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Fight Zone London is a Checkmat academy on Pritchard's Road in East London, near Broadway Market. It competes as CheckMat Fight Zone London. The gym opened in October 2012. Its name and affiliation come from Fight Zone in Rio de Janeiro, the academy run by Checkmat co-founder Ricardo Vieira.

The jiu-jitsu program is led by Marco Canha, who co-founded the gym with James Roach and Cristina Sempere. Canha earned his black belt at Fight Zone Rio from Ricardo Vieira. He moved to London in 2010 and became one of Checkmat's leading representatives in the UK, and he teaches seminars around the country. His students have medalled at the IBJJF World Championship, the European Open, the No-Gi European Championship and the British Open. Checkmat itself was founded in 2008 by the Vieira brothers, Leo, Ricardo and Leandro, and has more than 100 affiliated academies.

This is a full-scale fight gym rather than a jiu-jitsu-only school. Its staff of about 40 coaches teaches:

  • Brazilian jiu-jitsu: led by Canha, with coaches including James Roach, Rodrigo Mariani, Magdalena Maria and Chris Newman.
  • No-gi: dedicated no-gi classes with Caio Viturino and Chris Newman.
  • MMA, Muay Thai and boxing: each with its own coaching team.
  • Wrestling and judo: freestyle wrestling and judo classes.
  • Conditioning: HIIT, yoga and Pilates.

The timetable runs to more than 150 classes a week. The building has three large mat spaces, a full-size ring, changing rooms with showers, and a pro shop. All coaches are DBS checked and trained in first aid and safeguarding. The gym also runs free sessions with the local council and schools.

Visiting and first class

  • Free trial: the gym's homepage offers a 7-day free trial with no commitment. It does not publish a drop-in policy, so contact the front desk if you are visiting for a single session.
  • Kids and women's classes: not listed on the pages we checked, so ask the gym if you need them.

Details above were checked on the academy site and Wikipedia's Checkmat page in October 2026. Confirm the current timetable with the gym before you go.

Sources