The opening of Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy enhances the martial arts landscape in Kenya

Kenya’s martial arts scene reached a major turning point on February 13, 2025, when the Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy (NJA) formally opened. Professor Ricardo Testai, the head instructor of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Kings MMA (Los Angeles, USA), and His Excellency Silvio Albuquerque, the Brazilian ambassador to Kenya, also graced the event, which was attended by members and practitioners of the Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy, both young and old.

The prestigious visitors expressed their support for the academy’s goals. “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a growingly significant Brazilian cultural export that serves as a window into our stunning nation,” the ambassador emphasized. At the Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy today, he added, “It also helps build strong and healthy communities like the one I am seeing in Nairobi.”

In addition to highlighting the transformative power of the sport, Professor Ricardo Testai, a former UFC champion and coach of some of the world’s top Mixed Martial stars, said, “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fosters resilience and focus in everyday life and helps build deep friendship between people from that may otherwise have very little in common.” These kinds of connections are especially crucial in the more divisive world we live in today.

The goal of NJA, according to its creator Julio DeSouza, is to provide elite BJJ instruction and cultivate a vibrant local community of athletes practicing both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). With programs for all ages and ability levels and cutting-edge facilities and knowledgeable instructors, NJA fosters an inclusive environment for competition and fitness. There are now more than 40 young students, ages 4 to 13, enrolled in NJA’s Kids Program. With age-appropriate classes and the inculcation of fundamental principles, this program aims to cultivate the next generation of champions.

One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was a belt promotion that honored the diligence and commitment of Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy’s adult and youth practitioners. Through this unique occasion, the achievements of students who showed tenacity and aptitude during their training were honored.

Additionally, the academy held a successful Women’s Self-Defense session on February 15, 2025, led by Professor Ricardo Testai and two of Nairobi’s most successful female BJJ practitioners, Shiggy Pakter and Salma Abdi (She Defense). The ladies who attended the ladies’s Self-Defense classes obtained the skills necessary to address some of the common physical threats to their well-being. Together with One Tribe BJJ, Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy is sending a team of 14 athletes to compete for Kenya at the AJP Continental Championship in Cairo, which will take place at the storied Cairo International Stadium on February 21–22, 2025.