LINCOLN BJJ

Beginner-Friendly Academy

200+ Local Students Started Here

All Levels Welcome

CHIEF INSTRUCTOR

HI I'm Mark

Head coach and founder of Lincoln BJJ. I've been passionate about martial arts since my teens - and after more tahn 40 years on the mats, I'm still learning

BJJ Black belt

40+ Years experience

Founded Lincoln BJJ 2010

THE BACKGROUND

Four Decades on the Mats

I started out with Karate in the early 80s and earned my black belt in 1986. Over the following years I explored a wide range of disciplines, Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Filipino Martial Arts and Jeet Kune Do. I've been fortunate to train under some genuinely world-class instructors along the way, including Guro Dan Inosanto, Sifu Richard Bustillo and GM Cacoy Canete.

My first real introduction to BJJ came during a trip to the USA in 1995, but it wasn't until 2008 that I began training properly under black belt Italo Ferreira. I earned my blue belt from Italo in 2009. After he moved abroad, I continued training under Felipe De Souza, and in 2012 I was awarded my purple belt by Felipe and José Henrique Leão Teixeira.

After Felipe returned to Brazil, the club was without direction for a while, until we were fortunate enough to be welcomed under the wing of Simon McGovern, who's been a guiding figure ever since. Under Simon's mentorship, I received my brown belt in 2022 and was awarded my BJJ black belt in September 2025.

"I started BJJ in 2008 - 17 years of training alongside the people I teach. I know exactly what it feels like to be a complete beginner."

MARK'S CREDENTIALS

Black Belt Karate and Kickboxing - 1986

Apprentice JKD/Kali Instructor under Sifu Richard Bustillo (IMB) 1999.

Associate JKD/Kali Instructor under Sifu Richard Bustillo (IMB) 2001

Full JKD/Kali Instructor under Sifu Richard Bustillo (IMB) - 2005

1st Dan Doce Pares Eskrima under GM Cacoy Canete - 2006

2nd Dan Doce Pares Eskrima under GM Cacoy Canete - 2007

JKD Apprentice Instructor and Kali Instructor under Guro Dan Inosanto - 2008

BJJ Blue Belt under Italo Ferreira - 2009

BJJ Purple Belt under José Henrique Leão Teixeira and Felipe De Souza - 2012

MKG Level 1 Instructor under Rick Faye - 2021

BJJ Brown Belt under Simon McGovern - 2022

MKG Level 1.1 Instructor under Rick Faye - 2025

BJJ Black Belt under Simon McGovern - September 2025

BUILDING LINCOLN BJJ

The First Legitimate BJJ Club in Lincoln

I'm proud to say that Lincoln BJJ was the first legitimate BJJ club in the city. Back when we started, there was a lot of confusion, some were claiming to teach BJJ without the credentials to back it up. I wanted to change that by offering something authentic, with real lineage and a focus on quality training in a supportive, ego-free environment.

Lincoln BJJ wasn't my first school either. I opened The Combat Zone in Sheffield in 1998 and The Sheffield Martial Arts Centre in 2006, I still teach there today. By the time I brought BJJ to Lincoln, I already understood what it takes to build something that works for real people, not just athletes.

TODAY

Still Training, Still Teaching

These days I split my time between coaching classes and private lessons in Lincoln and Sheffield, as well as developing new projects like the Combined Fighting Arts classes in Lincoln and continuing my own learning as both a martial artist and coach.

Total beginners and experienced practitioners are equally welcome here. What matters most to me is the process, the journey, the self-development, watching people discover what they're capable of. That's what Lincoln BJJ is really for.

"The moments I'm most proud of aren't competition results. They're the people who came in lacking confidence and found themselves - and the teenagers watching them come in as kids and leave as young adults."