BJJブームを追わずにITC New Yorkが20年続いた理由
Starring
Mark Gutman grew up on the ITC mats—literally. He was 15 when his dad, Sensei Greg Gutman, opened the gym in 2006, and family photos show him on the mats as a one-year-old with his older brother crawling next to him in a judo gi. Mark began training Muay Thai at age 10 under Egersen O'Byrne (UFC middleweight title contender) and later Armin Lekanovic (IFL competitor and WBA featherweight champion). He works full-time as an attorney and runs ITC's day-to-day operations and teaching in the evenings. His older brother, a judo black belt, helps run the judo program.
About the Gym
ITC (International Training Center) is a single-location MMA gym in Astoria, Queens, primarily focused on Muay Thai and Judo, with Sanda on Sundays. Sensei Greg Gutman opened the gym in 2006 in Long Island City, then relocated twice as the neighborhood gentrified—first to another Astoria basement, then to the current location, the first space ITC has ever had with windows.
The gym runs lean: Greg owns and teaches, son Mark manages and teaches, his older brother helps lead the judo program, and every other instructor is a world-class fighter brought in to teach a specific discipline. Mark believes ITC was the first NYC gym to combine Muay Thai and Judo under one roof, though he's careful to add there's no official record keeping to back the claim.
📍 Address: 23-81 21st Street, Astoria, NY (one block from Astoria Park)
Summary
ITC New York opened in 2006 in a Long Island City basement when MMA and Muay Thai were still fringe in America. Two decades, two forced relocations, and roughly twenty different gym-management systems later, founder Sensei Greg Gutman—a Russian immigrant who arrived in NYC in the late 80s with no English and a lifelong judo background—still leads Muay Thai Strength & Conditioning twice a week at 67. His son Mark, an attorney by day, manages the gym in the evenings and explains to Alex why ITC refused to ride the BJJ trend, why a Japanese-style dojo culture is the reason they won't open a second location, and what it took to land on Gymdesk before his dad gave up on software entirely and went back to pen and paper.
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