Best BJJ Gyms in Perth WA: Ranked by Reddit

Perth, WA has a larger BJJ scene than most visitors expect. The city is spread out enough that the most common reply to a gym question on r/bjj is another question: “North or south of the river? CBD or one of the suburbs? Perth is huge.” This guide covers the gyms r/bjj and r/perth mention most, grouped by area, so you can avoid building a 40-minute commute into your training routine.

At a Glance

Gym	Reddit (+pos / -neg)	Drop-in	Gi / No-gi	Best for
Scrappy MMA North - Greenwood	8 (+8 / -0)	No	-	North Perth, high-level
Gladiator Wrestling Perth	8 (+6 / -0)	Unknown	Gi	Wrestling, NOR
BJJ Legion 13 Perth Hills	7 (+6 / -0)	Unknown	-	Hills, sport + self-defence
Perth Martial Arts Centre	7 (+5 / -0)	Yes	No-gi	Malaga, beginners
Legion 13 Cannington	3 (+3 / -0)	No	Gi + No-gi	South, network access
Essence BJJ	3 (+0 / -0)	Tagged	Gi + No-gi	Belmont, open mat
Gracie Barra Mt Lawley	3 (+2 / -0)	Yes	No-gi	Mt Lawley
Kaizen Lab Jiujitsu	Named in thread	Yes	No-gi	Closest to CBD
Combat Arts Institute	Named in thread	Yes	Gi + No-gi	Mt Hawthorn

Inner Perth

Kaizen Lab Jiujitsu

Named directly in a 2024 r/bjj thread on Perth options:

“Kaizen Lab in Perth, super close to the CBD. Really friendly crew of people.” [source, 2024]

It sits on Claisebrook Rd in East Perth, a short walk from the CBD. The directory confirms drop-in access and no-gi classes.

East Perth | kaizenbjj.com.au | Drop-in: yes | No-gi | Full profile

Combat Arts Institute of Australia

Flagged in a 2020 r/perth thread on inner-northeast martial arts:

“Isn’t Combat Arts Institute in Mt Hawthorne? That’s has JJJ and BJJ I think. It’s just north of Inglewood/Mt Lawley.” [source, 2020]

Quote is from 2020; verify current class offerings directly.

Mt Hawthorn | combatartsinstitute.com.au | Drop-in: yes | Gi + No-gi | Full profile

Gracie Barra Mount Lawley

A 2020 r/perth thread noted it had recently opened on Beaufort St:

“A jiu jitsu studio has just opened in MT Lawley on Beaufort st - opposite the Inglewood Hotel. I think it is called Gracie Barra. Not sure if it is any good but it is in the area.” [source, 2020]

A separate commenter confirmed the background: “Gracie Barra is a global school started by a member(s) of the Gracie family who started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. No idea who the coach is at this branch.” [source, 2020]

Both quotes are from 2020; the gym is established now but verify class structure before visiting.

Mt Lawley | gbmountlawley.com.au | Drop-in: yes | No-gi | Full profile

North Perth

Scrappy MMA North - Greenwood

The most positively discussed gym in this dataset: 8 mentions, 8 positive, zero negative. Two callouts from a single October 2025 r/bjj thread:

“Scrappy MMA would be a good one.” [source, 2025]

“Legion13 is a really good BJJ gym that also offers some striking classes. There’s a ton of bjj places closer to the CBD though. If you’re south of the river Scrappy MMA and Wilkes MMA are close to each other and also have decent bjj classes. Right now Craig Jones is in town at scrappy so you might catch him if he’s staying for a bit.” [source, 2025]

A Craig Jones visit in late 2025 is a signal about the level of training on offer.

Greenwood | scrappymma.com/greenwood | Drop-in: No (verify directly) | Full profile

Gladiator Wrestling Perth

Specifically called out for wrestling quality in a 2020 r/perth overview of northeast Perth:

“Gladiator wrestling (just up the road in Beechboro) is a fantastic gym for wrestling.” [source, 2020]

Quote is from 2020; confirm current schedule directly.

Beechboro | gladiatorwrestling.com.au | Drop-in: Unknown | Gi | Full profile

Perth Martial Arts Centre

Recommended in a 2020 r/perth thread for lineage and reach:

“Perth Martial Arts Centre in Malaga and Ellenbrook does BJJ and some other martial arts with some very good coach’s with very good lineage, and not too far to travel either.” [source, 2020]

Quote is from 2020; check current locations and timetable.

The directory rates it 64 out of 100 with community tags that include: high level, friendly atmosphere, good instructors, beginner friendly, kids classes, womens classes, clean.

Malaga | perthmartialartscentre.com.au | Drop-in: yes | No-gi | Full profile

Perth Hills and East

Legion 13 Network

Legion 13 runs multiple Perth locations. The Perth Hills branch (Midvale area) gets the most Reddit discussion and has the longest run of positive mentions in this dataset, from 2019 through 2025.

From a 2019 r/bjj thread aimed at Perth practitioners:

“Perth, Australia? Come say Hi at Legion 13 Midvale/Perth Hills. Or even the Cannington one. Mike and the other instructors at Perth Hills have been amazing. I’ve been going there for nearly 2 years and never a dull moment. We get into both the self defence and combat/sport side of things. There’s also no gi classes and kickboxing as well. There’s a bunch of affiliates around the city too that you’re welcome to pop in to cross train with some of the other amazing people that call Legion 13 home.” [source, 2019]

A 2025 r/bjj thread seconded the main brand:

“Legion13 is a really good BJJ gym that also offers some striking classes.” [source, 2025]

A 2020 r/perth commenter showed the affiliate network in action, recommending both Northside Jiu-Jitsu (Ellenbrook) and Guardians Gym (East Perth) from personal experience via the Legion 13 group:

“Being a part of the Legion 13 affiliate group means you’ve got instructors and gyms all over Perth that’ll help you out. I train at Legion 13 Perth Hills normally, but I know the owner of Northside well and have trained at Guardians (and know some of the students) enough times to recommend them.” [source, 2020]

The 2019 and 2020 quotes are 5-6 years old; instructor details may have changed, but the network structure is consistent across newer mentions.

Legion 13 Perth Hills (Midvale): perthhillsbjj.com | Drop-in: Unknown | Full profile

Legion 13 Cannington: 1/53 Kent St | legion13.com.au | Drop-in: No | Gi + No-gi | Full profile

Essence BJJ

Three mentions, all short and pointed:

“Essence is the answer.” [source, 2025]

“Guardians is in your suburb. Essence is a 10 min drive.” [source, 2025]

“Essence Bjj is the shit!” [source, 2024]

The directory rates Essence at 50, the highest score of any Perth gym in this dataset with substantive community tags. Those tags include: high level, no-gi, kids classes, friendly atmosphere, open mat, good instructors, beginner friendly, drop-in.

Belmont | essencebjj.com.au | Drop-in: listed in tags (confirm directly) | Gi + No-gi | Full profile

Which Gym is Right for You

Visiting and need a confirmed drop-in: Kaizen Lab Jiujitsu (East Perth, confirmed, closest to CBD) or Perth Martial Arts Centre (Malaga, confirmed, north side of the city).

New to BJJ: Perth Martial Arts Centre carries beginner friendly, womens classes, and kids classes tags alongside a 64 directory rating. Essence BJJ carries the same beginner tag plus a higher level rating.

No-gi focus: Kaizen Lab (no-gi, CBD-adjacent, drop-in confirmed) or Essence BJJ (no-gi listed, open mat in tags).

High-level training: Scrappy MMA North in Greenwood drew Craig Jones in October 2025 and holds a perfect Reddit sentiment score across 8 mentions.

Perth Hills: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Legion 13 Perth Hills is the only gym in this dataset specifically named for the hills area, with consistent positive mentions from 2019 to 2025 and a citywide affiliate network for cross-training.

Browse all Perth gyms and filter by suburb, gi/no-gi, and drop-in on the Perth BJJ gym directory.

Data: mentions scraped from r/bjj and r/perth across threads posted between 2019 and 2025 (80-plus total mentions across all gyms); directory ratings and tags from the bjjgym.com database. Both sets update over time.