Top 10 Best BJJ Gyms Around the World

Back in the day when BJJ wasn’t famous as it is today, it was tough to find a good gym to train in. Nowadays, there are BJJ gyms anywhere on the planet, but there is still a difference between the good and the best.

The gyms on this list represent the very pinnacle of this martial art and are the places where you can take your BJJ skills to the next level. But, before we get into the list of the top-ranked BJJ gyms in the world, we must know which factors make a great BJJ gym.

While there are many factors that go into consideration when ranking the top BJJ schools, our opinion is that the following three are the most important: the head coaches, the gym’s reputation, and the environment.

Without a doubt, the head coaches that represent a gym are the most important and influential factor when it comes to judging the quality of a BJJ school. These are the people who are vital for the success of a gym and ultimately are responsible for the overall atmosphere and culture of the gym.

A great BJJ gym has an excellent reputation among BJJ practitioners, instructors, and students. If a gym doesn’t have a solid reputation, it’s not going to be able to attract the best students or instructors.

The more respected BJJ practitioners a gym has, the better the reputation it will get, and hence attract more and more people to join it. A great reputation also means that a gym has satisfied its members and has a large number of repeat customers.

A gym with a positive, fun, and safe environment attracts more people than one that is unsafe or has a negative atmosphere. The best gyms will provide a safe, fun, and motivating environment for their members and students.

A clean and well-preserved gym will ensure that your time at the gym is always pleasant. You will also be able to focus better on your training if the environment is clean and the overall atmosphere is pleasant.

Now that we’ve gone over the factors that make or break a BJJ gym, let’s get to know the best BJJ gyms in the world.

The Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu Academy has been in existence since 2009 and it was founded by the legendary BJJ black belt Marcelo Garcia. This gym has provided some great BJJ practitioners over the years, and the credit goes to one of the most notable BJJ instructions in the world, Marcelo Garcia.

Garcia has won the ADCC Championship four times and has also won the World Championship at all belt levels. That speaks more than enough of how good of a grappler Marcelo Garcia is, and he has managed to share his wisdom with other people and create a great environment for people to train in.

Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu Academy is located in New York, the USA, and is open from Monday to Saturday, with visitors allowed at any time.

Located in beautiful San Diego, California, the ATOS Jiu Jitsu was found by Andre Galvão and Ramon Lemos. It’s a gym that is dedicated to developing the best BJJ practitioners and provides a safe and enjoyable environment for its members and students.

ATOS is not just a gym, it’s also one of the best BJJ teams in the world right now, with grapplers coming from this gym winning Championships and tournaments around the world. The gym closely follows Andre’s philosophy of teaching and learning, and as one of the best grapplers of all time, winning both the Gi and No-Gi Championships six times, the knowledge that Galvão possesses is immense.

ATOS Jiu-Jitsu HQ also has a Women only program, headed by Prof. Angelica Galvão, a first-degree black belt and 2015 No Gi World Champion. Dominique Bell and Michael Perez are also one of the main coaches, so you know that the knowledge and experience that they have is top-notch.

Renzo Gracie carries the most well-known surname in the sport and is a 6th Degree Black Belt in BJJ under Carlos Gracie Jr. Renzo Gracie opened his academy way back in 1996, and to this day it’s one of the best academies for BJJ and MMA, not just in the state of New York, but in the entire United States.

An ADCC Hall of Famer, Renzo Gracie trained some of the most notable fighters in the history of MMA; GSP, Matt Serra, Chris Weidman, and many more. John Danaher, one of the most notable names in the sport has been an instructor at the Renzo Gracie Academy.

Along with BJJ and MMA programs, the Renzo Gracie Academy also offers Muay Thai, Submission Grappling, and KidJitsu programs, so there is something for everybody. If you’re looking for a top-notch BJJ or MMA program in the Northeast, Renzo Gracie Academy is the place to visit.

At Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, you will find a friendly environment and a professional staff that takes pride in their work. Founded in 1993 in the home country of BJJ, Brazil, Alliance Jiu Jitsu produced some of the best competitors in the world.

The Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Team has hundreds of branches all around the world, and its founders,  Romero Jacaré, Alexandre Paiva, and Fábio Gurgel are some of the best teachers that you can find. And, guess who trained in this gym? Marcelo Garcia, the head instructor at Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu Academy!

Today, Alliance Jiu Jitsu is still considered one of the top academies in the world for the martial art of BJJ, and that is because of the superb quality of the teaching and the numerous classes they offer for practitioners at all levels.

Another gym located in Brazil, this one in Rio de Janeiro, the Nova União Academy, like the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, has hundreds of affiliated gyms around the world, but the most famous one is located in Rio. When two teams, Dedé Pederneiras Jiu Jitsu and Mello Tenis Clube, merged into one in 1995, the Nova União Academy was established.

The team has produced several champions, and the “King of Rio” Jose Aldo, one of the best Brazilian MMA fighters of all time, trained in this very gym. What is amazing about this gym is that they constantly strive to help those born in poorer communities, and give them an opportunity to improve their life.

One of the most impressive-looking gyms in the world, and overall the best BJJ and MMA gym located in Asia, the Evolve MMA Far East Square features 20.000 square ft of training space and offers everything from BJJ classes to Muay Thai to MMA classes for both absolute beginners to the most experienced martial artists.

Evolve MMA is the biggest MMA organization in all of Asia, so if you’re looking for a great gym in the region, this is the place to be. This gym has some of the best trainers in the world, not just for BJJ, but for Muay Thai, Wrestling, and No-Gi Grappling. Another amazing thing about Evolve MMA is that the gym is open even on Sundays!

Founded in 2012, the AOJ Academy in Costa Mesa, California, is one of the nicest-looking BJJ gyms anywhere in the world. This place is absolutely gorgeous, and not only that but it also produces a lot of amazing BJJ practitioners. The AOJ Academy merges philosophy, study, and competition into a unique method.

Founded by Pm Tenore and the Mendes brothers, the AOJ stays a BJJ-only gym, keeping its focus on Jiu-Jitsu, as opposed to many other gyms that train multiple martial arts. The brand of AOJ also has great on-demand content that helps you learn techniques and get better at BJJ.

Run by the legendary coach Firas Zarabi, the Tristar Gym is the best BJJ and MMA gym that you can find in Canada. The legendary Georges St-Pierre trained here, which makes this place even more special and also shows the high quality of training that takes place here. GSP also works as an occasional instructor at the Tristar Gym.

The staff here is very friendly, and the gym looks modern, like a place where you’d expect to see professional athletes training. You can expect some very intense training sessions here, especially if you want to compete or make a name for yourself as a grappler.

Located in sunny Miami, Florida, the Fight Sports Jiu-Jitsu is a gym founded by Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu, a 7-time World No-Gi Champion. At Fight Sports Jiu Jitsu, you can find many different programs for adults and kids.

You can learn everything from the fundamentals all the way to the pro-level BJJ, and training in Fight Sports is always fun and a pleasurable experience. They’ve also made a “BJJ World Champion” online course that acts as a great complement to your regular BJJ classes.

The Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu Academy is not the only BJJ school located in New York that has a place on this list. The Unity Jiu-Jitsu head coach is Murilo Santana, a much-respected BJJ black belt. The training here is top-notch, so it’s not a surprise that the Miyao brothers have trained here.

However, Unity Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t have a big facility with room for hundreds of students like many other gyms on this list. So, you do get a sense that this is a BJJ gym that has that old-school feel to it, and that’s what makes it so appealing.