One of Brazil's most vaunted camps has closed its doors.
X-Gym - longtime home to former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, among others - shut down on Feb. 15 after 13 years in operation, coach Rogerio Camoes told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz on Thursday following an initial report from Brazilian outlet PVT.
Camoes - who ran the crew alongside Josuel Distak - claimed last year's sale of the camp's fitness gym marked the beginning of the end, as several of X-Gym's fixtures parted ways with Camoes and Co. around the same time, including UFC lightweight Alan Patrick and middleweight contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza - who relocated to Orlando.
The strength and conditioning coach began distancing himself from the team and told Distak he wouldn't be returning after Warlley Alves bested Salim Touahri at UFC Fight Night 118 in October. The coaches haven't spoken since.
Camoes told the X-Gym crew his days with the team were done soon thereafter when he traveled stateside in preparation for Silva's ill-fated November date with Kelvin Gastelum. That said, he still aims to keep working with Alves and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, among others.
The camp was founded as Black House in 2005 and rebranded as X-Gym a year later. In addition to Silva, "Jacare" and Cavalcante - all of whom captured major world titles as members of the camp - the guild also housed the likes of UFC welterweight Erick Silva, lightweight veteran Rodrigo Damm, and ex-UFC welterweight Paulo Thiago.
