Recently, UFC Gym Singapore made headlines for reportedly closing its last branch at City Hall without informing its members.
Apparently, it closed in February for renovation work. However, that was the last time it would shut its doors — unbeknownst to the public.
Now, members of UFC CityLink are shocked to find the exterior of the gym boarded up. What’s even more puzzling is that another fitness franchise, Anytime Fitness, seems to be the one taking over the space.
MS News went down to CityLink to have a look at the situation for ourselves.
UFC Gym Singapore is the local arm of the US mixed martial arts (MMA) programme Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Source: UFC Gym Singapore on Facebook
They initially had two outlets in Singapore, one in City Square Mall at Farrer Park, and another in CityLink at City Hall.
In November 2022, the fitness franchise closed its City Square Mall branch. According to a post on Facebook, this was due to “challenging market conditions” and “financial losses” from the pandemic.
According to The Straits Times (ST), the CityLink branch ceased operations in February 2023, three months after they closed the Farrer Park gym.
They claimed in an email to members that they were closing for renovations and facility upgrades. Hence, they would be placing all memberships on hold for the duration of the closure.
The email reportedly stated that the memberships will resume when the gym reopens. However, it did not provide a definitive relaunch date.
ST added that UFC Gym Singapore allegedly failed to inform members of its permanent closure, leaving them in the dark. They were not aware that the gym would, in fact, not be reopening.
When members of UFC CityLink discovered that the space it used to occupy was seemingly replaced by Anytime Fitness, they were understandably puzzled.
They were also worried about whether their membership fees would be refunded.
A separate report by STOMP states that members were confused and frustrated when they realised that the Google Maps listing for UFC CityLink indicated that it is “permanently closed”.
On Thursday (11 May), MS News went down to CityLink to have a look at the situation for ourselves.
Coming from Esplanade MRT station, what struck us was the giant billboard advertising UFC Gym Singapore at the atrium of the mall.
However, the advertised unit was right next to the billboard — and it was clearly not UFC.
Instead, purple boards advertising an upcoming Anytime Fitness branch covered the glass walls that used to belong to UFC.
While there was no indication on the façade that the space was previously occupied by the MMA company, its surroundings said otherwise.
The UFC Gym Singapore logo and images from MMA fights still lined the walkway leading to the unit.
The mall also seemed to have a tendency to cover unoccupied spaces with boards with the directory printed on them.
Although most of them were updated and did not have UFC listed on them, we found one that still did.
This directory was just a few paces away from where the gym was, right next to a fashion store.
However, the digital directory next to the mall’s customer service counter seemed up-to-date as it did not list the UFC gym.
MS News has tried reaching out to UFC Gym Singapore for an explanation.
However, our email to its general address bounced and we received a message saying that the domain couldn’t be found.
We are also not able to access the fitness franchise’s official website, which displays a “Server Not Found” page.
Our Instagram message to UFC Gym Singapore is still pending a reply.
When MS News reached out to Anytime Fitness City Hall for comment on their forthcoming branch, they shared that it is slated to open in July.
They also provided more background on how they came to occupy the space that was once utilised by UFC.
Anytime Fitness shared that their team contacted an agent from Raffles City on 22 Feb.
Source: Anytime Fitness City Hall on Facebook
The agent initially told them that there might be a site that Anytime Fitness City Hall can tap on in Raffles City Shopping Centre.
However, the agent later informed them about the UFC CityLink unit instead.
Apparently, the unit was not in its original state. However, Anytime Fitness City Hall decided to go ahead with the project and reinstated it out of the club’s own pocket.
When asked if Anytime Fitness City Hall knew anything about UFC’s closure, they replied that they did not.
They highlighted that they acquired the site directly from the mall and not from UFC.
Once it opens, Anytime Fitness City Hall will be the largest of its branches in Singapore at 10,000 sq ft.
However, in light of the situation, they offered for UFC members to write into Anytime Fitness City Hall if they need assistance or are interested to sign up for a membership to continue their fitness journey.
Interested parties can reach out to Anytime Fitness City Hall via email, Facebook, or Instagram.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image by MS News.
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