Real Lineage. Real Coaching. No Ego.
Coach Jamal Patterson — Renzo Gracie black belt, ADCC veteran, pro MMA fighter, UWC champion, 13+ years coaching in Union, NJ.
From Blair to Colgate to Bellator — Now Coaching in Union
I'm Jamal "The Suit" Patterson. Born in New York, raised in New Jersey. I wrestled at Blair Academy — one of the top wrestling programs in the country — then went to Colgate University, where I played football and ran track.
After college I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York. That's where the rest of my career came from. I earned my black belt under Renzo and competed at the ADCC — the world championships of submission grappling. I fought as a pro MMA fighter in the IFL, Bellator, and won the UWC Light Heavyweight title with a first-round guillotine choke over Antwain Britt.
I opened AllStar in Union, NJ in 2011. Since then I've coached fighters from their first amateur match into the UFC, watched hundreds of adult students earn belts they thought they couldn't, and seen Cubs kids grow up into Lions kids and then into adult students themselves.
What I care about now is the room. The vibe. The people who walk through the door for the first time and figure out within a class whether this is for them. We're coach first, salesperson never. Beginners and advanced students train side by side, and the gym is better for it.
- ★ Renzo Gracie black belt
- ★ ADCC veteran
- ★ Pro MMA fighter
- ★ UWC Light Heavyweight Champion
- ★ IFL + Bellator veteran
- ★ Colgate University grad
- ★ Blair Academy wrestler
- ★ Coached UFC fighters
- ★ Coaching since 2011
Renzo Gracie Academy — Verifiable, Not Just Claimed
A lot of schools claim BJJ lineage. Few have the line of instruction to back it up. Mine traces directly through Renzo Gracie — the same line that produced UFC champions, ADCC winners, and the modern face of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in America.
A Coach With Real Connections
AllStar isn't a franchise. It's a real gym with a real network. Over 13+ years of coaching — and a fight career that ran through the IFL, Bellator, UWC, and the World Series of Fighting — I've built relationships with fighters, coaches, and friends across every corner of combat sports.
That network shows up for our students. Guest coaches, seminar opportunities, training partnerships — when the real combat sports world pays attention to a school, it's because the coach is the real deal.
What AllStar Is, Practically
We're a family-owned martial arts school on West Chestnut Street in Union, NJ — about ten minutes off the Parkway, free parking, full mat space. We run real adult programs in BJJ, Muay Thai, and MMA, plus separate kids programs (Cubs for ages 4–6 and Lions for 7–13).
We're not a franchise. We're not a McDojo. We don't sell black belts. We don't push contracts the day you walk in. Everything we teach was tested either in competition, on the mat, or in real adult students' bodies over the last 13 years.
If you've been curious — that's enough of a reason to come in. The trial is two weeks. Long enough to know.
Four Things You'll Notice Quickly
Coach first, salesperson never
No upsell pressure on day one. No 12-month contracts on the way in. We'd rather you stay because you want to than because you're locked in.
No machismo problem
Beginners are paired with experienced training partners who guide rather than test. Tapping is normal, expected, respected. Egos check at the door.
Real curriculum, not workout class
Adult students aren't doing kids classes for big people. Kids aren't doing dumbed-down adult classes. Each program is built for the people in it.
A community that's unusually good
People notice when you don't show up. They tell you you're improving when you don't see it yourself. That's the part that's hardest to manufacture and easiest to feel.
Come See For Yourself
Two weeks free. No commitment. Walk in any time.