Vanguard Gym

Huge congratulations to Pentagon MMA and Vivek on the new performance center. The hard work shows—Arlington is lucky to have such an incredible facility and the people who train there.
Shawn, Brian, and I had the privilege of joining them for belt promotions last night. It was a huge honor to be part of it—especially getting to watch our longtime friend and training partner get recognized by Sa'idah Zeinab Durkee 💎 and Isaac July Jr with his promotion to black belt.
Congratulations, Jared. The team and I are beyond proud and grateful to have you as part of us. Cheers to many more. 🤙

This past weekend we celebrated our annual promotions — marking 19 incredible years of growth, grit, and community at Vanguard Gym!
Huge congratulations to our newest belt holders:
• Blue Belts: Nicholas, Caleb, Manny & Damien
• Purple Belts: Hussain & Ricky
• Brown Belts: Wes, Anderson & Mat
• Black Belts: Coach Amber, Coach Rob!
It was extra special having Coach Doug back with us, plus Coach Gorman and the whole Culpepper crew joining the celebration.
A massive thank you to every teammate and friend who showed up to support, push, and cheer on their training partners through the tests. This is what family looks like. 💪
The weekend was bittersweet as we wrapped up our final Strength & Conditioning workouts — led by the one and only Coach Blaze. Thank you to all the former teammates and friends who came out to send it off in style.
Double congratulations to Brittany & Matt — Brittany went into labor right after leaving the gym and delivered beautiful baby Charlotte! Welcome to the world little one, and congrats to the new family ❤️
Shoutout to Angel, Sean, and everyone who stayed late to help move everything out and get us ready for the next chapter. Couldn’t do it without you!
Vanguard Gym is looking forward to many more years of serving our community — helping everyone grow through challenge, build resilience, and become stronger together.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Onward! 🔥
JiuJitsuFamily 19YearsStrong Community GritAndGrowth

Successful Memorial Day open mat hosted by Reed and George, thank you to everybody who came out!

🔥 Open Mat this Monday at 11AM! 🔥
Come roll with us at Vanguard Gym! Whether you’re a seasoned grappler or just starting out, everyone is welcome to train, improve, and have fun on the mats.
Just a heads up: All participants must have a signed waiver before stepping on the mat. See Coach George or Coach Reed — they’ll get you sorted!
📍 Vanguard Gym
⏰ Monday | 11:00 AM
We will be closed Memorial Day.
Train together. Get better. Let’s roll! 💪🥋
ComeRoll

🎉 Vanguard Gym is turning 19! 🎉
Join us on Saturday, July 18, 2026 as we celebrate 19 years of growth, grit, and training!
On this special day, we’ll be holding our annual promotion testing.
• Testing starts at 11:00 AM
• Expected to wrap up around 12:30 PM
Whether you’re testing, cheering on your teammates, or just here for the celebration — we’d love to have you there!
Let’s make this milestone one to remember. 💪🥋

🏆 This past weekend, our small but mighty 3-man crew showed up and showed out at the PBJJF in Sterling!
Big congrats to Walter, John, and Anderson for representing the team with heart and skill heading into the PBJJF Grand Slam!
🔥 John earned his first win as a blue belt — taking the Open Division with a slick straight ankle lock submission!
🥉 Walter battled back from an early loss to win his next two matches and secure the bronze medal!
🥇 Anderson dominated with double gold — winning both his weight class AND the absolute division!
Proud of these guys and the grind they put in every day. On to the Grand Slam! 💪

We’re back open and looking forward to seeing everyone on the mats tonight! 💪
Quick heads-up: We’ve made some schedule changes starting this week — please check Zen Planner for the updated class times so you don’t miss out!

🚨 Weather Alert 🚨
Hey Vanguard Gym family! Due to the severe weather forecasted for today in Manassas—including strong thunderstorms and a risk of tornadoes—we’re canceling all classes tonight (March 16, 2026). Your safety and our staff’s comes first—sorry for any inconvenience! We’ll keep you updated via email and socials on rescheduling or future impacts. Questions? DM us or call the gym line.
Stay safe out there! 💪🌩️

Amidst the changes buzzing around the gym and through all the chaos, two new blue belts have emerged victorious after braving the gauntlet! Massive congratulations to Jason and Euan on their hard-earned promotions—you guys crushed it! 💪🥋

Congrats to Forrest on crushing it with some clean pins this past weekend. Loving the highlights and videos you’re sending—keep ‘em coming! So proud of this young man. He’s grown so much in the sport through pure hard work and dedication. 💪👏
We also had The Good Fight in Maryland.

• Euan dominated his first match in regulation but got caught in OT. Came back swinging in the bronze match against a tough opponent—both traded armbar subs in OT, but Euan locked his in faster for the win!

• Sean and John dropped down to the younger guys’ division closing out the bronze medal for the heavyweight division!
• Alex Stewart threw down in a wild best-of-3 against dangerous Jack Suddeth (VGI Champion). Jack took the first, Alex fired back to win the second, but Jack edged the third.
• Hussain and Josh teamed up in the intermediate 155 division. Josh went 1-1 for bronze, and Hussain ran the table 2-0 for GOLD! 🥇
Wish more of the DMV scene would come out to The Good Fight—it’s such a cool, pure submission-only format with great energy. We need more events like this around here! Thinking it’s time for us to host another one soon… our style: no points, no time limits, sub-only (just like the classic US Grappling days).
How many of you would be interested in jumping in? Drop a 🔥 or comment below if you’d show up! Let’s make it happen.
DMVBJJ ProudCoach JiujitsuFamily