Interview with BJJ Black Belt Jerry Burns

Jerry Burns is a Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Luiz Palhares and is also the owner and head instructor of the Gracie Foothills Jiu-Jitsu academy in East TN.   Not only is he a Professor, but he is also an active competitor and a former mixed martial artist.  We recently were able to catch up with him and learn a little bit about him and his jiu-jitsu journey.

JK:  Can you tell everyone a little about yourself, your BJJ training, and your background in the sport?

Burns:  My name is Jerry Burns. I’m originally from KY. I got into BJJ/MMA in 2005 after playing college basketball at Asbury University. I wanted to stay active in a sport and fell in love with martial arts. It gave me an outlet to stay competitive and still compete after college plus it is the most effective self defense martial arts there is. I started training with Luiz Palhares in 2009 and I received my Black Belt from him in 2021.

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