Toronto BJJ

Josh Rapport is the last person you'd expect to be a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

He was an overweight bookworm with a learning disability when, in December 2001, he wandered into a BJJ seminar taught by visiting black belt Wendell Alexander. “With jiu-jitsu you can make tremendous gains to your personality and overcome a lot of obstacles,” says Josh. “I felt like my body was free because it could do such cool stuff, so my self-image — being an overweight guy — changed for real and not in a cocky way, just in a way that didn't threaten anybody.”

In 2002, Josh started taking private lessons at the now defunct Karma Martial Arts in Woodbridge, Ontario from black belt Wagnney Fabiano. But when Karma's owner decided to close up shop, it put Waggney's immigration status in jeopardy. “I started Toronto BJJ to save my instructor from deportation,” says Josh.

So in 2004, with Wagnney as the head instructor and still a blue belt himself, Josh used an inheritance to open Toronto BJJ's first location on the outskirts of North York near Vaughan. The initial offering included BJJ, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts — business boomed immediately. “If you came in off the street and wanted to learn mixed martial arts, but you wanted true instruction from a legitimate professional, I believe we were the first place in Toronto to offer that,” Josh says.

From 60 students they grew to over 800. The expansion led to a move to their current downtown location on Bloor Street, between Christie and Ossington, with Wagnney's brother — four-time BJJ World Cup Champion Leo Santos — lined up as head instructor.

But while they had no problem attracting top-level instructors, Josh learned it was difficult keeping them.