While the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has come a long way from the days of the first UFCs to now, it is still a relatively young martial art. But that’s just one of the benefits of being in a small, niche sport like this one–the fact is, it’s not so uncommon to meet, learn from, and even train with the absolute best BJJ practitioners in the world! It’s comparable to playing a pickup game of basketball with Michael Jordan or Lebron James.
Within the last year, there have been several major names in BJJ that have stopped by Renzo Gracie Los Angeles to train and teach their favorite techniques, one of the most notable being ADCC silver medalist Nick Rodriguez. He not only taught a seminar here but also stayed the following day to train with some of the top students at our school! Another legend of the sport, IBJJF Hall of fame member with too many medals and accolades to mention, Leticia Ribeiro, stopped by Renzo Gracie Los Angeles to teach an amazing 3-hour long masterclass on guard passing. Several other prominent figures in the sport, like Hannah Sharp and Margot Ciccarelli have stopped by to teach seminars and train with the students at RGLA. One of RGLA’s very own black belts, Paul Schon, also taught a free seminar on one of his favorite techniques – the D’Arce choke. Last and not least, Kit Dale, a very talented black belt, and 2-time World Pro champ, is a regular at the gym and can often be found at our open mats training with students and other high-level grapplers.
On the Muay Thai side, we have had the pleasure of hosting Smokin’ Jo Nattawut, a 5-time Lion Fight super welterweight champion and 1-time Lion Fight middleweight champion, for an amazing seminar where he shared with us some of his favorite techniques. Greg Wootton and Eddie Abasolo, two other top Muay Thai fighters and world champions, also came by to end 2022 with a truly banging seminar!
We have had the fortune of hosting many talented and accomplished grapplers, MMA fighters, and others to train with our students. Many of these competitors also bring in their own teammates to train with us further increasing the diversity of training partners and skill levels our students get to experience.
We at RGLA always appreciate and are grateful for visitors stopping by the school to train with us, world champs or not! We embrace the sharing of techniques and believe that working together to learn and grow is the best way to improve for everyone. As such, you’ll always find fresh faces and friends of the school at our weekly, welcoming open mats!
If you’re interested in being hosted by Renzo Gracie Los Angeles to teach a seminar in BJJ or Muay Thai, please reach out to Professor Jaime Mendez at [email protected]