MMA COMMUNITY GYM & MENTORSHIP CENTER
- CAN-DO
- Dec 11, 2025
- 3 min read
CAN-DO x Fighting Chance: MMA Community Gym & Mentorship Center
Empowering at-risk youth and young adults with discipline, mentorship, and a community they can count on.
CAN-DO x Fighting Chance is a first-of-its-kind MMA Community Gym & Mentorship Center developed to give at-risk youth and young adults, former foster youth, and individuals in recovery the structure, discipline, and real-life support they’ve been denied for far too long. This is more than a gym. It's a community revitalization project — a CAN-DO signature model — where we take rundown, abandoned or underused spaces and turn them into life-changing, community resources.
Founded by Eric Klein in partnership with professional MMA fighter Chase Gibson, and built from the ground up by CAN-DO.ORG, our gyms use world-class MMA training as a vehicle for personal transformation: Mental strength - Emotional stability - Physical Empowerment - Mentorship - Safe Community
WHY THIS PROGRAM MATTERS
Despite billions in taxpayer funding, LA lacks truly accessible, free, high-accountability programs for at-risk youth and young adults — especially those aging out of foster care and those in early recovery. The need is massive. The resources are scarce.
CAN-DO x Fighting Chance is filling the gap.
In 2021, CAN-DO x Fighting Chance launched a MMA Community Gym & Mentorship Center inside a small, aging space in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District. The demand was instant — and overwhelming. Within three years, the program outgrew its walls. Our new Long Beach facility—nearly double the size—marks the next chapter of growth.
“Too many nonprofits talk about impact without showing results. CAN-DO shows concept to completion, and every dollar goes straight into the programs.” – Eric Klein, Founder, CAN-DO
MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM
CAN-DO x Fighting Chance gyms and flagship Free Programs give youth and young adults the chance to train like professional fighters — not to promote violence, but to give them a sense of purpose, increase confidence, and develop life skills. Participants receive:
MMA discipline training (Muay Thai, BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing)
Strength & conditioning
Sports science education
Nutrition coaching
Mental toughness + mindset development
Mentorship from trained coaches and community leaders
Safe recreation & community space
Open-gym hours + drop-in sessions
The results speak for themselves — increased self-esteem, calmer emotional regulation, reduced negative behaviors, improved school engagement, and stronger peer relationships.
“Underserved youth deserve more than survival — they deserve structure, discipline, and someone in their corner. MMA saved my life, and now I get to pay that forward.” — Chase Gibson
OUR ROOTS: THE CAN-DO 54th STREET GYM (2019)
Our first Community MMA & Unity Center in South Central, Los Angeles
In 2019, before Fighting Chance existed, CAN-DO launched its first-ever CAN-DO 54'th Street MMA & Unity Center in South Central Los Angeles — a 2,400 sq. ft. revitalized space built from scratch to support free programs for local fighters, youth, and underserved residents.
We transformed a dilapidated and run-down space into a fully equipped community hub: fresh paint, Pro Boxing bags, Title hangers, wall-to-wall Dollamur mats, a 1,500 sq. ft. training area, and a 900 sq. ft. upstairs Unity Center offering free nutrition classes, computer access, resume support, and mentoring programs.
The center opened in September 2019 and immediately became a safe, positive space for the community.
But just weeks later, a severe water leak forced a landlord-mandated remediation. By the time repairs were complete and we reopened in early 2020, COVID hit and county restrictions shut down all gyms and community centers. After months of lockdown, CAN-DO was forced to exit the lease.
But something powerful happened during that time.
Professional fighters and twin brothers — Chase and Cooper Gibson — volunteered with CAN-DO during the original overhaul and building of this center. When Cooper tragically passed away in 2020, Chase continued showing up for the community and wanted to pour himself more into service in honor of Cooper. CAN-DO founder Eric Klein saw the impact Chase was having and asked him if he wanted to join forces, and build something together with CAN-DO.
That conversation became the blueprint for CAN-DO x Fighting Chance, the next evolution of our community revitalization mission.
The legacy of the first CAN-DO community gym lives on in every student who walks through our doors today.
CHASE AND COOPER'S BACKSTORY