Featured affiliated academy: Vienneau MMA, BJJ Canada
Where is the gym located?
Tracadie, New Brunswick, Canada.
How many people train there?
We have over 110 members and we plan to have more than 200 by next December.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We started in September 2020 and had 40 members in total. Then we moved to a bigger place and almost tripled the members. And we’re moving again this week to another bigger place!
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We are training mostly MMA. But i’m a blue belt in BJJ and have a guy with over 7 years experience in no-gi BJJ.
When did the Vienneau MMA, BJJ Canada open?
September 2020.
Some facts about you:
Name: Gabriel Vienneau
Age: 27
Belt: BJJ blue belt, Karate black belt, Taekwondo black belt, Tema-Jujutsu black belt
Profession: Crisis Intervention worker
Years in BJJ: Two years in gi BJJ, three-four years in total
Other martial arts: I’ve fought in MMA and Muay Thai. And I’m a black belt in 3 different martial arts.
Currently living in: Pont Lafrance, New Brunswick, Canada.
Originally from: Pokemouche, New Brunswick, Canada.
Vienneau MMA, BJJ Canada
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
When Covid-19 hit, I was planning my rematch for the heavyweight belt in Muay Thai. And I decided to start my own gym since everything else around was closing. So I started to clean my small garage. Then I bought tatamis, bags, and other gym equipment. I then decided to try a few classes with friends during the summer. Then I decided to open to the public in September. And the rest is history.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
I have three different classes right now. We have the Little Warriors (4-7 years old) who train MMA in a friendly and playful environment, then we have our 8-16-year-old group. We have a Monday and Wednesday group, and then a Friday group which is different people. And we have our adult group, which is called the Acadian Fight Team because it’s mainly a competition class. We have amateur fighters, upcoming pro fighters, and people who have the desire to just train in an intense environment.
And we’re also starting a gi BJJ group soon, as well as a women’s cardio-boxing class taught by my girlfriend.
Why do they train?
For the kids it’s mostly for self defense and helping them with their confidence. For the adults, mostly it’s for competition and some come just for the fun of it.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
For myself for an MMA gym, the only challenge I’ve faced so far is being able to fit all the people without breaking restrictions due to Covid. And having enough parking for everyone haha. That’s why we’re moving to a bigger place where training space and parking won’t be a issue.
The current location of Vienneau MMA, BJJ Canada. We’ll be moving to an even bigger space this week.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
BJJ and MMA is a growing sport all around the world. So it will be bigger and bigger every year.
What’s the best thing about your gym?
We accept anyone. Were friendly and we take care of our members. We believe in the approach that everyone who has the dream to fight deserves our time, and is treat as an equal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 5-0 fighter or a new guy who never fought. We will help you reach your goal no matter what it is.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
There are a few good things to see around here. We have a historic village of Acadian people that is like 20 minutes’ drive from the gym. We have the best seafood, and in our new spot we will have the best conditioning gym just behind us that is run by my conditioning coach and good friend Marc Godin. His gym name is l’Asile Athletique.
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