Upstate Karate Family Martial Arts Center

Simpsonville

Aiken

Aynor

Bluffton

Charleston

Beaufort

Cayce

Chapin

Chester

Dillon

Goose Creek

Easley

Greer

Greenville

Indian Land

Inman

Irmo

Little River

Lugoff

Lyman

Myrtle Beach

North Charleston

Mount Pleasant

Myrtle

Newberry

North Augusta

Orangeburg

Spartanburg

Sumter

West Columbia

Summerville

Taylors

Warrenville

Williamston

anderson

James Island

Mauldin

Murrells Inlet

Walterboro

Rock Hill

Moncks Corner

Florence

South Carolina's modern BJJ scene took clear shape when Rafael "Rafa" Rosendo Dos Santos arrived in Greenville in 2008. A black belt under Edmilson Alves since 2002, Rosendo came from Ubatuba, Brazil, and began teaching at Alliance Champion Training Center in 2009 under owner Billy Fletcher. What followed was one of the most productive competition programs in the Southeast — the team has produced 13 world champions, giving the Upstate its reputation as South Carolina's most decorated training hub. Around the same time, Brazilian professor Guybson Sá moved to Columbia, bringing with him the Sá family lineage rooted in Francisco Sá's training under Takeo Iano in Recife. A fourth-degree black belt and IBJJF Pan-American and No-Gi World Champion, Guybson built Spartan Academy MMA into the anchor of the Midlands scene and represents one of the more unusual lineages in American BJJ — one that traces directly through Brazilian masters rather than the Gracie schools.

Charleston built its scene through a different path. The city now holds several CheckMat-affiliated schools, including CheckMat Charleston in Mount Pleasant and the separately operated Checkmat Myrtle Beach along the coast. On James Island, Devine Jiu Jitsu Charleston trains under the Scott Devine affiliation, offering traditional gi instruction for adults and children across skill levels. The Charleston metro is the most geographically dispersed part of South Carolina BJJ — schools are spread between Mount Pleasant, James Island, and Daniel Island, reflecting the region's sprawl rather than a concentrated downtown culture.

The Upstate city of Greenville is home to multiple credentialed schools beyond Alliance: Rilion Gracie Greenville operates out of Greer, and 10th Planet Greenville is led by Manny Vazquez, a pro MMA fighter who competes regularly in submission grappling events. Anderson, roughly 30 miles southwest, hosts Renzo Gracie South Carolina under PJ Higgins, a Renzo black belt. The Upstate corridor — Greenville to Anderson — has a density of competition-oriented academies that makes it the most tournament-active region in the state.

Rock Hill and the Charlotte-area border brought a different kind of attention to South Carolina when Thalys and Abbi Pontes opened TAP World Class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2021. Thalys, who grew up in Ribeirão Preto and left school at 11 to pursue BJJ, held the IBJJF GI world number-one ranking for five consecutive years and has more than 200 first-place finishes. Abbi, a South Carolina native, won the IBJJF World Championship in the gi and spent three years ranked number one globally in her division — she now specifically coaches women and neurodivergent kids. TAP is the rare academy built around two simultaneously active world champions, and its presence in Rock Hill has drawn notice beyond the state. Further down the coast, RKM Training in Myrtle Beach rounds out the geographic spread with an MMA-integrated program that includes BJJ alongside wrestling and striking for adults and youth.

A newcomer looking at South Carolina should understand a few things going in. The gym density favors the I-26 and I-85 corridors — Columbia, Greenville, and the Charleston metro hold the largest concentrations. CheckMat Columbia rounds out the state capital's options alongside Spartan Academy. Competition culture is active year-round, with NewBreed, GoodFight, NAGA, and IBJJF regional events drawing competitors statewide. MatMade lists 132 BJJ gyms across South Carolina, covering everything from competition-track academies with world-ranked instructors to community programs in smaller towns. The state trains hard and tests regularly — anyone expecting a low-key casual scene will be surprised quickly.

South Carolina

BJJ & Martial Arts in Simpsonville, South Carolina