Former Brown Grappling and Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) Club captain Michael Medeiros ’25 noticed something remarkable after the season’s final practice—and his last team practice ever: Comparing the 2024 and 2025 team photos, he could see the number of GAMMA athletes had nearly tripled, to 58 members.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I put a lot of work in, and then this is the result,’” he said. “We built such a big community.”
The Brown University Club Sports Council named GAMMA 2025’s “Comeback Team of the Year.”
GAMMA team members compete in both striking and grappling martial arts. Grappling arts such as Brazilian jiujitsu require competitors to force their opponent to concede through either a chokehold or forcing their joints to become so extended that they surrender to avoid injury. Striking arts such as boxing and kickboxing focus on hitting an opponent with fists, kicks, knees, and elbows.
The rapidly growing club has also been making a splash at the competition scene, hosting two tournaments of its own and winning a Grappling Industries Rhode Island tournament.
In April, GAMMA hosted the Dan Usen Invitational II (named for a prominent GAMMA coach), which featured both striking and grappling matches. Brown and RISD students filled half the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, cheered on by peers through a slew of electrifying matches. Oohs, aahs, and shouts of “You got this!” erupted as kicks flew and punches landed.
As student enthusiasm grows, so have the club’s resources. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the club can request up to $60,000 in available funding and has access to the varsity wrestling facilities. Team cocaptain August Berklas ’26 says the club is working toward having a regular women’s practice. The 2024-2025 year saw more women than men at some practices.
Going forward, the club also hopes to have a dedicated striking coach in addition to the current student coach. But already, countless new participants have discovered the perhaps strange thrill of grappling with their opponents until they submit—as well as the camaraderie of it all. Gustavo Taiki Chan ’27, a jiujitsu black belt, said that teammates “are always willing to help you, push you, and celebrate your progress. Many people see jiujitsu as just a violent sport, but it’s so much more.”
