Nestled within Old Town Plaza in Old Colorado City, OCC Fight House at 2501 W. Colorado Ave. is helping build the city’s Muay Thai community one punch at a time.

Co-owned by Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Sam Peralta, the martial arts and fitness gym offers classes in jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai for everyone from beginners to seasoned fighters. The gym’s atmosphere feels both inspiring and intimidating, with medals lining the ceiling and a large clock centered in the room counting down the minutes of sparring sessions, future fights and dreams in the making.

I stepped into the building for one day and was sweating off my calories just by being there. If a regular gym sounds boring, perhaps sweaty men practicing takedowns on a Tuesday night is more your style. Whether you’re looking to get in shape, learn self-defense or prepare for a competition, OCC Fight House might just be worth stepping onto a mat for.  — April Borjon, The Gazette