what are some good bjj/mma schools in and around atlanta georgia? please list websiites / prices if possible. thnx
stayed tuned because i am going to open up my own gym: PUT UP YOUR DUKES FITNESS
Cam in 3...2...1...
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TTT
Sorry I'm late fellas! Here we go (again!).
Alliance- Atlanta, GA-Two Metro area locations. Head coach is Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti. Arguably the best and most successful sport BJJ coach in the world. His track record speaks for itself. Alliance is also arguably the largest BJJ team in the world including all its affiliates. They have numerous champions on their team, although mostly in Brazil. The Atlanta contingency has a lot of good, high ranked sport grapplers. The primary focus is on gi sport grappling/BJJ but they also have a no-gi curriculum as well as an MMA curriculum with a small handful of successful fighters including Ryan Ellison and Tony Barker. They also have Manu N'toh as a Muay Thai coach. Manu is a multiple time world champion, also. Very strong team with a lot of good grapplers. Also has at least 2 satellite locations that I know of... on the Northside there is Bull Shaw's school (Jacare black belt) and on the Southside (in Stockbridge) there is Byron Stone (Jacare brown belt).
http://www.alliancemarietta.com
Alliance Marietta- Marietta, GA. Headed by Jacare black belt Robert "Bull" Shaw. I have heard that Bull has closed up shop and is relocating to Columbus GA area.
Alliance Southside- Stockbridge, GA. Headed by Jacare brown belt Byron Stone.
http://www.boxingandmartialarts.com
Boxing & Martial Art's Academy- Decatur, GA. Headed by Joe Merritt. Joe is an alumni of Eagle kickboxing and I think his school is an Alliance satellite school. Joe is either a blue or purple belt in BJJ. Joe is a highly skilled Muay Thai technician and instructor originally trained by Gary Brown. Joe is probably also the most experienced and earliest MMA competitor in the state of GA. Kevin Brooks (experienced MMA fighter and also an Eagle alumni) trains with Joe.
Eagle kickboxing and Jujutsu- Lawrenceville, GA. Headed by Gary Brown. Not really sure as to the status of Eagle right now as it has become fragmented over the years. Gary Brown is probably the most experienced martial arts coach in the state. He has had hands in training Evander Holyfield and Rick Roufus in their earlier days. Mr. Brown now teaches and trains a good deal of Velocity's fighters. Other Eagle alumni include MMA/kickboxing fighters George Allen and Harris Norwood (both also now teaching at Velocity). Joe Merritt also is an Eagle alumni but has opened his own school.
The HardCore Gym- Athens, GA. Headed by the Singer Bros., Adam and Rory. Adam is a brown belt in BJJ under Chris Hauter. Adam is the coach of his brother Rory (successful MMA competitor and veteran of PRIDE BEST) and celebrity Forrest Griffin (TUF season 1 veteran and UFC veteran). Great MMA program producing many successful fighters including Forrest and Rory, Dan Anchetta, Brian Bowles, Stephen Ledbetter, George Kassaev and Chad Schaffer.
KBX Gym- Alpharetta, GA. Headed by Marshall Davis. Marshall has been around the scene a long time and is a very experienced kickboxer and coach. It says they have 2 instructors that teach jujitsu but does not have any info about an MMA program. Don't know if they have produced any MMA fighters to date.
Megalodon Gym- Commerce, GA. Headed by Kru Scott Hicks. Their BJJ program is under Helio "Soneca" Moriera/Casey Oxendine and is taught by successful MMA fighter and MT competitor Blake Grice.
Paul Creighton- Atlanta, GA. Paul is a UFC veteran and a Renzo Gracie black belt. Jeff Bedard (U.S. olympic training center) also teaches wrestling at Creighton's.
http://www.granthammartialarts.com
Phoenix Martial Arts Academy- Buford/Gwinnett County, GA. Headed by Steve Grantham. Offering GJJ, Muay Thai, Wing Chun and JKD.
Team Praxis- Griffin/Macon, GA. Two locations in the Middle GA area. Headed by ISCF US champion and former WEF world champion Cam McHargue. Geared specifically toward MMA training and an MMA oriented self defense program. Home of pro MMA fighters John Wehby, Cole Miller and Scott Harper. Was the home of UFC veteran Charles "Chainsaw" McCarthy when he was a resident in GA. Also home of amateur fighters Micah Miller and Donny Blue.
Tiger Academy- Atlanta, GA. Headed by Sifu Eddie Camden. Eddie is a top ranked instructor under Francis Fong in traditional Chinese martial arts. He is also certified under Guru Dan Inosanto. On top of all that Eddie is also a black belt under Pedro Sauer. Eddie is arguably the most accomplished, well rounded instructor in the state. The Tiger curriculum includes classes in BJJ, Muay Thai, traditional Chinese martial arts and are geared toward everything from self defense to active competition. There have been a handful of good MMA fighters from Tiger including Juan Guevara and Mike Israel.
NO WEBSITE KNOWN
United Karate- Headed by Ben Kiker. Andy Foster trains there (also at Velocity) and they have produced a few MMA fighters, Andy being the most notable. Mr. Kiker has been in the kickboxing game for a long time and has produced many successful fighters with his wealth of experience.
http://www.velocitykickboxing.com
Knuckle-Up Fitness(formerly Velocity Kickboxing)- Atlanta/Kennesaw, GA. Huge corporate entity with a lot going on. Three semi-metro area locations. Velocity is not just a fight school, they cater to a large demographic including cardio kickboxing and also have in house gyms that are geared toward physical fitness. They have thousands of clients but only a fraction are the "fight team", so to speak. That being said, some of the best MMA fighters in the state are on Team Velocity. Due to their size they have great resources. BJJ black belt instructors including Steve Headden (ISCF world champion), Diego Saraiva (arguably the best sport grappler in the state), Fabio Costa, Johnathan (don't know his last name, young kid, extremely skilled) and also world Muay Thai champ Khunpon. They have lots of successful active fighters including Jr. Assuncao, Raphael Assuncao, IKF champ Mark Selbee and quite a few other pro and amateur MMA fighters. Jason "Mayhem" Miller is an alumni of Velocity. Velocity is an affiliate of Gracie Barra.
XPE Gym/Main Event Fitness- Marietta, GA. Primarily a kickboxing school with an MMA program and BJJ/Sambo with Tony Tucci as the instructor. Tucci is also an accomplished kickboxer himself. I think Bernard Rutherford (MMA fighter) is on the XPE team.
that says it all.
I think it's time to change the velocity bio to include a couple chumps named Gittemeier, Thorpe, Fretwell and Nguyen.
Aren't those guys household names in Atlanta???