Instructors
Pat Cooligan
4th Degree Black Belt
Pat Cooligan is a lifelong martial artist. He began training in 1979 at the age of 5 years old. By his mid-20s, he had decided to dedicate the rest of his life to making a career in martial arts. He began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1995, finally obtaining the coveted black belt in Year 2007 from Renzo Gracie directly—the first Canadian to be promoted to Black Belt by Renzo. Pat has several unique experiences that separate him from so many of his contemporaries. Pat has been to Afghanistan multiple times in conjunction with National Defense in Canada. While there, Pat conducted the country’s first-ever mixed martial arts event right on the boardwalk of Kandahar Airfield.
Pat has also had the privilege to teach at all military and law enforcement levels. Pat has also done contract work for several other government agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs. In 2017, Pat had the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. In November of 2023, Pat became a naturalized citizen of the United States. When Pat left Canada, he owned seven Renzo Gracie academies in the national capital region. Upon relocating to Florida, he founded Renzo Gracie Orlando in January 2018. While Pat is not usually at the Academy, he travels the world teaching seminars and overseeing his son’s competitive career. Pat is also a sought-after business consultant in the martial arts industry.
Adam Gignac
Senior Instructor
Adam Gignac is the senior instructor at Renzo Gracie Orlando. Adam progressed from white belt to black belt under Pat’s direction. Adam is a very seasoned black belt instructor and extraordinarily gifted at working with children and adults of all levels; however, he has an uncanny ability to make people feel comfortable in the new environment of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Adam is in charge of all the day-to-day operations at Renzo Gracie Orlando. In 2012, Adam founded his own enormously successful Academy in Northern Ontario, Canada, and in December of 2022, he was invited to come to Orlando and bring his proven methodology to teaching adults and children to the central Florida area. Another quality Adam possesses over most of his owner colleagues is his unbelievable knowledge of facility development and construction. Adam was the force behind the design and implementation of the new facility that Renzo Gracie Orlando currently resides in, Grounded Studios.
Renzo Cooligan
Renzo Cooligan is consistently one of the top-ranked juveniles in the world! He was born into a Jiu-Jitsu family named after his father’s instructor, Renzo Gracie. Renzo has excelled in Jiu-Jitsu from a young age. He is the main noon-time instructor when not traveling and competing. He has the distinction of attending more classes than anybody in the history of the Academy. He is a permanent fixture in the Academy. He’s on the mats daily, and if Renzo cannot be found on the mats daily, he travels extensively with his father, assisting his father in teaching seminars worldwide and in various aspects of the business. Renzo is an absolute wealth of Jiu-Jitsu knowledge for his young age and loves to share and talk about Jiu-Jitsu with all that he meets. He was promoted to Purple Belt in Dec 2025 after winning his second consecutive world title.
2024 Pan-Am Champion
2024 No-Gi World Champion
2025 No-Gi World Champion
Hear From Our Satisfied Members
Browse through the reviews to get a glimpse of the Renzo Gracie Orlando experience straight from our community.
Highly recommend this club to anyone looking for a supportive place for their child to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu!
The coaches are incredibly professional, patient, and truly care about every child. They teach not only jiu-jitsu techniques, but also discipline, respect, and perseverance. We see how much our son loves going to every class — he looks forward to it!
As a family, we completely trust Team Renzo Gracie and are very grateful for the environment they’ve created. He also attends their after-school program, which has been amazing for his development and routine.
Thank you to the entire team for your dedication and kindness. We truly appreciate everything you do for the kids!
