Gym Spotlight: K-1 Fitness and Fight Factory (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

Cambodia’s capital city Phnom Penh has a lot to offer travelers: happy pizza, beautiful palaces and temples, 2 dollar jugs of beer, and just south of the big soccer stadium, a world class martial arts and fitness academy. K-1 Fight Factory is home to some of South East Asia’s top kick boxers and Mixed Martial Artists. The gym opened in 2010 and is owned and operated by David Minetti. Minetti’s accolades include: Black Belt 1^st Dan in Tae Kwon Do, 2^nd Dan in Kick Boxing and Mauy Thai, European MMA champion, and French Kick Boxing and Mauy Thai champion from 1993 to 1999. He’s also an experienced gym owner and coach having a successful gym in Vietnam. The success of his Vietnamese gym inspired him to expand into neighboring Cambodia.

Minetti’s hopes to spread the sport of MMA among the local Khmer population, but for now expats make up the majority of the students at K-1. The gym offers free classes to Khmer boxers in the area, and though it varies from week to week, a handful do make it to the MMA class. The striking classes are the most popular, but crossfit training is also very popular. In regards to grappling, when I was there visiting the students were all beginners. Multiple guys said it was their first day training, and most had little to no experience on the ground. I didn't see any women in the MMA class, but there are plenty of female students training striking and working on their cardio.  When I visited the gym, Ben Pepper ran the MMA and grappling class, but since then he’s returned to his native Australia, leaving Minetti to run the class.

The gym is located on 199^th street just south-west of the soccer stadium. It’s a bit tough to find since most tuk-tuk drivers have never heard of it. If you’re staying near the riverside hostel area, you’re looking at about 3.00-5.00 bucks to get down there. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time cause the tuk-tuk guys are gonna have to stop and ask for directions. The gym has two floors of training space. there is a lot of mat space but there are two pillars going down the middle which can get in the way if you like to move around a lot. Like any good striking gym, there are long mirrors along the wall to help you keep an eye on your form. Gym equipment and machines sit by the front door along with sport drinks and water for sale.

The gym was very visitor friendly, everyone says hi to you when you first walk in and people are excited to have new guys show up and train. Whether you’re a black belt or a newbie, K-1 has an open door. The gym prides itself on having a positive and layback training environment, and even though I only visited for a few days, I could see that vibe immediately. At the end of class people stuck around to chat and hang out, and when the kick boxers came down stairs it was all smiles and hugs. The coaching staff is very involved and it is clear that they care about the student’s progress and development. All around I’d highly suggest anyone traveling through or living in Phnom Penh to train here. It’s a fantastic school with great coaches and awesome people. Whether you’re an experienced fighter or a green tomato, K-1 has what you need to reach your goals and sharpen your skills.

Address: 131, street 199 12000 Phnom Penh

Website: www.k1-factory.com

E-mail: david@teamminetti.com

Tel: 067 519 698

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