Brad Pickett's grandfather was a bare-knuckle fighter in the 1920s and always wore a trilby hat. Pickett wears one as well and has done so throughout his career. It’s the one detail that made him instantly recognisable in any arena.
The nickname "One Punch" isn’t about his fighting style. It actually comes from Brad Pitt's character in Snatch, since Pickett always wore the hat.
But the fighting was real. Pickett became one of the most entertaining fighters in British MMA history. He is a UFC veteran who earned post-fight bonuses in four of his first five Octagon appearances, and Dana White even named him as one of his favourite fighters to watch. When Pickett retired from competing, he didn’t leave the sport. Instead, he built a gym around it.
That gym is Great Britain Top Team.
What Is Great Britain Top Team?
Great Britain Top Team, known as GBTT, is a professional mixed martial arts team and training facility founded in 2019. Its goal is to develop world-class fighters while offering a real pathway for those aiming to compete internationally.
Based at the GBTT Academy on Morden Road in South London, the gym welcomes both the professional fight team and members of the public at all levels. Coaches teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, grappling and Muay Thai, with head coach Brad Pickett working alongside coaches including Ashleigh Grimshaw and Carlton Lieu.
GBTT is also an affiliate of American Top Team, one of the most successful MMA organisations in the world.
Who Trains at GB Top Team?
The professional team includes fighters competing across the UFC, Cage Warriors, PFL, Bellator, and other major international promotions. GBTT is also the largest professional female fight team in the UK.
Nathaniel Wood is the gym's most established UFC fighter. He is known as "The Prospect," a nickname he has truly earned. Wood rose through Cage Warriors, where he won the Bantamweight Championship and defended it twice before getting his UFC contract. He is a submission specialist with strong striking, has competed at featherweight in the UFC for several years, and is still considered one of the most technically complete British fighters in the promotion.
OPRO's ambassador Lone'er Kavanagh is the gym's most talked-about rising talent. He is a flyweight with British, Irish, and Chinese heritage who made his name in Cage Warriors with several standout performances, including a spinning back kick knockout that was widely shared. He earned his UFC contract with a highlight finish on Dana White's Contender Series. Since then, he has competed at UFC Fight Night events in London and headlined UFC Mexico City against former champion Brandon Moreno.
As of early 2026, he is ranked in the UFC flyweight top ten and has said he plans to challenge for the title within two years.
Who Founded GB Top Team?
Brad Pickett co-founded GBTT with a business partner who had trained as an amateur and wanted to create a facility to rival the US super gyms he had seen. They aimed to build a place that could develop world-class fighters but also be open to people at every stage of their martial arts journey, including his own daughters.
Pickett's fighting career influenced every part of the gym's operations. He saw first-hand what elite training environments were like, especially during his time with American Top Team, and brought that model to South London. His approach is to focus on making the team as strong as possible, without worrying about what others are doing.
He has been involved in British MMA as a competitor and coach for close to twenty years. The standard of the UK scene today, compared to the early 2000s, reflects the work of people like Pickett, who were competing before the infrastructure existed and building it as they went.
For Pickett, success now means more than winning. It is about helping fighters improve, learn from difficult moments and keep coming back better each day. It is also about passing on what he has learned and giving the next generation the environment they need to reach their potential.
How Does GB Top Team Develop Fighters?
The pathway GBTT follows is one the British MMA scene has refined over the past decade: regional competition, then Cage Warriors, then UFC. Cage Warriors remains the primary proving ground for British and European fighters, and GBTT has consistently produced fighters who have made that transition.
Kavanagh's journey is a clear example: Cage Warriors, Contender Series, then UFC. Nathaniel Wood followed the same path, and the gym's amateur and up-and-coming fighters are being developed in the same way. Benjamin Edozie, who is turning professional this year, represents the next stage of that pathway. GBTT’s structure, with morning and evening sessions, professional and recreational training happening simultaneously, and coaches who are either active fighters or former competitors with top-level experience, shows a thoughtful approach to building fighters rather than just providing a place to train.
The Culture Behind GB Top Team
GBTT’s standards are not only set in training sessions. They are also shaped by the people who make sure fighters have what they need to keep showing up. Sineadh Ni Nuallain is the gym’s general manager and a professional fighter herself, so she understands both the practical demands of running the gym and how difficult the sport can be for the people training in it.
Her day can include emails, admin, meetings, looking after the professional team, working with the children’s classes and fitting in her own training. Just as important is the support she gives to the people around her, whether that means checking in on a fighter, opening early, or making sure they have the gear and food they need after a session.
"We all train together and if one fights, you know, we all go and watch. So there definitely is a family atmosphere."
That family atmosphere is a central part of what Pickett has built at GBTT. The gym demands a high standard from its fighters, but it also gives them a team around them. For fighters at every stage of their careers, that support can make the difference between simply training and having the environment to keep progressing.
GB Top Team and OPRO
OPRO is the official mouthguard partner of Great Britain Top Team. As the gym continues to develop fighters for the UFC and other major international promotions, OPRO's Instant Custom-Fit mouthguard is the preferred protection for the GBTT squad. It doesn’t require a dentist visit, offers a custom fit, and comes with the dental warranty that professional fighters trust. OPRO is also the official mouthguard partner of the UFC.
