It’s not often you’ll come across someone who’s trained with UFC greats Paulo Costa, Oban Elliott, and Deron Winn, let alone been mentored by them. But that’s the story behind Adelaide’s own Anton Minenko, a world-class jiu-jitsu athlete who’s travelled the globe, competed at the highest level, and now returned home to open his first specialty Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and martial arts gym, BJJ 101 Academy, in Thebarton.
He’s been doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since before most people in South Australia even knew what it was.
“When I started, there were probably only two gyms in the whole state,” he laughs. “Now there are many, many more.”
Fifteen years on, Anton’s travelled across continents teaching, competing, and training with some of the sport’s biggest names – UFC fighters, ONE Championship veterans, and world champions whose trophies line private gyms and hotel rooms. He’s rolled on mats in Belgium and Germany, won a bronze medal at the AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship, and spent months training at Düsseldorf’s famed UFD Gym, a breeding ground for elite fighters.
“It was a crazy environment — high-level, intense, every day was war,” Anton says. “We were all preparing for fights together.”
“There were huge UFC stars like Paulo Costa, Oban Elliott, and a fighter called Deron Winn – he used to train and teach Olympic wrestling with Khabib Nurmagomedov at the American Kickboxing Academy in California.”
He also worked alongside Europe’s top MMA talent. “Roberto Soldić, a very high-level MMA fighter, and Yuri Simões, a three-time ADCC champion. I helped at the camp with both of them,” he recalls.
Now, he’s channelled all that experience into BJJ 101 Academy, an inclusive gym tucked in Thebarton. The Academy has leisure spaces, open training zones people can use outside of sessions, and 110 square metres of rubber gym matting and fitness equipment.
“It’s really just a community hangout,” Anton says. “Even when people aren’t training, they’ll come by to watch, chat, and spend time together. It’s a place where people can hang out, train hard, and stay fit and healthy.”
Classes run morning, noon, and night, with kids as young as five and adults of all ages joining the mats.
“We cater to everyone,” he says. “From high-level athletes to complete beginners. It’s about giving people confidence, helping them build fitness, and getting them into this amazing lifestyle that’s had such a positive impact on me.”
When asked what makes the sport so addictive, Anton smiles. “When you’re wrestling with someone, it triggers that primal fight-or-flight response,” he says.
“You’re wrestling, you’re grappling, and then you high-five, have a laugh, and grab a burger after.”
“That level of intimacy and camaraderie is a very unique experience, and you definitely have to leave your ego at the door. Even the best in the world lose rounds. It’s humbling and grounding.”
That sense of grounding runs through everything at BJJ 101 Academy – the ‘101’ literally stands for its focus on fundamentals.
“The basics are the most important,” he says. “The strongest basics make the highest level. Even though we’re training for fun, it surprises people how much technique and control are involved.
After fifteen years of global competition and high-level training across the globe, Anton’s journey has come full circle. He himself started in a Thebarton gym, and now he’s sharing everything he’s learned with the next generation of South Australian fighters.
“Jiu-Jitsu is a communal martial art where everyone’s welcome, and you attract people from all walks of life,” he shares.
“Once people start training, they almost always find an addiction to it. To compete, train and show up. It’s a very addictive pursuit of discipline.”
BJJ 101 Academy opened last week at 33 Phillips Street, Thebarton. For more info on classes and to book, visit the website here. @bjj101_academy.
More News
