The Black Belt Chronicles: Minnesota Coach’s Incredible Rise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The Midwest region of the United States has produced a handful of some of the most prolific Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts in all of the United States. From world champions like Dennis Knaust, as well as seasoned professors such as Jeff Curran and Greg Nelson, the Heartland is home to many accomplished practitioners of the grappling arts.

Taking his place among these revered names is a man who not only boasts a lengthy list of tournament accolades, but also has dedicated his life to growing the art while shaping generations of future athletes to come, Brandon Bergeron. 

Brandon Bergeron: Tenured Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Guru, Skilled Former competitor

Training under the aforementioned Nelson, Brandon Bergeron has risen to become a celebrated figure in the Minnesota martial arts community. A third degree black belt with nearly 20 years of experience, he owns and operates arguably the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in the entire state, the St. Paul Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy. 

While his main passion these days is training on the mats with his students, Brandon Bergeron was at one point a very active and fearsome competitor, netting superb placements at various world-stage competitions. These placements include the NAGA Madison 2016 Advanced No Gi Middleweight Championship and 2022 Gold Medalist Twin Cities International Open IBJJF No-Gi Black Belt. 

Alongside his career in professional grappling, Brandon Bergeron had also fought in MMA, becoming the top fighter in all of Minnesota at one point.

Brandon Bergeron: Discovering BJJ and MMA

Born in Wisconsin in 1990, Brandon Bergeron became fascinated with sports from an early age, taking up football and wrestling during his middle school days. While other forms of activity did peak his interest for a short period like baseball and soccer, his focus would remain fixated on the gridiron and the mats all the way through his senior year. As a wrestler, Brandon Bergeron proved to be an upcoming talent, making it all the way to sectionals during his time as a sophomore, eventually making his way onto the junior varsity team after a string of excellent performances. 

It was in 2007, however, that Bergeron came across the discipline that would change his world forever: MMA. Inspired from watching UFC events as a teenager, as well as his love of rough-housing, he began to look up any gyms that were close to him. This search wound up leading him to the doors of Nuff Said Fight Club. 

Here, the young Bergeron found himself sucked into the world of competitive fighting, falling in love with both grappling and striking. While a part of his interest in pursuing training stemmed from wanting to gain popularity among his classmates in school, particularly with the ladies, his fascination with mixed martial arts soon became a major part of his life. 

Taking up the 4oz gloves with just three months of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training, Bergeron competed in his first match as an amateur at just age 17 after getting permission from his parents due to him being a minor. Over the course of his mixed martial arts tenure, he racked up a sterling professional record of 10-3 before hanging up his gloves in 2010, scoring eight victories by submission. It was in that same year that he was hailed as the top-ranked mixed martial artist in Minnesota, reaching as high as 43rd in the country at one point.  

Brandon Bergeron’s Journey Into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Tournament Tenure

While he did find enjoyment in standup disciplines like boxing and Muay Thai, Brandon Bergeron’s true zeal in martial arts was, and still is, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Steadily climbing up the ranks, he eventually received his black belt from his teacher Greg Nelson in 2017. Throughout this time growing up on the mats, Bergeron not only gained a desire to hone his skills, but also a want to test himself against others. 

Entering his first tournament in September 2007, Bergeron instantly developed a hunger for competition. For the next 18 years, the Wisconsin native collected a bevy of magnificent placings and trophies while participating in hundreds of matches, becoming a noteworthy name at some of the preeminent grappling events in the world like NAGA and the IBJJF. He also crossed paths with fellow world-caliber athletes such as ONE Championship veteran Dante Leon on multiple occasions, and Max Gimenis. While he has stepped away from competing to turn his attention toward his school, he hasn’t ruled out taking on another tournament or bout in the future.    

Brandon Bergeron: Becoming a Coach, Starting Gym

For many aspiring coaches wanting to open their own gym, the thought of sharing their knowledge with a new generation of practitioners could be all the motivation they need to teach. Though this was the case with Bergeron to some degree, his yearning to lead his own school came from a wish to, funnily enough, escape the monotony of the 9-to-5 slog. 

Driving back home from a competition years ago, Brandon Bergeron expressed his immense dissatisfaction with his then-occupation, citing how boring and unfulfilling it was to wait out the clock till he could punch out and get right back to doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It was during this same ride that his professors, who were with him in the car at the time, asked him bluntly about what he wanted to do with his life.

He responded simply by saying that he wanted to teach and fully devote himself to his art without anything holding him back, leading his teachers to suggest that he open up a school of his own. 

Taking his coach’s words to heart, Brandon Bergeron spent the next several years developing his own gym. Growing from a small start up that shared building space at a Tae Kwon Do institution, the school eventually moved to its current location in St. Paul in 2017 after experiencing a surge in sign-ups. Today, the St. Paul Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy is a popular destination for individuals in the Twin Cities looking to learn the grappling arts, regularly attracting several new members on a weekly basis.