In partnership
MTGym23 Academy
MTGym23 in Vienna is the largest MMA gym in Europe and the home of UFC light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakić. The work: turn the gym into a structured, scalable fighter development institution that lives beyond the four walls — and becomes Europe’s definitive academy.
The situation.
Even the best gym in Europe runs into the same three problems every combat sports operator hits at scale.
The fighter problem
No structured progression. Inconsistent feedback. No clear pathway from white belt to the ring. Talented athletes plateau because no one has mapped the road for them.
The business problem
Capped by physical space, schedules, and coaching capacity. Revenue is bounded by how many bodies fit on a mat. The ceiling is a real ceiling.
The fragility problem
COVID taught every gym in Europe the same lesson: when the doors shut, income stops. Without a digital layer, there is no fallback — and no version of the brand that lives outside the building.
The thesis.
Structure creates progression. Progression creates retention. Retention creates revenue.
The thing that makes a fighter stay isn’t a discount or a referral promo. It’s measurable progress they can see. Once you build that, the rest of the business compounds on top of it.
What we’re building.
MTGym23 Academy — a fighter development system designed to live both inside the gym and far beyond it.
Level-based progression
Five categorized skill levels — Foundation, Development, Competitive, Elite Amateur, Certified Pro — so every fighter knows exactly where they stand and what’s next.
Digital training
Structured video modules that fighters can follow anywhere, anytime. Built so an athlete on the road, on a fight camp, or in another country stays on track.
Paid checkpoints
Each level transition requires a proctored evaluation — in-person at Vienna or by video submission. The checkpoint is the quality control layer and a real revenue line in its own right.
Pathway to competition
A proven roadmap from beginner to certified professional prospects. Not a vibe. A documented progression with criteria and standards.
The fighter journey.
Progression is earned, not random. The loop:
Join the academy → Follow the training → Unlock the checkpoint → Pass the evaluation → Level up → Repeat.
The structure is the retention mechanism. Fighters stay where they see measurable progress, and they tell other fighters about a place where progress is measurable.
Vienna base, global reach.
The hybrid model is the unlock. Athletes train physically at Gym23 in Vienna or follow the curriculum remotely. Consistent training when they’re traveling. Flexible evaluations — in person or proctored video. A community that’s part digital, part on the mats. The brand stops being bounded by the building.
What this changes.
Training system: from random and subjective to structured and modular. Progress tracking: from manual and inconsistent to measurable and automated. Revenue model: from subscription-only to subscription plus paid checkpoints. Reach: from local Vienna radius to international and borderless.
The opportunity is sharper than „another digital gym.“ Digital fitness is growing at roughly thirty percent CAGR while combat sports stays largely offline and fragmented. There is no continental-scale fighter development institution. Whoever builds it owns a category.
Status.
This is the work, in flight. The product architecture is locked, the curriculum framework is in build, the first cohort of Foundation-level content is in production, and the operating model between MTGym23 and Smarter World is signed and aligned.
The first thirty days of operating data, and a longer write-up, will be added once the Academy goes live.