Franchised fitness operator UFC Gym has revealed that it will open its first UK locations in Nottingham and Woking.

The US-based company is set to open both sites in April, kick-starting an ambitious roll-out programme which will see 100 clubs open across the UK and Ireland over the next 10 years.

The Nottingham site will be a full-sized UFC Gym featuring its three formats – Signature, Core and Class – offering members the choice of functional fitness classes, group and private MMA training, dynamic performance-based training, group classes and MMA youth programming.

In Woking, the company is introducing its new boutique concept Class UFC Gym, which focuses on a result-based and class-centric format. It will offer HIIT and boxing classes, with a gym floor and high-spec recovery area, including cryotherapy units and physiotherapy facilities.

“Nottingham has always been a hotbed of combat sports, and with the cultural shift towards fitness, health and lifestyle, it makes the arrival of UFC Gym so important,” said former UFC fighter and UFC Gym UK ambassador Dan Hardy.

“I know how welcome a world-class facility like UFC Gym will be in the city."

Since its launch in 2009, UFC Gym has opened more than 150 locations in more than 25 countries and territories – including the US, Australia, Canada, India and Mexico.

The UK and Ireland openings are being delivered by master franchisee TD Lifestyle – a venture set up to manage the portfolio. The ownership group includes former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping – who made history in 2016 as UFC’s first British champion – and former British karate heavyweight champion Joe Long.

UFC's partnership with TD Lifestyle is the largest development partnership in UFC Gym's history.

The UFC Gym brand is the first major brand extension of UFC, the world’s premier MMA organization, and was developed in partnership with New Evolution Ventures.