While hitting personal bests and faster times are shared goals among most fitness consumers, they’re not the only ones in the gym pursuing speed. After signing a franchise agreement, owners need to be agile while moving toward their launch day. With every passing month unopened, expenses mount and pressure increases while investments sit without returns and market momentum diminishes.
Sluggish movement or delays aren’t just a nuisance; they’re the earliest indicators of a failing operation.
That’s why UFC GYM, an extension of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, now with over 200 gym locations, has a system in place to avoid slow starts. The brand gets its franchises everything they need to hit the ground running, reach their goals and drive profit.
“Time-to-launch is a critical KPI because it reflects how well the entire system is working — from site selection and design to training and operational readiness,” said Ryan Utsman, EVP of Franchise at UFC GYM. “A strong franchise system should remove friction, create clarity and help owners get to market quickly without sacrificing quality. The faster a gym opens with the right systems in place, the faster it can begin building membership, generating recurring revenue, creating local brand awareness and cementing a successful long-term partnership between franchisor and franchisee.”
Getting a Head Start
With a structured setup process centered around education and consistency, UFC GYM maintains a distinct advantage regarding franchise growth and time-to-launch.
The brand puts its franchisees through a four-day “Management Institute” where it provides insight on training formats, class delivery, coaching standards, member experience, sales, marketing, and operational expectations. It works closely with franchisees on launch planning, staffing and pre-launch marketing as well.
These initiatives don’t just give franchisees a foundation for future success; they put up guardrails that keep the focus on delivering the core product as intended, rather than diluting it with unnecessary variation.
“Compared to boutique concepts that often rely heavily on a founder’s personality or hyper-customized programming, our approach is more streamlined,” Utsman said. “Coaches are trained within a proven framework, so there’s less guesswork and less dependency on finding one specific type of talent.”
The Effects
These efforts shorten the runway to open doors and consequential profits. From a practical standpoint, franchisees receive all the assets and information they need to launch. From a psychological standpoint, they’re comfortable enough to execute without hesitation.
“When a franchisee has a clear roadmap for staffing, programming, training and launch, they can move through pre-sale and opening with more confidence and fewer delays,” Utsman explained. “Since our programming and training model is already established, teams can spend less time troubleshooting and more time selling memberships, building local partnerships and creating community buzz before the doors even open.”
Utsman also emphasized that UFC GYM’s program ensures consistency across locations, which pays dividends when it comes to establishing member trust and long-term brand strength.
“This creates a comfortable financial foundation for franchisees and drives incredible member experience that can be felt from day one, leading to positive member sentiment and longer retention,” he added.
Examples in Action
UFC GYM’s model continues to validate itself through a growing supply of evidence. This past November, the brand launched a site in South Chicago. After what UFC GYM deemed a “successful” pre-sale with 3,000 members signed up, it grew to 4,835 members by March of this year.
“While every market is different, we’ve consistently seen that operators who move efficiently through pre-opening can build stronger early membership pipelines and improve their payback timeline,” Utsman said. “In many cases, a well-executed pre-sale period can create meaningful recurring revenue before the doors officially open.”
UFC GYM also opened a new location in Los Angeles on January 31st, 2026, with 4,000 pre-sale signups. By March 31st, 2026, it boasted 5,242 members.
“That early momentum matters,” Utsman added. “The sooner a club is operational, the sooner it can start building electric fund transfer memberships, ancillary revenue and retention habits that support long-term profitability.”
Spurring Additional Growth
Utsman also noted that in international markets, the structure and speed-to-launch of a new and distinct product creates an even greater advantage.
“Being first to market or opening on schedule can help lock in local awareness, secure stronger member acquisition and build operational confidence early,” Utsman said. “Those gains compound quickly in the first 12 to 18 months.”
Quick turn franchise launches also create momentum as the brand expands.
“From a network perspective, efficiency creates confidence,” Utsman said. “Franchisees want to invest in systems that are proven and repeatable, and franchisors need models that can adapt across different countries, labor markets and customer behaviors.”
For UFC GYM, that confidence has already translated into tangible results as well. The brand reports it has 700 additional locations currently in development across the globe.
