BJJ in Henderson

Henderson is the most affiliation-dense of the Las Vegas suburb cities, with roughly 16 listed academies spanning Carlson Gracie, Cobrinha, Gracie Barra, 10th Planet, Gracie Humaita, and several highly credentialed independents within a compact footprint. The standout for competition pedigree is Carlson Gracie Green Valley, opened in February 2021 by Mike Garwood and Heidi Garwood — both black belts under Romulo Caiado (Carlson Gracie lineage) — with a third black belt on staff (Esther Garwood) and multiple IBJJF national and world champions represented. The Garwoods run a full program slate (gi, no-gi, kids, women's, homeschool) with month-to-month memberships and a Saturday open mat. The Cobrinha network has two Henderson presences: Cobrinha Henderson, opened January 2024 under Sam Dias (Cobrinha BJJ Association), and Cobrinha Green Valley / Kuleana Academy of Jiu-Jitsu, run by head coach Dustin Harraway (Cobrinha / Alliance lineage) out of the Whitney Ranch corridor with a broad supplemental schedule that includes boxing, MMA workout, and Filipino martial arts. Gracie Barra Henderson (55 S. Gibson Rd.) carries the GB franchise programs through adult gi/no-gi, Tiny Champions through teens, and a Homeschool BJJ class. 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Las Vegas — Casey Halstead, 3rd-degree black belt under Eddie Bravo, running three city locations (Henderson, Central, Southwest) under a single membership — anchors the no-gi segment with the most published price data in the metro ($175/mo, 12-month plan; $40 drop-in). Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Henderson is an Amilcar "Mica" Cipili school (gracielasvegas.com), part of his five-location Nevada network and the academy he describes as the originator of BJJ in the state.

The independent tier is equally strong. Flecha Jiu-Jitsu (Professor Pedro "Flecha" Galvão, 4th-degree under Carlos Gracie Jr., lineage through Fernando Pinduka and Roberto "Roleta" Magalhães) publishes nine price tiers — the most granular pricing found in the entire Las Vegas batch — from a $149/mo single membership through escalating family plans to trimester, semester, and annual prepaid options. Movement Academy Jiu-Jitsu & Grappling (also listed as Cobrinha BJJ LV South) is led by Michael Alvarez, a black belt under Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles Maciel and Hector Vasquez who holds a 2016 IBJJF World Championship and 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam title alongside five youth world titles. AE UNLTD Jiu-Jitsu formed in 2025 from the merger of AE Jiu-Jitsu (Armando Esquer, 2x No-Gi World Champion, Cascão lineage) and Unlimited Jiu-Jitsu (Joe Guarino); the combined academy offers gi, no-gi, women's, wrestling, and judo under a multi-black-belt staff. Dream Art Jiu-Jitsu, FTCC, and Animal Instincts Muay Thai & BJJ round out the Henderson mat map for students looking for diverse training environments.