SINGAPORE — Singapore Polytechnic student Nguyen Tuan Hung's gym membership was due to expire last October, but his boxing gym persuaded him to renew it by dangling discounts and other perks.

Seven months later, UFC Gym shut down both its branches in Singapore.

Hung, 20, signed up for a one-year contract worth $1,300 at the gym's City Square branch, but after it closed less than a month later, his account was transferred to UFC Gym's CityLink outlet. 

He said: "When my contract was about to expire in October 2022, the gym employees were pushing me to renew my membership." He added that he was offered a discount if he paid upfront for the whole year.

"About two weeks later, I found out the City Square branch went bankrupt," he said.

In February, its CityLink outlet said it was suspending operations. The gym, in an e-mail to members, said facilities would be upgraded over the coming months, and it was closing for renovations.

The e-mail added that all memberships would be placed on hold during this period but return to normal once the gym reopened, but did not say when.

There was no notice given to members about the CityLink outlet's closure, said Hung.

UFC Gym is the fitness franchise of US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the most popular mixed martial arts programme in the world. It offers in its gyms training programmes inspired by the training regimen of UFC fighters.

It was only when members noticed that it had been turned into an Anytime Fitness outlet that many of them became concerned about getting a refund of their membership fees.

The gym's website is now inaccessible, but its social media pages are still up and running.

Hung said: "Many other members and I would like to get back the remainder of our money, but we know it is almost impossible."

Several other UFC Gym members have lodged police reports and complaints with consumer watchdog Consumers Association of Singapore (Case). 

Some gym users said they had bought membership packages ranging from $1,200 to $3,800 in 2022 and signed up for personal training sessions. 

Tung Ka Wai paid $1,296 in February for 12 personal training sessions after signing up during a year-end promotion. He said he attended only three of his 12 sessions before the gym closed.

He said: "The last I heard from the gym was the e-mail about the renovation."

He added that the last person he was in contact with was gym owner Barnabas Huang, who is the founder of parent company NutriFirst. He is also the founder of Huangs Jewelry.

Tung said he filed a claim on the Community Justice and Tribunals System portal, after which NutriFirst responded.

The portal can be used to file claims with the Small Claims Tribunal, among others. The Small Claims Tribunal usually handles disputes involving claims under $20,000.

Tung said: "NutriFirst has declined to refund me the remaining amount and opted to exchange what they owe me for UFC merchandise instead. I refused." 

Attempts to contact Huang for comment have been unsuccessful, and he has also set limits on who can comment on his personal Instagram page.

Case president Melvin Yong said there were two complaints against UFC Gym involving its sudden closure, lodged between Feb 1 and May 9.

He said: "Consumers reported that UFC Gym's premises at CityLink were closed due to renovations."

He added that consumers later realised that the gym's website was down and its CityLink premises vacated. 

Yong, who is also Radin Mas MP, said consumers have been advised to lodge their claims at the Small Claims Tribunal as UFC Gym is no longer operating. 

He said: "While consumers may enjoy savings per use over time for longer-term memberships, Case advises consumers to consider shorter-term memberships or pay-per-use options as it is generally challenging for consumers to recover their monies for pre-paid memberships in the event of sudden business closure."

In response to queries, UFC Gym chief executive Adam Sedlack, who is based in California in the United States, said the Covid-19 pandemic was a key reason for the closure of the gym in Singapore.

He added that there is no direct ownership of the two Singapore outlets by UFC or UFC Gym.

The US chain, in 2018, announced a partnership with local brand NF Fitness to open 15 franchise locations in Singapore over the next 10 years. It is unclear if NF Fitness and NutriFirst are owned by the same people.

"The prior franchisee will be attending a small claims tribunal (hearing) to hopefully come to a good conclusion," Sedlack said.

He added UFC is "actively in discussions" to bring a new partner into the market. 

He said: "As our new partner enters the market, it will be important for us that past members are given additional concessions to participate with the brand.

"Once our new partner is identified, I can also share with you who they are and the plan to give consideration to past members."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.