To the surprise of some Houston has become one of the top cities in the country for BJJ. This is no surprise for Houstonians that train. They know Jiu Jitsu in Houston has been strong for the last decade.
The city is finally getting noticed for the vast amount of great BJJ academies it has. Some of the top instructors and athletes in the world call Houston home.
Check out this definitive list of the best BJJ gyms in Houston, Texas. The greater Houston area has some great BJJ schools and we’ll share with you a few of the best ones.
Gracie Barra Texas(Draculino)
You can’t talk about Jiu Jitsu in Houston and not talk about the undisputed top academy Gracie Barra Texas. Around 2007 Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes opened Gracie Barra Texas just south of Houston.
In a little over a decade he has built an empire and his school is arguably the best BJJ gym in Houston. If not one of the best in the country.
Draculino was a great competitor, but he is an even better coach. He has trained countless BJJ champions that are regulars at his academy. Others have opened various Gracie Barra Academies in the area that we will get to later.
On top of being the owner of Gracie Barra Texas, Draculino is also the head instructor of Gracie Barra in Texas.
Gracie Barra Texas’ current location is in Webster, TX down the street from Johnson Space Station. The mats are always full at GB Texas and they have great instructors. Including Draculino himself.
Current UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko also frequents this gym when she’s in the country. Also this gym is home to young BJJ phenom Lucas Valente, who is on the mats everyday.
See below for details and info about Gracie Barra Texas
Classes Offered At Gracie Barra Texas
- Kids Classes
- BJJ Intro
- BJJ Advanced
- Competition Class
- Muay Thai
- No Gi Jiu Jitsu
- MMA
Instructors At Gracie Barra Texas
- Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes(Head Instructor/Owner)
- Brandon “Wolverine” Mullins
- Jonathan Harris(Muay Thai coach)
- Igor Magalhaes
- Roberto Rivas
- Ricky Rivas
- Isai Cabrera
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address: 1020 W Nasa Parkway STE 150, Webster, TX 77598
Phone Number: (832) 632-1397
Other Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Locations in Houston
If you happened to be a Gracie Barra student in Houston, you are in luck. There are over 5 Gracie Barra locations you can attend.
GB easily has the most affiliated Jiu Jitsu schools in Houston. So, since a GB student has access to all GB schools worldwide, we’ll list them all
Gracie Barra Pearland
Draculino brought his good friend Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo from Brazil to open a Gracie Barra location. This is a top notch gym with a top notch head coach.
Azevedo is 4x world champion and retired MMA fighter. Before he came to Houston, he was the head coach of Gracie Barra HQ in Belo Horizonte. There has been nothing, but good things said about Azevedo
If you come here, you are going to get old school GB BJJ that is tried and true. An excellent choice if you find yourself in the southern suburbs of the Houston area.
Classes Offered At Gracie Barra Pearland
*BJJ classes only at this school
- Kids Classes
- Teens Classes
- Beginner Classes
- Advanced Classes
- Competition Classes
Instructors At Gracie Barra Pearland
- Marcelo Azevedo(Head Instructor)
- Isai Cabrera
- Mariana Azevedo
- Carolina Ferreira
- Daniela Ferriera
- Victor Seabra
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address: 3229 E Broadway ST, Pearland, TX 77581
Phone Number:832-406-7298
Gracie Barra Westchase
Next to Gracie Barra Texas this is the most successful GB Jiu Jitsu school in Houston. This gym is headed by Ulpiano Malachias.
A Houston BJJ school with a competitive, yet friendly atmosphere. Not a bad choice if you’re looking for Jiu Jitsu in Houston.
Classes Offered At Gracie Barra Westchase
- Kids BJJ
- Teen BJJ
- BJJ Fundamentals
- Advanced BJJ
- Muay Thai
- Wrestling
- Cardio Kickboxing
- Women’s Self Defense
Instructors At Gracie Barra Westchase
- Ulpiano Malachias(Head Instructor)
- Inacio Neto
- Arezou Rastegar
- Servando Almaraz
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address: 2610 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX 77063
Phone Number: 713-977-7418
Gracie Barra The Woodlands
The northern option for Gracie Barra students is Gracie Barra Woodlands. It is headed by UFC fighter Alex Morono.
On top of having good BJJ, the MMA program is among the best in the city. If you find yourself in the upper north Houston area and need a BJJ school check them out.
Classes Offered at Gracie Barra The Woodlands
- Kids BJJ
- BJJ
- Muay Thai
- MMA
Instructors at Gracie Barra The Woodlands
- Alex Morono(Head Instructor)
*No other coaches listed on their website
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address: 606 Rayford Rd, Suite A Spring, TX 77386
Gracie Barra The Heights
The final Gracie Barra school we’ll list is Gracie Barra The Heights in the northwest area of Houson. Draculino again personally picked the instructors to run this school. All the instructors are black belts under him.
This academy is state of the art and one of the best in The Heights area of Houston.
Classes Offered at Gracie Barra The Heights
- Kids BJJ
- Adult Beginners
- Adult Advanced
- Muay Thai
- Cardio Kickboxing
Instructors at Gracie Barra The Heights
- Pedro Arujo(Head Instructor)
- Edgard Bortoletto
- Sam Robles(Muay Thai)
Special Offers: $30 for 3 classes for new members
Address: 4721 N. Main Suite T, Houston, Texas 77009
Phone Number: 281-888-6821
Paradigm Training Center(GF Team Houston)
Paradigm Training Center is one of the best Jiu Jitsu schools in Houston and is a complete martial arts center. Offering a program for multiple martial arts. More importantly for this article, the BJJ program run by Marcus Bello and Wancler Oliviera.
Paradigm’s BJJ program is a GF Team affiliate, so you’re going to get a lot of technique and rolling in. Some of the best instructors in Houston work and train here.
The head instructor Marcus “Boquinha” Bello is a former world champion and has created quite a team. He and Wancler Oliviera run some of the best BJJ classes in southwest Houston.
World champions like Washington Luis train here, so you are going to have really good training partners here.
Side note: Washington Luis also teaches BJJ programs at O Athletik and Furia Training Center. This is if you want to learn from another world champ that is a GF Team black belt.
Paradigm also has a second location, which is their wrestling club if you want to sharpen your wrestling. This is a world class option for Jiu Jitsu in Houston.
Classes Offered at Paradigm Training Center Houston
- Kids BJJ
- Adult BJJ
- MMA
- USA Boxing
- Submission Grappling
- Judo
- USA Wrestling
Instructors at Paradigm Training Center Houston
- Marcus “Boquinha” Bello(Head BJJ Instructor)
- Wancler Oliviera(BJJ Coach)
- Steve Woods(Wrestling Coach)
- Leroy Fountain(Boxing Coach)
- Gulled Ahmed(Kickboxing Coach)
- Leroy Vazquez(MMA Coach)
Special Offers: N/A
Address: 10500 Belfort Ave #200, Houston, TX 77031
Phone Number: 713-660-9442
Pablo Silva BJJ Houston
Another credit to Jiu Jitsu in Houston is Pablo Silva BJJ. Silva is a BJJ world champion that makes his home in the city.
He is a black belt under Draculino, but after a falling out with Gracie Barra, Pablo opened his own school. Silva did this because Gracie Barra denied him getting his own academy.
Ever since then Pablo has created one of the top BJJ schools in Houston. Any competition you go to around the state, there are many Pablo Silva students present and they usually medal.
Since opening his own school, Pablo has been very busy. Silva has classes running everyday and they’re full of all skill levels.
Classes Offered at Pablo Silva BJJ
*Only BJJ classes are offered here.
- Kids Classes
- Teen Classes
- Adult Classes
Instructors at Pablo Silva BJJ
- Pablo Silva(Head Instructor/Owner)
(No Other Instructors Listed On Website)
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address: 5233 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire, TX 77401
Phone Number: 713-592-0310
Elite MMA
For a historical BJJ school in Houston look no further than Elite MMA. This was one of the first BJJ schools in Houston. The owner and head instructor Eric Williams was also the first Houstonian to ever receive a BJJ black belt.
This school was founded in 1999 making it the oldest and longest running BJJ school in Houston. Elite MMA has always been known for quality instruction.
On top of it’s BJJ program this school offers a wide variety of different programs. If being the longest operated MMA/BJJ school in Houston interests you, then take a look at Elite MMA.
There are 5 locations to choose from.
Classes Offered at Elite MMA
- Kids BJJ
- MMA
- BJJ
- Wrestling
- Boxing
- Women Only Classes
- MMA Conditioning
- Self Defense
Instructors at Elite MMA
- Eric Williams(Owner/Head Instructor)
- Dave Cambell(MMA Conditioning Coach)
- Mitchell Norton
- Josh Lanier
- Pat Swan(Boxing Coach)
- Robert Jiminez(MMA Coach)
- Clint Renfro
- Ashley Nguyen(Womens BJJ Coach)
- Michael Shields
- Dallas Mabry
Special Offers: 1 free intro class
Address(es)
Houston Location: 11380 Westheimer Rd, Houston TX 77077
Phone: 713-496-0328
Baytown Location: 6934 Garth Rd, Baytown, TX 77521
Phone: 281-843-8871
Greenway/Galleria Location: 3311 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77098
Phone: 832-895-7775
Kingwood Location: 2259 Northpark Drive, Kingwood, TX 77339
Phone: 281-336-1770
Atascocita/Humble Location: 5360 FM 1960, Humble, TX 77346
Phone: 832-639-6060
Alliance BJJ Houston
Over the last few years Alliance affiliates have been springing up around the city. Alliance is synonymous with quality BJJ and these Jiu Jitsu schools in Houston are a welcomed option.
The head school is in Pearland, Texas and is run by Danny Duckworth. There’s three other affiliates in the Houston area and they’re located in Spring, Shadow Creek, and League City.
These schools are growing rapidly and quality schools to take a look at while in Houston.
Classes Offered at AllianceBJJ Houston
(These are the classes for the main location in Pearland. For info on the affiliates classes look at their websites below)
- Kids BJJ
- Adult Fundamentals
- Adult BJJ
- No Gi Jiu Jitsu
Instructors at AllianceBJJ Houston
- Danny Duckworth(Owner/Head Instructor)
- Calvin Nguyen
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address(es)
Alliance Houston Location: 10555 Pearland Pkwy U, Houston, TX 77089
Phone: 832-509-0255
Alliance BJJ Spring Location: 4711 Louetta Rd #114, Spring, TX 77388
Phone: 281-542-8008
Alliance BJJ Shadow Creek Location: 12310 Broadway St suite 214, Pearland, TX 77584
Phone: 832-328-8850
Furia Training Center Location: 1314 FM 646 Rd W #19, Dickinson, TX 77539
Phone: 281-337-7231
Revolution Dojo
Jeff Messina, a very known martial arts figure within Houston has built quite a little empire within the city. Revolution Dojo is one of the premiere schools for Jiu Jitsu in Houston, as well as Muay Thai.
The students are very close with each other and there’s a lot of them to train with. There’s also 3 different locations to choose from.
Messina is a 3rd degree black belt under Rodrigo Medeiros and runs a world class BJJ program. He has also assembled a coaching staff of world champions in BJJ, Judo, Muay THai, and MMA at Revolution schools.
This Jiu Jitsu school in Houston is an excellent choice with 3 locations to choose from.
Classes Offered at Revolution Dojo
- Kids Martial Arts
- BJJ
- Muay Thai
- MMA
- Judo
- Cardio Kickboxing
- Strength and Conditioning
Instructors at Revolution Dojo
- Jeff Messina
- Mark Beecher(Muay Thai)
- Alexandro Ceconi
- Veronica Mota
- Sammy Mongonia(Muay Thai)
- Jaime Lazcano(Judo Coach)
- Geno Morelli(Wrestling Coach)
- Dinko Bektic
- Jonathan Naranjo
- Michael Abello(Strength and Conditioning Coach)
- Ruzanna
- Ryan Crowe
- Chris Ruiz
- Bryan Neal(Judo Coach)
- Mike Jackson
- Ray Aninzo(Muay Thai)
- Nethaneel Mongonia(Muay Thai)
- Uriel Figueroa
- Eric Lazo
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address(es)
Houston Location: 1005 Ennis St, Houston, TX 77003
Phone: 281-702-0789
Katy Location: 414 West Grand Pkwy #197, Katy, Texas 77494
Phone: (Same As Above)
Cypress Location: 15460 FM 529 Rd ,Houston, TX 77095
Phone: (Same As Above)
Rilion Gracie Jiu Jitsu Houston
If you want traditional Gracie Jiu Jitsu, then there are 3 Rilion Gracie Jiu Jitsu schools in Houston.
The instructors are elite Brazilian black belts from Brazil that are solid on fundamentals.
If you are more into traditional BJJ, then these are the schools for you.
Classes Offered at Rilion Gracie Jiu Jitsu Houston
- Kids BJJ
- Fundamentals 101
- Advanced Adults
- Muay Thai
- MMA
Instructors at Rilion Gracie Jiu Jitsu Houston
- Luiz “Dentindo” Eduardo(Head Instructor Houston)
- Rose Rosa(Kids Instructor)
- Romuo Reis(Head Instructor Rilion Missouri City)
- Thomas DeSouza
- Cyborguinho Dos Santos(Muay Thai/MMA Instructor)
- Paul Sang Joon Song(Muay Thai Instructor)
Special Offers: 1 free trial class
Address(es)
Houston Location: 9791 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77042
Phone: 713-471-0644
Missouri City Location: 3340 FM 1092 Rd Suite 120, Missouri City, TX 77459
Phone: 832-851-3365
West Houston Location: 1396 Eldridge Pkwy, Houston, TX 77077
Phone: 713-257-3460
That’s it for Houston Jiu Jitsu
If you feel that we missed any gyms that should be on this list please let us know.
If you enjoyed this article and you want to know about BJJ gyms in other locations, check out our Travel Section.
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