Serbia to Singapore: Growing a New Jiu Jitsu Empire

I’m the head coach and now co-owner at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Singapore, but my path here has wound through small towns, injury, and chance opportunities far outside my home in Eastern Europe.

“I’m originally from Serbia. It’s a small country in Eastern Europe. So I started judo when I was a teenager. I was about 14 years old. So initially, I wanted to train wrestling, but … there was only judo. So that’s how I started judo.”

My entry into grappling was less a matter of choice and more of circumstance. But, as with many martial artists, the path unfolded in unexpected ways.

Accidents, Injuries, and New Beginnings

For seven to eight years, judo was my world. Then, as a university student in Belgrade, I encountered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu almost by accident.

“By accident I discovered Jiu Jitsu. So that was like almost 15 years ago. … One guy came by, you know, and he wanted to show some stuff on the ground. So I was like, wow, this is really amazing.”

At first, I balanced both judo and jiu jitsu, but a serious knee injury changed everything. Torn ACL—courtesy of a hard training schedule and a best friend.

“My mistake. You know, I was young and full of passion. … I didn’t apply the most basic thing, which is recovery. … After a few sessions, just—I mean, it’s my bad, you know? … I learned a lot from that mistake. I never got injured anymore like that. And I changed my style, I changed my approach.”

With the knee limitations, jiu jitsu, with its focus on groundwork, became the obvious route. So began my deep dive into the art and science of BJJ.

Taking Martial Arts Abroad: Kuwait and Singapore

The degree I earned in sports science and physical education—a blend of biomechanics, pedagogy, and social science—became integral to how I taught and understood martial arts. An unexpected LinkedIn message took me far from Serbia.

“When I was 26, I moved to Kuwait. … I got a good job offer to work as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor full time. … The place where I work in Kuwait was fantastic. … But Kuwait was tough for me, to be honest. It’s a very conservative Islamic country and it’s a desert climate.”

Three years later, another fortuitous connection prompted my move to Singapore.

“Singapore came out. It was perfect solution. Yeah. So Singapore, I came to a friend. So one guy from Australia who was coaching here, he wanted to go back to Australia, so he needed someone to continue running the gym.”

I joined the team as a coach, gradually transitioning into ownership: “Recently, actually eight months ago, there was two guys running the gym, so one of them decided to sell his shares and I bought it. So now I’m running a gym as well.”

Holistic Teaching, Community Building, and Expansion

Guided by my academic background, I brought a holistic philosophy to our gym, especially for children.

“We try to teach kids, of course, self defense skill, proper physical development. … We try to explain them the value of being a good friend, good person, you know, disciplined, organized, and so on and so on. So we try to be holistic.”

Discipline and camaraderie are central: “We’re not competitive gym who are recreational gym—safety number one, camaraderie instead of competition. … So for me, that’s the best compliment they can get. … Our guys are very nice, very friendly. So, you know, that’s number one value.”

Even with the steady growth, challenges persist—managing shy children in Singapore’s disciplined culture, investing in marketing, and planning future expansions such as new branches in Tokyo and across Singapore.

Transformative Stories: The Butterfly Effect

Every instructor has students who change their worldview. For me, it was a quiet, withdrawn child who entered my program at barely five years old.

“So he came with his brother. They were very young, like maybe five and six, and the kid was like the softest kid ever, you know, like crowded, very shy, very weak. … The kid transformed completely. He’s now the leader in the gym. … He’s amazing.”

That transformation, from anxious beginner to confident leader, captures why I do this work.

“For me, that feeling of, like you said, seeing people improve… probably kids even more… yeah, it’s more satisfying. … You see, like, you create people, you create humans.”

Conclusion

My journey has taken me from a small Serbian town’s lone judo club, through injury, academic rigor, international moves, and into a leadership role across continents. The throughline is always the same: growth—my own, our students’, and our community’s.

“A lot of luck. Like everything in life,” I say, looking back with gratitude and hope for the next chapter.