BJJ in Pineville

Pineville, the south-Charlotte suburb just inside the I-485 loop, hosts two BJJ academies that anchor the Carolina Place corridor. **Top Martial Arts Charlotte (TMA Charlotte)** at 565 N Polk Street was founded in 2012 by Professor Jae Ho Lee, a 2nd-degree BJJ Black Belt under Roberto Traven (Carlson Gracie Coral Belt) who has competed and won at IBJJF Pan Ams, the Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship, and IBJJF Worlds. The daytime adults schedule is run by Howard "Mitch" Phillips, a 2nd-degree BJJ black belt with a Luis Togno lineage who has trained shootfighting and Muay Thai with Max Coats since the early 1990s and gi BJJ since 2006. The school is the sister academy to Mint Hill Jiu-Jitsu (same ownership). **Fight Sports Charlotte (FSC)** at 11812 Carolina Place Pkwy is a world-class BJJ school running adult Gi and No-Gi classes at 6 AM and 7 PM with one of the largest kids programs in the metro — five BJJ classes per week (90-minute blocks) and three Striking/MMA classes for ages 7-13, plus dedicated 3-4 and 4-5 year-old tracks, weekend open mats, and an after-school program with no annual contracts.