Renzo Gracie Takes an Equity Stake in UJITSU. What the BJJ Platform Offers Academy Owners, and What It Hasn’t Proven Yet
Renzo Gracie has taken an equity stake in UJITSU, a UAE-founded digital platform for the jiu-jitsu community, and will serve as its Global Ambassador and Strategic Partner. The announcement came on November 8, 2026, at a free seminar and open mat in Abu Dhabi attended by more than 250 people. For academy owners the celebrity is the headline, but the product is the story: UJITSU is pitching free-to-start academy management software and coach-verified belt records to a market already served by Gymdesk, Zen Planner, Mindbody and MMA.INC’s BJJLink.
What was announced?
According to the company, Gracie has become a shareholder and “will also serve as Global Ambassador and Strategic Partner,” supporting international expansion and relationships with academies. The size and terms of the stake were not disclosed. The announcement was made at the UJITSU × Renzo Gracie Seminar & Open Mat at 321 Sports on Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi, an event UJITSU organized.
“I’ve spent my life in jiu-jitsu, and I’ve seen how much the sport has grown,” Gracie said in the company’s announcement. Founder Merdan Gurbanov said Gracie “has spent decades developing athletes, building academies and creating relationships across jiu-jitsu globally.”
Gracie is a two-time ADCC champion (1998 and 2000, both in Abu Dhabi), an ADCC Hall of Fame inductee (2022) and a 7th-degree coral belt, promoted in January 2023. He joins existing UJITSU ambassadors João Miyao, Gabrieli Pessanha and Daniel “220v” Poncio.
What does UJITSU actually offer an academy?
The company describes management tools that are “free to start,” covering:
- membership management;
- class scheduling and bookings;
- QR-code check-ins for attendance;
- payment records and analytics;
- academy profiles with student reviews; and
- a digital record of belt promotions “verified by instructors” on each practitioner’s profile.
The app supports 12 languages, including Arabic. UJITSU says it has tens of thousands of users worldwide and “more than 38,000 academies on its global map.” That figure is a directory of listed academies, not a count of paying software customers, and the company has not said how many academies run their business on the platform.
Pricing is not in the announcement. The U.S. App Store lists in-app purchases including a Personal plan at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and an Academy Basic plan at $49.99 a month or $359 a year. Whether “free to start” means a permanent free tier or a trial is not stated.
Why does belt verification matter to owners?
Rank fraud is a real and recurring problem in jiu-jitsu, where there is no single registry of black belts outside federation membership. A record in which the promoting coach confirms the promotion gives a visiting student, a new academy or an event organizer something to check. It also puts the academy’s name on every promotion it awards, which is marketing an owner does not have to pay for.
The value depends on adoption and on who controls the record. Before relying on it, an owner should know who can edit or revoke a verification, what happens to a student’s history if an academy leaves the platform, and whether the record is exportable.
Before you move your academy onto any new platform: six questions
- Who processes payments, and at what rate? “Payment records” is not the same as payment processing. Ask who the processor is and what the per-transaction fees are.
- Is the free tier permanent? Get the limits in writing: number of members, locations and features.
- Can you export your data? Member lists, billing history and attendance must come out in a usable file if you leave.
- Who owns your students’ contact details? A platform that also runs a public marketplace and academy map can market other academies to your members.
- Where is the data held? Ask which jurisdiction governs it and how it is protected.
- What happens to your reviews? Public student reviews help when they are good. Know how disputes are handled before you invite them.
How does this fit the BJJ software market?
Jiu-jitsu academies have become a contested market for software companies in 2026. Martial Arts Professional has covered Gymdesk’s acquisition of Smoothcomp and MMA.INC’s growth claims for BJJLink. UJITSU’s approach differs: it leads with a free community app for practitioners and uses that audience to reach academies, the reverse of software sold first to owners. A name like Renzo Gracie’s helps with the second step. Whether it converts listings into paying academies is the number to watch.
Frequently asked questions
What is UJITSU?
A UAE-founded digital platform for the jiu-jitsu community that combines a practitioner app, an academy map and free-to-start academy management tools.
What is Renzo Gracie’s role?
He has taken an undisclosed equity stake and serves as Global Ambassador and Strategic Partner, announced November 8, 2026, in Abu Dhabi.
Does UJITSU have 38,000 academy customers?
No. The company says 38,000+ academies appear on its global map. It has not disclosed how many use its management software.
How much does it cost?
The announcement says the management tools are free to start. The U.S. App Store lists an Academy Basic plan at $49.99 a month or $359 a year.
How does belt verification work?
Belt promotions on a practitioner’s profile are confirmed by the promoting instructor, according to the company. It has not published details of who can edit or revoke a record.
Sources, and what we could not confirm
BJJEE and JitsMagazine, both November 8, 2026, which carry substantially the same company-supplied text; Apple App Store listing for UJITSU; Khaleej Times (January 19, 2026, labelled partner content) and Gulf News (February 2, 2026) for earlier ambassador and company background. Renzo Gracie’s competitive record and rank are from published ADCC and coral-belt coverage. We found no UJITSU press release on a wire service, no disclosed funding history, no basis for the user count and no detail of the stake. Claims about the platform’s scale are the company’s own.
