Jakub Zajkowski

Jakub Zajkowski is a Polish grappler and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Braulio Estima, who worked extensively with Marek Pietrzak of Copacabana BJJ (Poland) before joining the Gracie Barra affiliation (2017). Marked as one of the rising prospects in European Jiu-Jitsu by BJJ Heroes in 2016 (see article here), Jakub Zajkowski went on to cement his reputation as one of the Old Continent’s finest gi players through his outstanding performances in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit.

Jakub Zajkowski Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Jakub Zajkowski

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr > Braulio Estima > Jakub Zajkowski

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Paris Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Rome Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Dublin Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF London Fall Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Amsterdam Open (2019)
• 1st Place London Warrior Cup (2019)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2020 / 2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2017 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2016 purple)
• 1st Place British Nationals (2019 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Paris Open (2019 brown)
• 2nd Place ACBJJ European Open (2018 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2017 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open No-Gi (2015 purple)
• 3rd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2018 brown)

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Meio Pesado (88,30 kg / 195.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Gracie Barra

Jakub Zajkowski Biography

Jakub Zajkowski was born on April 9, 1997, in Poland and grew up in Białystok.

Jakub’s father was a big fan of cage-fighting and when seeing his son falling prey to a sedentary lifestyle during his pre-teens, he decided to enroll Zajkowski in a martial art, giving his son 3 options to chose from: judo, wrestling, or BJJ. Jaku already had an unsavory judo experience as a child, and he did not fancy a return to the Japanese art of throwing, as such, jiu-jitsu was the chosen activity.

Marek Pietrzak from the Rosomak Jiu-Jitsu Academy (an affiliate of Copacabana BJJ in Bialystok), was Jakub’s first instructor and the man responsible for much of Zajkowski upbringing in the sport, coaching the young Polish prodigy from the age of 12 up to his 20th birthday.

The Copacabana BJJ association is one of Poland’s prime jiu-jitsu teams, with a long-standing bond with Gracie Barra’s legend, World and ADCC champion — Mr. Braulio Estima. In 2015, while doing one of his workshops at Copacabana, Estima rolled with Zajkowski and was impressed by the 18-year-old prospect, inviting Jakub to come and train with him at his gym in Birmingham, England. Zajkowski assumed Braulio was just being cordial, but after class, the Brazilian handed him his phone number and doubled down on his offer.

Early in 2016, Jakub traveled to England, spending a week training with Braulio, after which the (then) purple belt was told that, once he finished college, he was welcome to coach and compete under Estima’s banner in Birmingham. Stoked with the offer, in August 2017, after finishing his studies, now brown belt, Jakub Zajkowski moved to the United Kingdom to work on his BJJ skills on a full-time schedule, with Braulio.

After nearly two years of training and competing in the British and international jiu-jitsu circuits, on July 7, 2019, Jakub Zajkowski was promoted to black belt by Braulio Estima.

Jakub Zajkowski vs Thomas Trintignac