Academy

Instructors

CARLOS MELO

FOUNDER & HEAD INSTRUCTOR

IBJJF Certified
4th Degree Black Belt

Anthony Rutherford

MIDDAY & KIDS CLASS INSTRUCTOR
IBJJF Certified
Black Belt

KYLE HAND

WEEKEND CLASS INSTRUCTOR
1st Degree Black Belt

ART PALACIOS

TAKEDOWN CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Black Belt

ART CANTU

MIDDAY CLASS INSTRUCTOR
IBJJF Certified
2nd Degree Black Belt

Send us a message and we will reach out to you with more details about our school!

    ABOUT OUR FACILITY

    • Over 1400 Square Feet of Mat Space
    • High Quality 2 inch thick soft Dollamur Mats
    • Large Display Video Monitor Round Timer
    • Spacious Changing Room with cushioned seating inside
    • Abundant spectator seating for Parents, Family, Friends & Visitors
    • Oversized Pull Up Bar & 2 Peg Climbing Boards for Strength Training
    • Lounge Area with comfortable seating for parents to wait during kids class
    • Video Game Arcade for Kids to play while they wait for their parents to pick them up after class.
    • Regulation sized Basketball Hoop
    • Rock Climbing Wall over 13 feet tall for Kids & Adults to Climb.

    ABOUT OUR HEAD INSTRUCTOR CARLOS MELO

    Main Achievements:

    • IBJJF Masters World Champion (2013 Master 2)
    • IBJJF Masters World Champion (2017 Master 2)
    • IBJJF Masters World 3rd Place (2018 Master 3)
    • IBJJF American National Champion (2012 Adult)
    • IBJJF American National Champion (2013 Master 1)
    • IBJJF American Nationals 3rd Place (2011 Adult)
    • IBJJF World Champion (2009 brown)
    • IBJJF Pans Champion (2009 brown)
    • IBJJF World Championship 3rd Place (2008 brown)
    • IBJJF Pans Championship 2nd Place (2008 brown)
    • IBJJF World Championship 2nd Place (2007 purple)

    Growing up Carlos Melo participated in various sports and developed a core identity as a competitive athlete. He attended San Jose State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While at SJSU his athleticism and passion for competition paved the way for a successful collegiate rugby career. He captained the league’s All Star Team two years in a row and went on after graduation to play rugby at the club level. After college Carlos became a police officer, launching a long career in law enforcement.

    At the age of 25, a fellow police officer introduced Carlos to BJJ. Originally interested in gaining skills for his role as a police officer, he quickly became hooked and began training & competing rigorously. Later, he circled back to his original intention to blend Jiu-Jitsu with his career and began teaching Jiu-Jitsu to police officers.  With his highly competitive spirit and his unshakable belief that he would become a World Champion he first achieved that goal in 2009 as a brown belt, competing in the adult division at the age of 32.

    In 2010  he opened Gilroy BJJ forming a small team with just a handful of white belts and one blue belt to train with.  He built Gilroy’s competitive foundation, instilling in his students the power of belief that they themselves would become world champions with hard work and focus. In 2013 Gilroy BJJ took 6 competitors to the Senior World Championships and returned home with 5 senior world champions and 6 gold medals.

    Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Francisco Mansor > Claudio Franca > Carlos Melo

    WE ARE CTA GILROY

    Gilroy BJJ is a Caio Terra Association Affiliate.  We are proud to be a part of the best team in Jiu-Jitsu, lead by 12 time world Champion Professor Caio Terra.  The Caio Terra Academy & Association Head Quarters is located in San Jose, California, 30 minutes north of the city of Gilroy & Gilroy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Our Association with CTA provides our Students with special rates to drop in and attend classes at Caio Terra Association HQ, as well as special rates for CTA Online Courses.  As an Association member Gilroy BJJ Academy is often host to seminars featuring CTA Jiu-Jitsu Professional Athletes like Caio Terra, Yuri Simoes & Mason Fowler.

    Caio Terra has been instructing students and producing world champions since 2004. In 2007, Caio moved to the United States where he taught and trained atCesar Gracie Academies. In 2011 he opened his own academy, the institute of martial arts, in San Jose. In 2014 the name was changed to the Caio Terra Academy. Caio has conducted over 400 seminars, in 2012 he felt it was time to bring his unique brand of jiu jitsu to the world and started the Caio Terra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association.

    In 2014 he took it one step further and launched Caio Terra Online! His goal was to create more then just a resource for Jiu Jitsu practitioners, but a place where the people who subscribe will evolve into a community, devoid of politics, negativity and ego. After all we all play the same sport, and practice the same martial art!

    The History of Gilroy BJJ

    Gilroy BJJ was founded in 2010.  Carlos “Wookie” Melo was able to build the foundation of the school as a fledgling club with a handful of students and lay the ground work for it to become the staple of South Santa Clara County California martial arts that it is known as today.

    In 2016 Carlos Melo partnered with Morgan Chappell. Under the management of Carlos & Morgan Gilroy BJJ joined the Caio Terra Association in 2019, and the Academy made it through the 2020 pandemic.  Even though it’s doors were closed to the public the school was able survive the shutdown of many businesses & martial arts schools and Gilroy BJJ was able to re-open its doors once again in spring of 2021.

    In early 2022 Morgan Chappell moved to Nevada and Carlos Melo partnered with Anthony Rutherford.  Carlos & Anthony make up the current leadership of Gilroy BJJ which looks to continue the rich tradition of maintaining the Academy as South Santa Clara County’s premier School for Self Defense, Law Enforcement training & Sport Jiu-Jitsu instruction.