Our Club
A Jiu Jitsu club for people who are fighting enough battles already.
Why Underdog exists
Underdog Jiu Jitsu Club exists for ordinary people who want to become harder to break without turning their lives into a fight camp. We believe Jiu Jitsu can build confidence, resilience, friendship, fitness, humility, courage, and practical skill — while still being fun. We are a club, not a fight factory.
Mission
“To use Jiu Jitsu to help good people become stronger, more confident, more connected, and more resilient — without sacrificing safety, family, faith, or the joy of training.”
Our promise
Every decision at UJJC should answer one question: Does this help our members face tomorrow stronger?
Sometimes that means becoming physically stronger.
Sometimes it means learning to stay calm while uncomfortable.
Sometimes it means gaining confidence.
Sometimes it means finding friends.
Sometimes it simply means having an hour where the rest of the world disappears.
All of those count.
What it means to be an underdog
Being an underdog does not mean being a victim. An underdog is someone who keeps showing up when the odds, expectations, circumstances, or yesterday's version of themselves say they should stop.
You don't need to be the strongest person in the room.
You don't need to be the most athletic.
You don't need to be the youngest.
You don't need to have wrestled since childhood.
You don't need to win tournaments.
You just have to keep showing up.
Guiding principles
How we train
Technique before force.
Control before speed.
Position before submission.
Consistency before intensity.
Longevity before ego.
Curiosity before certainty.
Progress before comparison.
Fun is not the enemy of serious learning.
Competition
Competition is welcomed, but never required. Some academies use competitions and medals to line their walls as a business move, so they can charge more. As a result, that competition-focus isolates non-competitors and degrades the training atmosphere.
UJJC was created to be the club our family wished existed in FXBG.
Who we're not for
If your primary goal is becoming a professional grappler or BJJ world champion, there are outstanding competition academies designed around that objective. That's not what we're trying to build. UJJC is also probably not the right room for someone who needs dominance, hierarchy, intimidation, or gym status to feel important.
Coach
GEORGE "GEO" HYEK
Training since 2005
George grew up on the mats in Pittsburgh, training in the martial arts schools owned by his aunt and uncle, Frank and Nancy Caliguri. He started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2005 and hasn't stopped since.
Jiu Jitsu has been an enormous part of his life. It led him to his closest friends, to jobs, and to some of his best memories. To George, it has never been just a sport.
A career in Army special operations and federal law enforcement kept him moving. Everywhere the job sent him, he found a mat. Over two decades that meant different instructors, different academies, different lineages, and different ways of teaching.
“Jiu Jitsu is the lens I see life through.”
THE INFLUENCERS
It is our honor to recognize those who have made such a profound impact.
Early Life
Frank & Nancy Caliguri
Family martial arts schools
“Where it started.”
2005
George Mrozinski
Black belt under Eddie Vincent
“First Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor.”
2007
Jesse Garshnick
Damage Inc. | First MMA Team in Johnstown, PA
2008
Marc Yates
3 Elements · Robert Drysdale Affiliation
2008
Okie Lawrence
Non-Stop MMA
2009
Ian Toy
Kiski Martial Arts
2013
Professor Igor
Gracie Barra Kissimmee | Intro to Gi Jiu Jitsu
2015
Jason Kelly
American Top Team
2018
Most Influential
Jeff Linzy
Team Choco, Ft. Huachuca, AZ
2020
Most Influential
Charles Cherry
Bellicose Martial Arts, MD
Of every room George has trained in, two shaped him most: Jeff Linzy and Charles Cherry.
Paying It Forward
Before Underdog, George taught Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, grappling, and combatives to students, cadets, police officers, special operators, and federal agents.
Campus & Community
- Mercyhurst College
- Jeff Lund's Taekwondo School
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania Grappling Club
- Bellicose Martial Arts · Kids classes
In Service
- Ocean City Police Department · 2010
- U.S. Special Operations Command / NATO SOF HQ · Belgium
- Air Force Office of Special Investigations
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) · Founded "The Ninja Club”
- Joint Information Operations Warfare Center
Many rooms. Many teachers. Now one club.
Our partners
Our Partner School
Underdog Jiu Jitsu Club partners with Sensei J Coleman, owner of Darcio Lira Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Fredericksburg, VA. Sensei Coleman is a gifted teacher of the art who genuinely cares about his students, on and off the mat. His school offers a welcoming, family-friendly environment where kids and adults can grow together.
For Underdog members who want more time on the mat, Darcio Lira Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a trusted place to continue their training. Training at Darcio Lira requires a separate membership with their school.
“You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!”
Psalm 91:13
We are Underdog Jiu Jitsu Club.
We train because life is worth meeting with strength.
We choose faith over fear.
We respect everyone and bow to no man.
We protect the person before we chase the tap.
We welcome the beginner.
We control our ego.
We compete with tomorrow — not each other.
We understand that tapping is learning. Falling is temporary. Struggle is part of becoming. And losing only happens when we quit.
Then we go home and face tomorrow stronger.