fight team to compete in MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu meets across Colorado and other states. Along with adults from Summit County, many of his wrestlers at Summit High School are interested in participating.

“We’re affiliated with 303 Training Center in Denver and I want to periodically bring our team members down there to train with other competitors,” Baker said. It will allow his team to learn different technique variations and to train in a different environment.

Summit students will benefit from a special discount with a three-month sign up and student identification. Summit High wrestlers will also receive a special rate.

Scholarship memberships will be offered for at risk youth at the school.

“In order to stay with the gym on scholarship, students must provide report cards periodically to show grade improvement,” Baker said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to participate in athletics, make better choices, and improve academically.”

For more information, call (970) 513-1MMA (1662).

Filed under: business, Colorado, recreation, Summit County news Tagged: | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Dillon Colorado, Martial arts, mixed martial arts, Pete Baker, sports, Summit County News, Ultimate Fighter, Ultimate Fighting Championship