Who brought jiu-jitsu to Britain?

Black belts in a Birmingham factory and a London club, a son who opened an academy in Hammersmith, and a governing body made by rivals.

The UKBJJA, the governing body for jiu-jitsu in the UK, tells the story of how the art arrived. At the end of the 1990s, Brazilian black belts came to give seminars. Then some of them stayed, and regular classes started in London and Birmingham. ⁸⁰

Two instructors giving a seminar to adult students on mats inside an old brick factory hall.

The first teachers

Mauricio Gomes and Chen Moraes taught at the Custard Factory in Birmingham and at the Budokwai in London. Wilson Junior taught in Earls Court. Roger Brooking taught at the Seymour Leisure Centre, and Braulio Estima taught at Stevie B's gym in Birmingham. There were other early teachers in Essex, Bristol, Wales and on the south coast. ⁸⁰

Mauricio Gomes

Mauricio Gomes was one of Rolls Gracie's black belts. ¹⁰ He set up Gracie Barra UK, with classes in Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Belfast, and from 2000 he taught at the Budokwai. ¹⁰ Braulio Estima took over Gracie Barra Birmingham at the end of 2002 and got his black belt on 4 January 2004. ¹⁰

An instructor teaching a ground technique to adults in a traditional London training hall.

Roger Gracie

Mauricio's son is Roger Gracie. Roger was born in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro. His mother, Reila, is a daughter of Carlos Gracie. ^10,105 He moved to London, and in 2004 he opened the Roger Gracie Academy with his father. ^10,105 The academy is in Hammersmith, in London, and it is the headquarters of the Roger Gracie Association. ^104,105

A tall instructor demonstrating side control to a circle of adult students in a London academy.

Roger is one of the best competitors the art has ever had. His association lists 10 IBJJF world championships at black belt and three ADCC world titles. ¹⁰⁵ He stopped competing in 2017, and in all his competition matches nobody ever made him tap. ¹⁰

Four athletes in white jackets on a medal podium in a large sports hall.

A governing body

For a long time there was no national body for jiu-jitsu in the UK. In 2012 people from different clubs and teams got together and formed the UKBJJA. In 2021 the sports councils of all four home nations recognised it. ⁸⁰ The UKBJJA does not give out belts. Your belt comes from your own professor. ^80,82

Adults from different academies sitting around pushed together tables in a plain meeting room.

The UKBJJA says it has over 300 member clubs. ⁸⁰ Today there are hundreds of jiu-jitsu clubs all over the UK. ¹⁴¹

Jiu-jitsu today in Britain

The UKBJJA runs tournaments, a Kids League and a university league. ^80,89 In June 2026 the King was given a jiu-jitsu white belt when he visited REORG, a charity that uses jiu-jitsu to help military and emergency services people. ⁸¹

The last chapter is about what all this looks like at your academy tonight.

Written from checked sources, listed on the sources page. Pictures are drawn, with computer help, under our direction; none shows a real child. Recorded chapters and words are read by a computer voice; a word not yet recorded uses your device's own voice.