Yaw-Yan Ardigma Cebu has officially reopened its doors after more than a year without a permanent training facility. The iconic martial arts gym, formerly located on Sanciangko Street, has found a temporary home at the Felimon Compound along Sikatuna Street in Barangay Day-as, Cebu City.
“We are back in business,” announced Yaw-Yan Ardigma founder and CEO Master Benigno “Ekin” Caniga Jr. during a press conference at Sunburst Fried Chicken. “We have stopped for more than a year. We now have a small temporary gym for our athletes to continue their training.”
Since the closure of the old gym, Caniga had been forced to train his fighters at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) grounds. The building that once housed the original gym is currently under construction.
Caniga now trains over 40 athletes from Team Cebu City across multiple disciplines, including MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and wrestling. The athletes are preparing for several upcoming events, most notably the Mactan Fight League on May 31, 2026, at Vaño Beach, which will be headlined by Yaw-Yan Ardigma veteran Renan “Flash” Noblefranca. Additionally, some fighters are gearing up for the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy meets.
“Our athletes were training in Abellana (CCSC), but we really had no equipment. That’s why I decided to rent a place, even if it’s small, as long as it has complete equipment for training,” explained Caniga.
The current gym is intended as a temporary solution. By next year, Caniga hopes to relocate to a larger facility in a building also located in Day-as. “The building we will move into is currently under construction and we will be able to transfer there by next year. It will accommodate a cage and more athletes,” said an optimistic Caniga, widely regarded as the “Father of Cebu MMA.”
Yaw-Yan Ardigma Cebu will also launch its annual Summer Training Camp on Friday, May 8, at the new gym. The camp will offer courses in arnis, boxing fitness, Muay Thai, kickboxing, MMA, and Yaw-Yan Ardigma Combat, a self-defense system.
Yaw-Yan, which translates to “Sayaw ng Kamatayan” or “Dance of Death,” is an original Filipino martial art founded by the late Grandmaster Napoleon “Nap” Fernandez in 1972 in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
