In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – most gyms have a reputation based around their competitors and their achievements. Simply put, some gyms perform better than others when it comes to getting medals and winning at BJJ tournaments. Whilst this life is not for all, and in fact most practitioners rarely compete – it is also something which some people live for. This list is based on the success of the gym at both a regional and international level.
We will also not be talking about things such as cost or culture at each gym which is relevant but should not be an issue if you want to be a top competitor. In brief, if your goal is to be good at BJJ then the main issue should be about the level of instruction you receive and the quality of training partners who spar alongside you. With this said, this list is for the hardcore who will do anything to be the best in BJJ and are willing to go further than most. It should also be added that this list is in no particular order.
Table of Contents
1. Unity (New York City)
Ran by a bunch of active competitors, this gym has teachers such as Murillo Santana, Levy-Jones Leary, Devhonte Johnson and Leandro Lo amongst others. If you know much about competitive BJJ, then this is like a who’s who of World Champions and medal chasers. Not only this, but it has attracted top talents such as the Miyao brothers, Eddie Cummings and Dillon Danis.
This gym believes in tough, honest rolling and focuses heavily on sparring. In this sense, it has an old-school Brazilian feel to it and if you train there, your competition Jiu Jitsu will improve because of this no-nonsense style. Like many on the list, it involves a mixture of Gi and Nogi training.
2. Gracie Barra Northridge (Los Angeles)
GB Northridge is owned and ran by one of Gracie Barra’s best, Romulo Barral who has won about as much as you can. It also has classes by Edwin Najmi and again breeds a successful mentality. As GB Northridge is located in Los Angeles, it often has some of the world’s best training there just before the annual BJJ Worlds competition which is situated in Long Beach. Because of this, you can expect to see some of the best talents not only from Gracie Barra, but other gyms training here before the prestigious competition.
3. ATOS HQ (San Diego)
ATOS is owned by Andre Galvao, who is considered one of the greatest ever. Now home to the Ruotolo twins, Josh Hinger and Ronaldo Jr – it is a factory that keeps on breeding talent. Previous members include the likes of Keenan Cornelius, Andris Brunovskis and others which show the levels of ATOS. Like others on this list, ATOS has classes running throughout the day so if you want to train as much as possible then that is an option.
4. Renzo Gracie (New York City)
Another New York based gym, Renzo Gracie’s academy is home to the likes of Gordon Ryan, Nicky Rodriguez, Garry Tonon, and many more. With instructors such as famed John Danaher and Renzo himself, it has a deep history of producing the world’s best and these days is heavily associated with the best in the world at Nogi. Having said this, it also focuses on Gi and MMA, with UFC champions such as Matt Serra coming from the school and Jake Shields who also had success in both sport BJJ and MMA.
With a huge mat space and set underground, it has become a modern-day mecca of Jiu Jitsu where people often drop in to train with the world’s elite.
5. Gracie Barra HQ (Belo Horizonte)
Home to Felipe Pena, this gym is the head quarters of the Gracie Barra organization based in Brazil. Similar to the Northridge branch, its status often attracts top competitors whilst training in the area. Not only this, but training with Pena alone is worth the admission.
Unlike other gyms on this list, you can expect to be pushed further here because of the Brazilian weather. Training in the Gi is tough even when it’s cold, but the added Brazilian weather only adds to the grinding atmosphere and culture of hard rounds.
6. Fight Sports (Miami)
Owned and ran by Cyborg Abreu, Fight Sports has a number of active competitors and also has a strong emphasis on takedowns and wrestling. With this said, if you want to improve your stand up game then here is the place to go to. Whilst Cyborg himself is a great competitor, he also teaches and the rounds here can be punishing and tough. With the added Miami weather you can expect to be pushed hard whilst training at Fight Sports.
7. Absolute MMA (St Kilda)
With Australia’s recent success in BJJ, Absolute MMA has enjoyed a big part of this involvement. Often taught by Lachlan Giles, it has produced a number of top competitors such as Craig Jones, Olivia Giles, Jeremy Skiller and Izaak Mitchell. Whilst the bulk of its competitors have enjoyed success in a Nogi setting, it also focuses on the Gi and is the best place to train in Australia if competing is your goal. Not only this, but Absolute MMA also has some of the best wrestling coaches in the country if you are into improving your standup.
8. Tristar (Montreal)
Owned by the legendary MMA coach Firas Zahabi, it has a long history of producing top MMA fighters such as Georges St Pierre and many others on the UFC scene. Like some of the others on this list, it focuses mostly on Nogi and is influenced by Zahabi’s wrestling game which means takedowns are at a high level here. With the likes of the Leclerc brothers and Oliver Taza training here, it has the best grapplers in Canada and is the most famous gym in the country.
9. East Coast Jiu Jitsu (Dublin)
Taught by Darragh O’Conaill, it has produced the likes of Ffion Davies and Thomas Haplin – not to mention O’Conaill himself is an avid competitor. Whilst southern Ireland has a number of BJJ gyms, this one is probably the best in terms of producing pound for pound top competitors. With Davies in particular, being one of the best women in the world in both Gi and Nogi, it is also an option for female competitors to train with one of the world’s best.
10. Roger Gracie Academy (London)
Owned by Roger Gracie, this gym has a number of classes that run throughout the day. Whilst London in general is a hub for BJJ, this gym in particular has produced a number of top competitors such as Ross Nicholls, Charles Negromonte and Oliver Geddes. Unlike some of the other options on this list, there is also a strong emphasis on the Gi. Obviously, this is to be expected if training under Roger Gracie who is considered as the best ever whilst wearing the Gi.
11. Marcelo Garcia Academy (New York City)
Home of Marcelo Garcia, he has created a number of competitors down the years such as Bernardo Faria, Emily Kwok and most recently, Matheus Diniz. With this in mind, Marcelo has successfully created top performers in various rulesets across different generations of grappling.
If you want to learn his wrestling-based game then this gym may be ideal as there are a number of classes running 7 days per week. As you may have guessed by now, New York City is spoiled for choice when looking at world class training options.
12. Beast Gym (Goyang)
Owned and taught by South Korea’s best, Wanki Chae – the Beast gym follows typical South Korean culture in working hard and pushing each other. This gym is primarily Gi based which seems to be the style of choice when looking at South Korean Jiu Jitsu. The Beast gym also favours modern BJJ moves such as lapel guards, berimbolos and inverting so it is a good option for modern Gi players in the Eastern part of the world.
13. Art of Jiu Jitsu (Costa Mesa)
Ran by the legendary Mendes brothers, AOJ has high demands for its competitors and features infamous competition classes. These intense sessions focus mostly on hard sparring and conditioning work to get its practitioners in the best possible shape for competition. Not only this, but AOJ also features a super camp before big competitions such as Worlds – so this gym is mostly geared towards competition. Whilst it also offers both Gi and Nogi, the gym mostly favours Gi for those who prefer that method of training.
14. Riberio Jiu Jitsu (San Diego)
Taught by the Ribeiro brothers Xande and Saulo, RJJ is an oldschool gym which focuses heavily on the fundamentals. Their is a big emphasis on their system ‘Flow, pressure, finish’ which is a framework of how to train and beat other opponents. With a wealth of knowledge and numerous veteran black belts on the mat, RJJ is yet another solid option for those located in the San Diego area which is the West coast version of New York city when it comes to offering the best in terms of BJJ.
15. Mjolnir (Reykjavik)
If you want to train with vikings then this is the place to be. Based in Iceland, this gym has everything for a competitor and is complete with modern facilities. Not only does it focus on BJJ, but also has other rooms for weight training and cardio exercises. It is also home to UFC veteran Gunnar Nelson who is considered one of the toughest of all time and also has great grappling skills. So, if sparring giants with super human strength is your thing then look no further.
16. Evolve MMA (Singapore City)
Considered one of the best gyms in the entirity of Asia, it has produced MMA champions such as Angela Lee who is known for her prowess in BJJ. Not only this, because of its location and famous reputation; it often attracts a number of high profile seminar guests such as Garry Tonon and Roger Gracie. Alongside its luxurious settings, it is known to attract the best athletes in the region.
