Kingdom Muay Thai’s expansion adds a new mixed martial arts program to an Albuquerque gym that grew from pandemic-era garage training into a full-scale facility. Former UFC fighters Carlos Condit and Lando Vannata are leading the program as coaches, while the gym’s head coach, Nick Gjelaj, brings a competitive Muay Thai background of his own.
According to KRQE, the facility is designed to serve athletes at every level, from beginners to experienced competitors. Owner and operator Mark Entenberg described the expansion as the culmination of a vision nearly six years in the making, one that traces back to informal training sessions in his garage during the pandemic before growing into the full-scale operation it is today.
The Gym’s Competitive Foundation
The timing lines up with a packed competitive stretch for the gym. Seven Kingdom athletes are scheduled to compete on a major U.S. fight card on November 14, the station reports, a sign of how quickly the roster has scaled up. The gym's head coach also recently competed for a WBC National Title, per the same report — a detail that dovetails with earlier reporting on Nick Gjelaj, identified by the Albuquerque Journal as the gym's head coach, who makes his living fighting and teaching the sport.
Gjelaj returned to Albuquerque after roughly 10 months and nine Muay Thai fights in Thailand, compiling an 8-2 record, the Journal noted. That record carried him into a title shot against Hawaii's Noa Moniz for the WBC Muay Thai U.S. featherweight title in the 126-pound class, a bout KOB reported was held in Houston. KOB described Gjelaj as the WBC's No. 2 contender entering the match against Moniz, the top-ranked fighter in the division.
Licensing for Combat-Sports Athletes
New Mexico’s Athletic Commission licenses and regulates amateur and professional athletes who compete in combative sports in the state, according to the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. The state’s licensing rule for professional and amateur unarmed combatants requires an application, applicable fee and identification showing the applicant is at least 18, according to the New Mexico Administrative Code.
Coaches With Albuquerque Connections
Carlos Condit, who coaches at the gym, is described by KOB as a former UFC champion. For Condit, the project carries personal weight, since he grew up on Albuquerque's Westside, the same stretch of the city where the new facility now sits. “Growing up on this side of town, I always wanted something like this around,” Condit said, according to KRQE's report.
Vannata told KRQE that the program’s mix of traditional fight discipline and modern MMA creativity has drawn interest from outside Albuquerque, including inquiries from camps interested in sending fighters to train there.
Kingdom Says It Wants to Work With Other Gyms
Entenberg said the gym hopes to bring different programs and training communities together rather than undercut other facilities in the state. Kingdom’s team described the approach to KRQE as collaboration and cross-branding with gyms across New Mexico.
Kingdom's own website lays out a curriculum built to suit all levels from novice to advanced, covering footwork, technique and clinching, along with one-on-one training tailored to individual goals, according to Kingdom Muay Thai's website. The site lists the gym's address as 8520 Pan American Fwy NE, Suite D, while KRQE's report on the new facility cites a scheduled grand opening on November 2 at 4471 Irving Blvd. NW — a discrepancy that isn't resolved in available reporting. KRQE also reported that an Open Spar-B-Q, featuring food and activities for all ages, is planned ahead of the opening.
