Radical MMA NYC

Great gym with an even better coach. Coach Dreifuss knows how to push you, teach you, and make you better no matter your level. He won’t just tell you to do a move he’ll explain why it’s the best option and prove it with data. The students are respectful, hardworking, and welcoming—no egos, just a solid team that feels like family. If you’re serious about MMA or just want to train right, this is the place.

At Radical MMA in New York, training is far more than physical conditioning, it is the cultivation of a mindset, a discipline, and a philosophy of being. Under the guidance of René, one does not merely learn to fight; one learns to think, adapt, and grow. René’s instruction transcends the technical. Rooted in the principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, every session becomes a lesson in efficiency and risk management. You come to understand that brute force is secondary to timing, leverage, and clarity of thought. Much like a philosopher guiding inquiry, René challenges you to become aware, not only of your opponent, but of yourself. The mat becomes a space of embodied reflection. You’re pushed beyond comfort, not recklessly, but intentionally, so that adaptation becomes instinct. René teaches with an intensity that respects both the art and the student. His approach fosters not domination, but control, of the body, the breath, the mind. You leave not only stronger, but wiser. For anyone seeking more than sport, for those seeking transformation, Radical MMA offers not just martial training, but a way. A way of thinking, a way of being, and ultimately, a way of living with greater awareness, courage, and clarity.

I've Never Met Sensei Rene personally but he has Changed mine and the Lives of Many others wanting to learn Martial arts through his Online MMA Jiujitsu Tutorials. 🙏I stated my own MMA school in India 🇮🇳 8 years ago and my students and i won Multiple MMA titles and Jiujitsu ADCC Golds in National and International Championships. Recently my student had a win In Brave FC China nd got the opportunity to train with Khabib in Dagestan Twice .FOREVER Grateful🙏You have No Idea how many Lives u have impacted Sir🙏 Everyone who has an opportunity to train with him in person is Truly Blessed. Oss🥋

Editing this review as an appreciation of your transparency. While I will state that your way of conducting training behaviorally can change, you have done a tremendous amount of good for the online MMA community. I just want to state my experience with Radical MMA as an individual that went to an open “class“. Martial Arts has recently become something I live and breathe over the past few months, and wanted to exercise my passion for Mixed Martial Arts in particular and competing due to my natural feel for striking and some judo throws, despite learning online briefly. I wanted to utilize Radical to refine my striking technique and gain necessary ground experience in BJJ. I informed the coach I had no previous background in Martial Arts and didn’t formally learn striking besides the Internet. Furthermore, the initial conversation seemed heartfelt with Rene. The problem occurred when he was outright belittling due to minor mistakes in training with my hand placements on a fundamental choke called the rear-naked choke in which the ground work to that choke was not described in detail beforehand, along with the hand positioning being different than what I was supposed to demonstrate which was not on the ground. The link to the video I was supposed to demonstrate for the training is here. While I will say that Rene is a well-accredited instructor with an acceptable background in martial arts, he is not an elite athlete in the sport of MMA nor has produced elite athletes. The amount of years studying a craft doesn’t mean you are calculative nor athletic enough to be elite in it. He will definitely polish you as a more advanced fighter, but as a beginner I would look elsewhere. I will also post a photo in regards to the email that was sent out to me in regards to the Rene then proceeded to lightly smack me in the face as a form of belittlement, when he didn’t even repeat the steps demonstrated in regards to the choke in a non-belittling manner. And when he discussed that I needed to leave the gym, he just very briefly told me a gym recommendation for my “level of learning” and ushered me out without even formally saying goodbye. This is pure cowardice from someone that knows they can take advantage of someone physically more at a disadvantage than they are, in a gym where they own. That behavior is seemingly juvenile. What was even more inexcusable was the fact that I didn’t have a training partner, but had to practice the RNC with a pillow with the appointment being the very next day. How are you expected to have perfect positioning with a multi-step choke with a Damn pillow? This behavior is immensely incorrigible, and needs to change to better adapt his athletes to become elite. In regards to his MMA athletes, many of them come from extensive backgrounds in martial arts, so it was profoundly convenient for Rene to easily adapt them into his program. I find this insulting when I walked on to two different sports in college, and starting in both during my junior year in college. I was also a prodigy in playing music, and have been featured on local news programs as a child for playing the drums, and excelled academically, earning my degree in electrical engineering; a degree where critical thinking is essential. I also played basketball semi-professionally and was specifically recommended by a personal friend who owns an mma gym and has a positive mma record. I was also recommended by an acquaintance I used to go to a gym with that happened to be a trainer for Long Island MMA where there are two elite UFC trainers as well as multiple black belt trainers. Decision-making was also something I have specialized in with sports growing up, and coming from an environment of athletes, which are the make-up of great fighters. The greatest fighters in the world were brought up in an environment that produces phenomenal talent, whether that is a specific area, or a personal environment, such as family background, which Rene can never fathom given his non-existent track record at the professional level.

I was visiting an MMA gym during my vacation and I want to leave a negative review for the club. First of all, the training sessions are done in standard MMA gloves, not sparring MMA gloves, which are used worldwide specifically to avoid injuries. The same applies to shin guards. Putting that aside, the coach paired me with a local member of the gym who showed me no respect from the very beginning, even though he has no professional fights while I do. He is lighter than me and was throwing dangerous kicks and hitting hard. When I responded with the exact same power, he got angry and told me not to hit so hard. He was throwing high kicks to my head, and if not for my fight IQ, it would have ended badly — even though the coach clearly instructed us to attack the body. I also threw one high kick in response. The guy got angry, the coach came over and kicked me out of the training session, unprofessionally pointing his finger telling me to leave and go home, while patting the other guy on the back. As a professional fighter with several fights under my belt, I’m disgusted by the coach’s attitude. He was extremely rude, unprofessional, and biased. I do not recommend this gym — the coach is unprofessional, disrespectful, and very unpleasant. Below is a video showing the guy deliberately kicking toward my face while at the same time telling me not to kick him in the face. UPDATE: I am adding this response after the owner replied to my initial review. I am responding to correct false statements in the owner’s reply. Everything I wrote is accurate, and the likes from the local community confirm that many have seen similar behavior. 1. Filming: I was with my girlfriend recording my training. You never politely asked her to stop, which any responsible coach would do, especially with undercover officers present. 2. Attitude & coaching: I asked your student to relax and spar technically. He is 19 and full of energy, but you, as coach, are responsible for pairing and controlling intensity. Instead, you barely coached and waved your hand when things weren’t perfect. 3. Sparring contradiction: According to your rules, we were doing light sparring. My one high kick was apparently a problem, but your student applying a full-power triangle choke to finish me was fine. This contradiction speaks for itself. 4. Fight record: I told you I fight professionally. Any real coach would show respect and curiosity, especially during a free trial. You ignored it completely, reflecting your attitude, not mine. 5. Guest status & professionalism: You offered a free class and invited me back because the earlier group was “not good.” I never came for Instagram content; I was visiting. Your aggressive and defensive response only confirms what I experienced. I stand by every word of my original review.