About — Oregon Jiu Jitsu Lab

Oregon Jiu Jitsu Lab

A place to belong. A place to grow.

Jiu jitsu changes people. Not because of the techniques — because of what happens between teammates when you're tired, challenged, and choosing to show up anyway.

At OJJLab, that's the point. We train hard, we learn well, and we take care of each other. New students aren't visitors — they're members of the team from the first day.

Whether you're starting from zero or transferring from across the world, you'll find coaches who know your name, teammates who want you to improve, and a culture that makes the mat feel like somewhere you belong.

Adam Fox coaching kids BJJ class at Oregon Jiu Jitsu Lab

Established 2023

Not new. Refined.

Oregon Jiu Jitsu Lab opened in 2023 — but it wasn't built from scratch. It was built from more than 30 years of combined coaching experience, on five continents, at every level of the sport.

Our head instructor spent five years rebuilding the Kazakhstan National Jiu Jitsu Team from the ground up — one location, 50 students — and left it with 22 locations, 17 cities, and more than 3,000 practitioners. That experience shaped everything about how we build community, develop athletes, and run a program.

OJJLab isn't an experiment. It's the deliberate result of knowing exactly what works, what doesn't, and what students actually need to grow.

How We Teach

We don't teach technique as a script.

Most martial arts instruction follows the same pattern: watch, copy, repeat. The problem is that jiu jitsu doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens against someone who is actively trying to stop you.

At OJJLab we use an ecological training approach — a method grounded in motor learning science that trains you to solve real problems instead of memorizing sequences. The result is skill that holds up under pressure, adapts to any opponent, and builds faster than traditional methods.

"Skill is not a technique stored in your head and replayed on command. Skill is a functional relationship between you and what's happening around you."

Read about Our Approach

Your Coaches

Trained by the best. Teaching the rest.

Our lineage traces directly to the founding family of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Every technique you learn here carries an unbroken chain from Helio Gracie to Portland, Oregon.

Helio Gracie
Carlos Gracie Jr.
Rigan Machado
Chris Haueter
Eric Hemphill 4th-degree Black Belt
Adam Fox Black Belt
Danniel Rolfe Brown Belt

Adam Fox

Black Belt Head Instructor

Adam began coaching at 17 years old — the same year he received his blue belt. He hasn't stopped since.

Over 24 years, he has coached at the highest levels of the sport on multiple continents. As Head Coach of the Kazakhstan National Jiu Jitsu Team from 2016 to 2022, he led a program that grew from one location and 50 students to 22 locations across 17 cities with over 3,000 practitioners. His athletes have competed at the IBJJF World Championship, the UAEJJF World Professional Tournament, and ADCC — the invite-only tournament widely considered the Olympics of grappling.

He has promoted 20 students to black belt in four countries. Two of his current students are on the UFC roster with 26 combined professional MMA wins.

Adam is now in Portland to build something different: a program where championship training methods and community culture exist in the same room. His goal isn't to produce champions, though he has. His goal is to build championship humans.

24 years coaching
20 black belt promotions
Kazakhstan National Team Head Coach
2 UFC roster athletes
4 countries
5 continents

Danniel Rolfe

Brown Belt Instructor

Danniel started training in 2002 and has been teaching for the past eight years. His path has taken him from São Paulo to Portland — and across every level of the sport along the way.

Under the guidance of Adam Fox and Eric Hemphill, Danniel brings a practitioner's perspective to every class: what it actually takes to improve, how it feels to struggle and figure something out, and why jiu jitsu is worth the effort for people at every level.

His teaching reflects a simple belief: jiu jitsu is for everyone, regardless of where you're starting from.

Lineage Connection

Eric Hemphill

4th-Degree Black Belt

Owner & Head Instructor — Nemesis BJJ, Portland, OR

Eric Hemphill is the direct coach of both Adam Fox and Danniel Rolfe — and one of the most decorated BJJ instructors in the Pacific Northwest. A 4th-degree black belt under Chris Haueter, himself one of the original American BJJ pioneers, Eric carries a lineage that runs in an unbroken line back to the Gracie family.

Eric founded Nemesis BJJ in Portland, Oregon, where he has built one of the most respected programs in the region. His coaching emphasizes technical precision, competitive development, and the kind of community culture that keeps students training for decades.

The standards Adam and Danniel bring to OJJLab are the standards they learned under Eric. The connection between the two gyms reflects a shared belief: that great jiu jitsu and genuine community are not competing priorities.

Why OJJLab

We built this differently.

International caliber, local community

Our coaching background spans five continents and every level of competition. Our community is rooted right here in Portland.

A method that actually transfers

We use an ecological training approach — grounded in motor learning science — that builds skills you can use under pressure, against anyone, from day one.

Direct lineage to the source

Our lineage traces to Helio Gracie through an unbroken chain of verified black belts. Every technique here has a history you can follow.

Community isn't a buzzword here

New students train alongside experienced grapplers who actively want you to improve. There is no hierarchy on the mat beyond helping each other get better.

Your first class is free.

No experience required. No gear needed. Show up and we'll handle the rest.

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