For Black Belts & Academy Owners
Affiliation with Icon BJJ is not a directory listing or a logo licence. It is a relationship between black belts - built on technical respect, shared lineage, and a genuine commitment to the standard the team holds.
Speak with Zé MarcelloWho this is for
Who this is not for
What affiliation means
Icon BJJ is a team connected by lineage, not a commercial network selling badges. Affiliation means joining that team - with everything that comes with it.
Affiliation is a personal connection, not an administrative process. You will know Zé Marcello and he will know you. That relationship is the foundation of everything else.
Seminars, gradings, instructor development, and cross-academy training. Your students become part of a wider team, not an isolated programme.
Direct access to a 6th Degree Black Belt and World Champion for technical development. Your teaching improves because your own training continues.
Teaching under the Icon banner gives your students a credible lineage they can trace and verify. That matters more as the sport matures and standards become harder to fake.
The criteria
Affiliation is granted to a small number of academies. These are the four areas Zé Marcello assesses before any conversation becomes a commitment.
Affiliation begins at the black belt level. Academies are led by qualified instructors with verifiable rank. There are no exceptions to this. Rank must be traceable, credible, and earned under real instruction.
A clear and credible BJJ lineage matters. Where you trained, who promoted you, and who they trained under - these things tell a story about what is actually being taught on your mats.
Icon is a team, not a logo. Affiliation means becoming part of how the team trains, teaches, and connects. Instructors who join are expected to engage with the team - not just carry the name.
Icon works with academies committed to the long view. Building students, standards, and reputation over years - not those looking for a short-term credibility boost or a flag to fly.
How it works
Affiliation happens through conversation, not paperwork. The process is straightforward - but it is deliberate.
Send a message through the contact page. Introduce yourself - who you are, where you train, your lineage, and what you are building or running. Be direct. Zé Marcello reads these himself.
If the introduction looks serious, Zé Marcello will respond. The conversation is about your teaching, your students, your lineage, and whether there is a genuine fit with the team. No pitch. No sales process.
Before any formal affiliation, there will be time on the mats together - a seminar, a visit, or a camp. Affiliation is a relationship between people who have trained together, not a contract signed over email.
If the fit is right on both sides, affiliation is confirmed. Your academy joins the Icon network, your students gain access to the wider team, and the relationship begins in earnest.
"I built Icon BJJ because I believe the team around you defines what you become as an instructor. Affiliation is not about having our name on your wall. It is about training together, growing together, and holding each other to a standard that means something. If that is what you are looking for, I want to hear from you."
Use the contact page to introduce yourself. Include your name, your lineage, where you teach, and what you are looking for. Zé Marcello reads every message.