Our School

Our entire mission at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been to change lives through martial arts. With expertise from Brazil, we have created a home for martial arts training for anyone and everyone! You can join as a competitor or hobbyist and enter a fun, welcoming environment. We make sure to help each student work toward their personal goals through technical, motivating martial arts classes. Each day you train, you’ll improve your confidence, overall health, and martial arts mastery. We are proud to provide students with the right training and culture to change their lives on and off the mat!

Our History

Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a rich history on the central coast of California. With the help of his good friend, Michael Florimbi, Ricardo ‘Franjinha’ Miller opened Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Santa Barbara in 1998. Since 2002, Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has offered martial arts classes in Ventura County, where Franjinha is a longtime resident.

A black belt under the legendary Romero ‘Jacare’ Cavalcanti, Franjinha has a lengthy and successful competitive career. He is a multiple time world champion and continues to lead by example by entering international tournaments on a regular basis.

However, his goal in opening the Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy is to make champions who find success on and off the mat. Along with a strong competition team, Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a well-developed kids program that is dedicated to building the Paragon Panthers of tomorrow. The broad variety of classes at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can accommodate prospective students to achieve a wide array of fitness goals.

Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is filled with amenities that will appeal to kids and adults alike. Kids like the climbing wall and ropes, while the gym equipment provides everything you need for strength training. There is a large mat space for group classes and a smaller mat for more individual training. Additionally, both the men’s and women’s restrooms have showers for your convenience.

As a father, Franjinha is dedicated to creating a family environment at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, it is not uncommon to find family members training kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu alongside one another. As a consequence, the atmosphere at the academy is a fine balance of hard training and welcoming personalities.