The most traditional form of BJJ taught in Overland Park is Gi Jiu-Jitsu. A style popularized in Brazil by a Japanese man named Mitsuyo Maeda in the early 1900s. The Kodokan Judo expert traveled the globe looking to find challenges to his prowess as a martial artist. He traveled through the US, South America, and Europe before finally settling in Brazil where he was introduced to Carlos Gracie whose family developed the same love for the martial arts that we all share today. It was through Carlos and the Gracie family that the Judo they were taught turned into Brazilian Jiu-jitsu after the development of more specialized ground fighting techniques.
Skip forward to 1993, and Royce Gracie has entered the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship, an event pitting the world’s best martial artists against each other. His dominant performance launched the Gracie name and their jiu-jitsu to new heights in the martial arts world and is responsible for its popularity and success today.