BJJ Gyms in Texas

Texas BJJ is a three-metro story, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has emerged as the lineage-richest corner of the state. DFW's depth comes from legacy affiliates that arrived early and stayed: JJ Machado DFW (Colleyville) is the only Jean Jacques Machado affiliate in Texas, led by 3rd-degree black belt Eric Acha; Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu DFW (Hurst) is the only Renzo Gracie affiliate in all of North Texas; Carlson Gracie DFW (Lewisville) runs a direct Carlson lineage through 3rd-degree black belt Andre Gomes; and the Carlos Machado brand anchors three locations across Lake Highlands, Carrollton, and The Colony. Add Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu of Dallas under Rob Ables (Marcelo Garcia lineage, "one flat monthly rate"), a two-location Brazilian Top Team network spanning Irving and Richardson under 4th-degree black belt Leonardo Machado, and a Gracie Barra cluster led by Gracie Barra Frisco — owned by 3x IBJJF World Champion Gabriel Arges — and the metro's competition pedigree rivals any Southern market. Notable independents include Perennial BJJ (Checkmat, 2020 IBJJF World Champion Gilson Nunes), Alex Martins BJJ (5th-degree under Junior Cardoso, 2016–2018 IBJJF World #1 Ranked Master 2), Gracie ONE (Kyvia Gracie, Carlos Gracie Sr. granddaughter, founded 2025), Rafael Formiga Jiu Jitsu Academy (Highland Village, 13x World Champion, Alliance), and VA Academy in Wylie (Checkmat 3rd-degree Vinicius Agudo, IBJJF American National Champion). For no-gi and MMA crossover, Rocha Martial Arts in Las Colinas brings world champion coach João Gabriel Rocha's instruction to Irving, Octagon MMA Dallas fields Neil Melanson on no-gi, and 10th Planet Dallas carries the Eddie Bravo flag. Guy Mezger (UFC Hall of Famer) runs his BJJ program out of Hidden Gym in Richardson.

Austin remains a growth engine unto itself — the capital's scene expanded dramatically through the 2010s on the back of tech-economy transplants, spawning a dense cluster of independent academies across East Austin, South Congress, and the Domain corridor. Houston holds Texas's largest raw gym count and punches hard on the competition circuit with multiple Gracie Barra, Checkmat, and Alliance affiliates spread across its vast footprint. San Antonio and Fort Worth round out the map with solid regional depth. Across all four metros, most gyms price adult unlimited in the $140–$200 per month range; Black Wolf Jiu Jitsu ($150/mo) and Magness BJJ ($140/mo, with published family rates) are among the few DFW gyms to post pricing publicly. Drop-ins are broadly welcomed, and Texas is friendlier to the no-gi revolution than most Southern markets — 10th Planet affiliates, B-Team-influenced schools, and submission-only clubs are well distributed alongside traditional gi-centric academies.