📍 Louisiana

Baton Rouge developed its own roots through a different Gracie branch. Kevin Bellard, founder of Bayou Jiu Jitsu, trained under Ralph Gracie — a 5th-degree black belt and son of Carlos Gracie Sr. — logging years on the mat in San Francisco before bringing that lineage back to the capital. Bellard is a multiple-time IBJJF champion and runs what has become one of the more respected competition programs in the state. Also in Baton Rouge, Josh Mancuso began coaching in 2007, making him the longest-tenured BJJ instructor in the area. He formally opened JM Modern Jiu Jitsu in 2013, and by 2026 his program had developed more than 30 black belts — the highest output of any single school in the state by that metric. Competition tracking sites currently rank JM Modern first among Louisiana academies by competitive performance.

The geographic picture is lopsided in Baton Rouge's favor. The capital city accounts for 15 of the 31 competitively active academies tracked statewide, with 363 registered competitors earning 615 gold medals in tracked tournaments. New Orleans is the cultural center but has fewer high-volume competition programs. Shreveport anchors the northwest through Rogue 22 BJJ and a Carlos Machado BJJ affiliate, while Lake Charles — in the southwest — has grown steadily since Gracie Barra established its location there under Professor Jaime Gomez, a 3rd-degree black belt, in 2015. GB Lake Charles has won the People's Choice Award in the region five years straight from 2021 through 2025. The southwest corridor around Lafayette and Youngsville has also added gyms, with a FUJI BJJ tournament now running annually out of Youngsville.

The training culture across Louisiana skews toward the MMA crossover that defined the Gulf South's early adoption of grappling arts. Many of the state's established coaches came up competing in MMA circuits before transitioning to sport BJJ instruction. Ray Lopez at NOLA MMA, a black belt who trained under Matthias Meister, represents that lineage directly — coaches building coaches. The Bayou Jiu Jitsu League, run by active competitors, has pushed to formalize the local tournament circuit and expand competitive opportunities across the South. NAGA, NEWBREED, AGF, and FUJI BJJ all run events in Louisiana annually, with New Orleans and Baton Rouge hosting the most events and Bossier City picking up dates in the northwest.

Newcomers to Louisiana will find that training quality is highest in Baton Rouge, where competition infrastructure is densest and the depth of experienced coaches is unmatched within the state. New Orleans carries historical weight — NOLA BJJ remains the oldest school and its lineage runs directly to Carlos Gracie Jr. — but the capital has surpassed it as a competition hub. MatMade lists 139 gyms in Louisiana, spanning every major metro and most mid-sized cities, so the question for anyone relocating is less about finding a gym and more about finding the right one. The state's established programs all operate under serious Gracie-lineage credentials, and the tournament calendar gives competitors regular chances to test their training throughout the year.