Los Banditos has quickly become one of London’s most talked-about Brazilian jiu-jitsu gyms, but its beginnings were rooted in a practical need. During an appearance on The FloGrappling Show, Taylor Pearman, Eoghan O’Flanagan, and Charles Allen Price discussed how the team formed after several members moved away from Roger Gracie’s.
According to the group, the immediate reason for the move was straightforward. “The mats at Roger Gracies were very slippery and we needed somewhere to train that would be realistic,” Eoghan explained.
Head coach Joe Lennon eventually opened a new gym, which also gave him the opportunity to build a school around his own coaching ambitions.
“He always had aspirations to do his own gym,” the team said. Joe had previously coached at Roger Gracie’s, including teaching the kids’ class, but later decided to establish his own training environment.
The move was initially described as amicable, although the group acknowledged that “things sort of devolved between us and Rogers” over time.
Charles Allen Price was described as one of the early figures who helped bring people into the new space. He had already been training with several members of the group and learned that Joe was opening a gym in the same building where they were doing strength training. “Charles was a pioneer to be fair,” Eoghan said.
That location made the transition easier for athletes who wanted to combine jiu-jitsu and physical preparation under one roof. Others followed after hearing about the new facility, and the group gradually developed into the team now known as Los Banditos.
The athletes also highlighted London’s unusually collaborative training environment. Rather than remaining isolated within separate gyms, many high-level competitors regularly train together across the city. The team believes that this cooperation is essential for developing athletes capable of competing at the highest levels in Europe and internationally.
“It’s best if everyone kind of trains together,” Taylor explained. “We won’t be able to get there if we just stay in our own gym.”
That shared approach has become central to Los Banditos’ identity. Training sessions are not limited to hard rounds. During positional work, athletes regularly discuss techniques, compare approaches, and return to positions to refine their solutions.
The result is a room where members can learn from different styles and attributes while preparing for major competitions such as ADCC.
