Ten years ago, if you wanted to train with elite grapplers, you flew to Rio de Janeiro. Today, the best BJJ gyms in North America have completely shifted the sport’s center of gravity. Austin now hosts both New Wave and B-Team within miles of each other—the two strongest No-Gi teams on the planet, born from the famous Danaher Death Squad split. California offers AOJ’s technical perfection and Atos’s competition intensity. New York’s Blue Basement remains a rite of passage for every serious grappler. And Montreal’s Tristar proves you don’t need to cross borders for world-class instruction. Here’s the honest breakdown of where champions actually train in 2026—and what to expect when you visit
Ten years ago, if you wanted to train with the best BJJ gyms in North America, you were out of luck—because they didn’t exist. Not really. You bought a plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro and hoped you didn’t get tapped out too badly by some unknown purple belt who’d go on to win Mundials.
That’s the thing about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2026: the sport’s center of gravity has shifted north, and it’s not even close anymore.
North America now houses the highest concentration of world champions, ADCC gold medalists, and technical innovators on the planet. We’re talking “super camps” where a hobbyist with two weeks of vacation can share the mats with absolute legends—if you know where to go and can survive the experience.
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For Ringside Report readers planning a training pilgrimage—or just curious about where the elite sharpen their skills—here’s the honest breakdown of the top BJJ academies in North America for 2026.
Come on, you knew Austin would be first. Since the infamous “Danaher Death Squad” split in 2021, the city has hosted the two strongest No-Gi teams in the world—and five years later, they’re still located within miles of each other. The rivalry is real, the talent is undeniable, and the training opportunities are unlike anything the sport has ever seen.
Head Instructor: John Danaher Key Athletes: Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Giancarlo Bodoni
Here’s the reality: if you want to learn the precise, step-by-step systems that conquered ADCC and revolutionized submission grappling, this is ground zero. The vibe is serious, systematic, and professional. Danaher’s teaching style is famously methodical—expect long explanations, detailed breakdowns, and an atmosphere that treats Jiu-Jitsu like the intellectual pursuit it actually is.
Best For: No-Gi specialists who want to learn directly from arguably the greatest grappling mind in history. Not the place for casual drop-ins looking to “just roll.”
B-Team Jiu-Jitsu
Head Instructors: Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, Nicky Rodriguez
The rebellious anti-heroes of modern grappling. While the training is absolutely world-class—their CJI Team Prize victory proved their competitive legitimacy beyond any doubt—the atmosphere is famous for being loose, loud, and unapologetically fun.
What do you expect from a gym co-founded by Craig Jones? The man turned instructional marketing into performance art. But don’t let the memes fool you: these guys are killers on the mat.
Best For: Grapplers who want high-level sparring without traditional martial arts formality. If you can handle getting smashed by elite competitors while someone blasts heavy metal in the background, this is your spot.
The Technical Hub: California
While Austin has the hype, California has the technical wizards who’ve been quietly producing world champions for over a decade.
Art of Jiu Jitsu (AOJ) – Costa Mesa
Head Instructors: The Mendes Brothers (Rafa and Gui)
Often called “Jiu-Jitsu Heaven”—and honestly, the nickname fits. The gym is pristine white, looks like an art gallery, and produces arguably the most technically proficient passers and guards in the sport. The Mendes Brothers created a system that emphasizes precision over power, and their students consistently dominate the Gi competition scene.
It’s complicated, because AOJ represents something the sport needs more of: proof that smaller grapplers can beat bigger opponents through pure technical excellence rather than just athletic gifts.
Best For: Smaller grapplers and Gi enthusiasts who value aesthetics and technical perfection over brute force.
Atos HQ – San Diego
Head Instructor: Andre Galvao
High energy, high intensity, high expectations. Atos is known for its aggressive, wrestling-heavy style and competition classes that break even the toughest athletes. Galvao built a championship factory here, and the culture reflects his relentless competitive mindset.
Best For: Competitors looking to push their physical limits. This isn’t a vacation—it’s a training camp.
The East Coast BJJ Gym Legend
Renzo Gracie Academy (RGA) – New York City
Location: The famous “Blue Basement” in Manhattan
This is history. RGA is arguably the most famous academy in North America, and for good reason—it’s produced everyone from Matt Serra to Georges St-Pierre to the modern leg-lock specialists who trained under Danaher before his Austin era.
The academy offers an incredible variety of instructors, from old-school Gracie family members teaching self-defense fundamentals to competition-focused coaches drilling the latest ADCC meta. The Blue Basement has earned its legendary status through decades of producing champions across MMA and pure grappling.
Best For: Anyone visiting NYC. Training in the Blue Basement is a rite of passage for every serious grappler—something you should do at least once in your Jiu-Jitsu journey.
The Canadian BJJ Gym Powerhouse
Tristar Gym – Montreal, Quebec
Head Instructor: Firas Zahabi
While famous globally as the home of Georges St-Pierre and top-tier MMA training, Tristar’s pure BJJ program is world-class in its own right. Zahabi is a black belt under John Danaher and teaches a similar, highly conceptual style of Jiu-Jitsu—systems-based thinking with an emphasis on understanding why techniques work, not just memorizing sequences.
For our Montreal readers, this world-class instruction is right in your backyard. You don’t need to fly to Austin or San Diego when one of the continent’s premier combat sports academies is a metro ride away.
Best For: Grapplers who want to understand how BJJ applies to MMA, and anyone interested in the conceptual approach to grappling that produced some of the sport’s greatest fighters.
The BJJ Gym Bottom Line
Choosing the “best” gym depends entirely on what you’re looking for. If you want to wear a pristine white Gi and master the berimbolo, AOJ is your destination. If you want to wrestle hard while someone cracks jokes between rounds, B-Team delivers. And if you’re in Montreal, Tristar remains the gold standard for integrating combat sports.
Here’s my prediction: by 2028, we’ll see at least two more “super camps” emerge as top competitors as established teams lose top players who build their own legacies. The talent is too deep, and the sport is growing too fast for the current power structure to hold.
Wherever you go, bring a notebook, leave your ego at the door, and be prepared to get humbled. That’s the beautiful thing about visiting elite academies—they remind you exactly how much you still have to learn.
Art of Jiu Jitsu, B-Team BJJ, best BJJ gyms in North America, BJJ training destination, John Danaher, New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, Renzo Gracie Academy, Tristar Gym
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