Unified Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
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Unified Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy was established in 2006 by a group of five Pedro Sauer black belts and friends who were among the pioneers of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu scene in the greater Salt Lake City Area.

Led by black belt Instructors, John Carlquist and James Gardner who have over 40 years of combined training and teaching experience, Unified Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy's style of BJJ is based on highly effective self-defense techniques that can be applied in real-world scenarios and in a competition environment.
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In 2006, Pedro Sauer left his original Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy in Utah to start a new academy in Virginia. Master Sauer left the fate of his academy to a group of his most dedicated, high-ranking, students. Those students were faced with a choice: go their separate ways and open their own independent academies, or stay unified as they continued on the path Master Sauer had set.
The history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu dates back to the battlefields of feudal Japan. Jiu-Jitsu, translated as 'the gentle art, ' is the oldest of the martial arts. The terms softness, yielding, pliability, and subtlety are often times used when describing Jiu-Jitsu. Its origins date back to the ancient samurai.
Unified Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the only academy in Utah with five certified Gracie Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Instructors. Our team has decades of combined experience and can help you achieve your goals. Whether you're looking to learn self-defense, increase your self-confidence, lose weight, or compete in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the instructors at Unified BJJ can help you.
Reviews (20)
Erica Dumas
Erica Dumas
Dec 21, 2021
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Love Unified! Our 8 year old started in July and has fallen in love with the sport. The professors are great with the kids! If your looking for a place for yiur kiddo to learn the art of jiu jitsu, this is the place to be!
Jeff Petack
Jeff Petack
Oct 01, 2021
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My wife and I dropped in while in Utah on vacation. Great instruction, welcoming community and excellent facility. We would honestly love to come back to Utah just to drop in here again!
Kenji S.
Kenji S.
Sep 17, 2021
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I highly recommend unified bjj. Here are the reasons why:

1. World class instruction from very technical and knowlegable instructors. I learned a lot of techniques in my short visit that directly improved my jiujitsu. If you want to learn leg locks, go to the advanced no gi classes that they offer.

2. Culture. Everyone is welcoming and willing to help. I am a smaller guy and I appreciate when a gym has people my size across all ranks. The blackbelts will roll with you and answers questions and shares techniques (I got to train with James and Damon) All classes are well attended and there
Bryan Jacobs
Bryan Jacobs
Sep 01, 2021
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Great place to train! I've been here for almost two years now, and have met so many great people. The instruction is fantastic with an easygoing attitude toward martial arts. We have all walks of life from: guys and gals over 40, to competitors at the world stage, kids, and everything in between. Definitely something for everyone here.
Noah Taylor
Noah Taylor
Jul 19, 2021
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Attending 2-3 classes per week for about 3 months and the people here are amazing.
The instruction is clear and precise, the training is specific, and open rolls are fun and enjoyable.
Higher belts are very helpful, and steady in their form/technique. This school is very consistent with top notch players.
Ive been very impressed with the level of training here.
Garry Garrett
Garry Garrett
Apr 19, 2021
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Best instructors you could ever ask for. Great people teach there, and great people to roll with there. I'm terrible at jiu jitsu, so really enjoy the fundamentals they teach
Angel M.
Angel M.
Jan 25, 2021
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Best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School in Utah!
You'll have tons of good people to roll with and Johnny and James (Head Instructors) are the nicest people on Earth!!
Joshua Urianza
Joshua Urianza
Jul 29, 2020
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I was a 2x wrestling state finalist in highschool. Trained with Iowa Wrestlers and MMA fighters.
Decided I would try this place. I have written a review of several other places in the area. Feel free to check out the reviews.
3 Reasons I would go here and 1 reason I wouldn't.
Let's start with 3 reasons to go here
1. Some of the best grapplers to practice with - hands down! Most of these guys could give wrestlers a run for there money - then again half of them are wrestlers from what I know. You will also learn takedown game here.
2. Very nice and also very considerate. A few black belts wents
Steven Driggs
Steven Driggs
Jul 10, 2020
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Went for the first time and they were awesome at making me feel welcome and wasted no time at getting me paired up to start training. I have practiced martial arts at a number of other studios and this one is easily the best one I have been too. The atmosphere is wonderful and very conducive for all skill levels.
Molly H.
Molly H.
Nov 25, 2019
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By far the best place in town to train! I've been a student here for almost four years and have never had a complaint. For sure worth the commute even if you're not at the south end of the valley. Not only do they have the biggest collection of black belt instructors and training partners, but it's common to see twenty or more women on the mats - many of us upper belts. They cater equally to both the competitor and the casual practitioner. There is always an hour or more of open mat after class and it's rare to see it not busy. Among the students, there are five female Masters
Sean B.
Sean B.
Jun 28, 2019
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I drive a half an hour to and hour from downtown to train here. The coaches and environment are that good. The teaching is exceptional, the training partners are friendly and skilled, and the sense of community is fantastic. It is not uncommon to get some amazing advice from brown belts who take it upon themselves to help newcomers or people struggling with technique. Gym is very visitor friendly and the kids always look like they are having a blast during the kids classes. Superior coaching, nice facility, there is a reason I pass 5 other jiu Jitsu gyms on my way to train here, it is a special
Christian Sculley
Christian Sculley
Jun 23, 2019
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This is the second year I have made it to Utah for the Christmas holiday and I was again able to train at Unified Bjj. The academy is super clean and the coaches and people I was able to train with were always very friendly and brought high-level technique to each training session. I look forward to future visits.
Anthony M.
Anthony M.
Aug 23, 2017
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Came in as a guest from SubForce in Jersey, the instructors and students were super welcoming to us. It's great to have a place like this in SLC with top notch instruction but still having a chill vibe. This is a great, clean place with plenty of mat space and showers--everything you need for an amazing BJJ training experience.
Drew C.
Drew C.
Jul 30, 2016
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I am a former SLC resident who is presently living out of state. Coming home to visit family I still wanted to train. I stumbled upon United's website and decided to give them a call. John was most inviting and encouraged me to stop by anytime. My first evening class I expected to stay for only an hour... I stayed for 3 1/2 hours! Direction and instruction given by John and James was professional, courteous, and informative! I found the students at United to be helpful, engaging, and welcoming. Additionally, I enjoyed the great variety of styles of jiu jitsu and levels of experience amongst
Shane B.
Shane B.
Jun 29, 2016
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Dropped in last minute from out of town with my 10 and 7 year old. They are grey belts and they loved it. Lots of kids with different skill levels, plenty of knowledgable instructors, great with kids.
Adult training directly afterward was super. Multiple black belts instructing, extremely professional and the students are nice and like to train hard. Plenty of mat space and a clean facility. If I lived here this is where my kids and I would train.
Jordan S.
Jordan S.
Jun 10, 2016
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This was my 28th gym. I'm a purple belt at Marcelo Garcia's in NYC. I was a last minute drop in today. Loved training at Unified Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because: 1) tons of mat space 2) instructional quality was top notch 3) students are friendly and train hard Can't wait to come back on my next trip.
Kevan J.
Kevan J.
Apr 13, 2016
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I travel for work and try to find BJJ gyms in the cities that I travel to. The Coaches and Professors at Unified Jiu Jitsu teach great technique and have a stable of athletes that will give you as much competition as you are willing to endure at whatever level you are. By far my favorite place to roll, it makes me wish I lived in Utah.
-Kevan J
Marina C.
Marina C.
Aug 29, 2015
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Super friendly and great instructors. Everyone had a great attitude and I was impressed with the level of skill shown by all the students from white belt to black. We had a lot of fun taking class and rolling afterwards, too bad we were only in town for a day or we would have tried to go to more classes.
Jesus Andres A.
Jesus Andres A.
May 24, 2014
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Very technical instructors. Everyone is really friendly even if your just passing by utah. Being from another academy they made you feel welcomed.
Pnazzle S.
Pnazzle S.
Sep 08, 2012
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The best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Utah. Unified has some of the best black belts teaching, all of whom studied directly under Master Pedro Sauer. This gym appeals to all groups, whether you want to do jiu jitsu recreationally or train to be a fighter. They provide kids, women's, and adult classes in addition to private lessons. Phenomenal instructors and students with diverse backgrounds all add to the excellent experience this gym provides.