No Illusions Martial Arts (BJJ and Muay Thai)

Brookings

Aberdeen

Spearfish

Sioux Falls

Rapid City

South Dakota's BJJ story traces directly to one decision made in Sioux Falls in 2008. When the head instructor at Action MMA left the gym, Bruce Hoyer — then one of the most advanced students in the building — stepped up and opened Next Edge Academy on East 8th Street rather than let the program dissolve. Hoyer, a black belt under Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, went on to compete in over 90 tournaments and earn medals in more than 100 divisions, including a No-Gi World Championship at purple belt. Next Edge became the longest-running BJJ gym in the state and the clearest proof that South Dakota could sustain serious instruction.

The same Comprido lineage that runs through Hoyer eventually branched east to Brookings. Cary Bingham, owner of No Illusions Martial Arts, trained under both Comprido and Hoyer before receiving his black belt in October 2022 — a relatively recent promotion that reflects just how young the black belt population in the state still is. Bingham now runs one of the few dedicated BJJ programs in eastern South Dakota outside Sioux Falls, making Brookings a legitimate training option for grapplers in the college town and surrounding farm communities. Hub City MMA and BJJ in Aberdeen rounds out the northeastern corridor, operating under the DeVall MMA and BJJ Association out of Sioux City, Iowa, with Derek Washenberger heading the program.

Out west, the Black Hills have quietly developed their own concentration of schools. Spearfish Martial Arts, established in 2010 and led by Jordan Thomas, covers gi, no-gi, and Muay Thai on the north end of the hills. Rapid City has Black Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on West Main Street, and Rapid City Brazilian Jiu Jitsu adds another option in the city. For a metro area of roughly 80,000 people, Rapid City carries more training options than its size might suggest, partly because the military presence at Ellsworth Air Force Base and a strong regional wrestling tradition both feed students into grappling programs.

That wrestling background matters in South Dakota more than in most states. High school wrestling is deeply embedded in the culture here — the state has produced Division I wrestlers consistently — and it shapes how BJJ is taught and absorbed. Coaches across the state note that students with wrestling experience often adapt to BJJ faster, and the no-gi game tends to attract a broader range of athletes than it does in coastal markets. The training culture skews blue-collar and technical: less emphasis on aesthetics, more emphasis on whether something works against a resisting opponent. In March 2026, competitors from Misfits Grappling Club in Sioux Falls qualified to represent Team USA at the International Combat Sports Organization World Championships in France — a signal that the standard of competition has risen past regional novelty.

Fourteen gyms are currently listed across the state on MatMade, spread from Aberdeen in the northeast to Spearfish in the far northwest corner. The density is still lower than neighboring Minnesota or Nebraska, but the instructional quality at the anchor schools has risen steadily. A newcomer moving to South Dakota can find legitimate black-belt instruction in Sioux Falls, the Black Hills corridor, and Brookings — the three areas where the art has put down real roots. Anywhere else, expect a drive.

BJJ & Martial Arts in Brookings, South Dakota