Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Miami, taught by ADCC world championship veterans
Our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class is focused on the ground fighting element of MMA — chokes, joint locks, sweeps, and how to control someone who does not want to be controlled. It has run at 1423 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33174 since October 2001, taught by two brothers who are black belts under Ricardo “Hellraiser” Teixeira and who have competed at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships six times between them.
One gi class a week; the rest of the grappling is no-gi. If you want a traditional gi academy, we are not that — here is why.
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The free lesson and the 30 days are for South Florida residents, at our Miami location.
What is actually taught in the class?
In the gym’s own words, unchanged from the class list:
“Our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) class is specifically focused on the ground fighting element of MMA. Made famous by Royce Gracie in his UFC debut, you will learn a combination of chokes, joint locks, sweeps, and how to control an opponent on the ground.”
The short version of why people stay with it: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the martial art you can practise at full effort, every session, against someone genuinely trying to stop you, without either of you getting hurt. You can attempt a choke on a resisting person, have it fail, and find out immediately why. Very few things you can train allow that, and it is the reason a technique learned here tends to work when you need it.
It also happens to be the most useful thing a smaller person can learn. Leverage, position and timing beat strength on the ground more reliably than anywhere else in martial arts, which is what made Royce Gracie’s early UFC run famous in the first place.
Is it gi or no-gi?
One gi class a week. Everything else is no-gi.
We put that high on the page rather than in the small print, because it is the single fact most likely to send you to a different academy — and you should find that out here rather than in your second week.
The reason is what this gym is. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu here sits inside a mixed martial arts curriculum, and nobody wears a gi in a fight. Train predominantly no-gi and your grip fighting, your escapes and your submissions all keep working when the cloth is not there to hold — which is also what makes them work in a self-defense situation, where a t-shirt tears and a jacket may not be on.
The gi is not dismissed, which is why there is a class in it. Training in the gi slows the game down, rewards precision over athleticism and teaches grips that have no no-gi equivalent, and plenty of people here treat that one class as the most technical hour of their week.
So decide what you want. If you are chasing IBJJF gi competition or a traditional academy where every session is in the gi, there are gyms in Miami built for that and you will be happier at one. If you want grappling that feeds the rest of your martial arts — and holds up when someone is also trying to punch you — the no-gi emphasis is the point rather than a compromise.
Who would be teaching me, and under whom did they train?
Marcos and David Avellan are black belts under Ricardo “Hellraiser” Teixeira, himself a black belt under Joe Moreira. That is the lineage, stated plainly, because it is the first thing an experienced grappler asks and the last thing a gym should be coy about.
“The owners are world class in jiu jitsu having competed at the highest level, so you can feel good knowing you are getting great instruction.”
That is checkable rather than flattering. The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships is the sport’s invitational world championship, and this gym has sent competitors to it.
Marcos Avellan
Founder and Head Instructor, and the owner who teaches on the regular adult roster. ADCC 2004 US Trials Champion, ADCC 2005 World Championships veteran, 3x NAGA Pro Champion, with a 39-15 grappling record.
David Avellan
Founder and Head Instructor, and still visits to teach. 2009 ADCC World Championships Bronze Medalist, a five-time ADCC veteran, 4x NAGA Pro Champion, 56-21 in grappling, and the creator of the Kimura Trap System. He beat Rener Gracie at the Ultimate Submission Showdown in 2003.
Jason “the Specimen” Soares
A senior instructor who visits regularly to teach. 2011 FILA World Grappling Champion and TitanFC Featherweight Champion, 14-0 as a professional in MMA with nine of those wins by submission.
Edgard Plazaola and Chevenne Moreno are FFA Black Belts on the adult roster — Plazaola is 4-0 as a professional in MMA with three submissions. And every coach here, records or not, has passed the gym’s own 12-week Instructor Program, a pass-or-fail course in how to teach rather than in technique. See the full roster.
Can I see how they teach before I come in?
Yes, and this is the least sales-like way we can answer the question. The gym has published 32 technique breakdowns — almost all of them Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, filmed on these mats, each one a real piece of instruction rather than a highlight reel.
Watch a few and you will know within ten minutes whether this is a teaching style you would learn from, which is a better test than anything we could write about ourselves. Browse the technique library — or start with the rear naked choke, the knee cut pass or the nine-point kimura.
There are also competition breakdowns — Ffion Davies against Mackenzie Dern and Gordon Ryan against Felipe Pena — which is what a coach who still studies the sport looks like from the outside.
Where would I start with no experience?
With a free private lesson, one to one with an instructor, before you set foot in a group class. Nobody is put in front of a room of experienced grapplers on their first night.
It is worth knowing that about 95% of the people who train here are ordinary students, not competitors, and that every program runs a beginner section as well as an advanced one. The records above are the reason the instruction is good; they are not a description of who you will be rolling with on a Tuesday.
Do I have to do MMA first? No. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is its own adult class and plenty of people train nothing else. The distinction is simply what each one covers: this class is the ground fighting element on its own, while Adult MMA puts striking, clinch and ground work together and is the Intro Program most adults with no background begin in. Many students end up doing both. Neither requires the other first.
You send the form, or call or text 305-225-4610
All three reach the same people. The form asks for a first name, an email and a phone number, and nothing else.
We call you back within 24 hours
A member of staff calls to find a time that suits you, and to answer anything you want to ask before committing an evening to it.
You come in for a free private lesson and a tour
A one-to-one lesson with an instructor and a look around the gym. You learn the basics: the jab, the cross, the hook, the roundhouse kick, the closed guard, the rear naked choke and the armbar. It comes with 30 days of group classes, a uniform and online video access at no charge.
The free lesson is for South Florida residents and is available at our Miami location only. It stays open for one month from the date we send it to you.
Many students train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu alongside the striking side of the gym. The other adult disciplines have pages of their own: Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing inside the MMA program, and the full class list from age 2 upwards. If you came here wanting to be able to defend yourself, that is a slightly different answer.
Where are we, and when can you come in?
Freestyle Fighting Academy is at 1423 SW 107th Ave, Miami, FL 33174, Across the street from FIU, in the Publix Shopping Center, and we have been here since October 2001. Most people who train here come from Westchester, Tamiami, University Park, Fontainebleau and Kendall (where students travel from).
The facility is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and staffed, with over 70 classes a week running from 6AM until 1:45AM, plus open mat sessions every day for extra mat time. The class timetable is a separate thing and we do not publish it online — ask us when you visit and we will go through the timetable with you.
There is free parking at the address — a strip mall lot with plenty of spaces.
Call 305-225-4610Or text usinfo@ffagyms.com
Directions and parking · The gym’s history · What members say · Contact us
Frequently asked questions
- Does Freestyle Fighting Academy teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
- Yes. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the adult classes at Freestyle Fighting Academy, 1423 SW 107th Ave, Miami, and it has been taught here since the gym opened in October 2001. The class focuses on the ground fighting element of MMA — chokes, joint locks, sweeps, and how to control an opponent on the ground.
- Who teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the gym?
- The gym was founded by Marcos and David Avellan, who between them are a 2004 ADCC US Trials Champion and a 2009 ADCC World Championships Bronze Medalist, with six ADCC World Championship appearances and a combined 95-36 grappling record. Jason Soares, the 2011 FILA World Grappling Champion, is a senior instructor who visits regularly to teach. Edgard Plazaola and Chevenne Moreno are FFA Black Belts on the adult roster.
- Is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi or no-gi?
- Mostly no-gi. Freestyle Fighting Academy runs one gi class a week; the rest of the grappling is trained no-gi, because it is part of a mixed martial arts curriculum and nobody wears a gi in a fight. If you want a traditional gi academy where every session is in the gi, we are not that. If you want grappling that transfers directly to MMA and to self-defense, the no-gi emphasis is the reason it does.
- What is the instructors' Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lineage?
- Marcos and David Avellan are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts under Ricardo “Hellraiser” Teixeira, who is himself a black belt under Joe Moreira. Both brothers have also competed at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships, where David won a bronze medal in 2009.
- Can I start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with no experience?
- Yes. Every program at Freestyle Fighting Academy runs a beginner section as well as an advanced one, and about 95% of the people training here are ordinary students rather than competitors. Adults start with a free private lesson, one to one with an instructor, before joining group classes.
- What is the difference between the BJJ class and Adult MMA?
- The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class is specifically focused on the ground fighting element of MMA. Adult MMA covers striking, clinch and ground together, and is the Intro Program most adults with no background begin in. Many students train both. Neither one requires the other first.
- How do I try a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class?
- Send the form, or call or text 305-225-4610, and Freestyle Fighting Academy will call you back within 24 hours to arrange a free private lesson. It comes with 30 days of group classes, a uniform and online video access at no charge, for South Florida residents at the Miami location.
Start your 30-Day Free Trial
Leave your details and we will call you within 24 hours. The appointment is a free private lesson with an instructor and a tour of the gym.
Here is everything you get, at no charge:
- Train mixed martial arts for 30 days
- Get a FREE uniform
- Get a FREE private lesson
- Get instant access to FREE MMA and self-defense instructional videos
In your private lesson you learn the basics: the jab, the cross, the hook, the roundhouse kick, the closed guard, the rear naked choke and the armbar.
And if you join, you have our 60-day money-back guarantee: attend all of your classes in the first 60 days, and if you are unsatisfied, get your money back.
Call or text 305-225-4610. The gym is staffed 24 hours a day, so someone picks up. Prefer not to talk on the phone? Text us and we reply within 24 hours.
For South Florida residents, at our Miami location. The offer stays open for one month from the date we send it. Bring a spouse or your children along if you would like them to take part.