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LifeAnchorage · May 29, 2026

he followed love to eagle river

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champion opened Raiz Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Eagle River with his wife Kylli, built for local families.

Daily Alaska staff · May 29, 2026 · Anchorage

Mateus, an IBJJF certified black belt with 28 medals, including 17 golds and a world title, opened Raiz Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on May 11 at 12551 Old Glenn Highway Unit B in Eagle River, alongside his wife Kylli.

Mateus came to Alaska from Brazil for Kylli, who grew up in Eagle River playing hockey and snowboarding. She found Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a few years ago and met Mateus along the way.

The couple built Raiz Brazilian Jiu Jitsu around families and kids rather than competitive athletes alone, giving Eagle River a gym aimed at the whole community.

The gym already runs the Raiz Scholarship, which is covering a full year of free training for a local Eagle River police officer. The couple plans to expand the scholarship to anyone in the community who cannot afford to train.

In this story

Questions people ask

Where did the new BJJ gym open in Eagle River

Raiz Brazilian Jiu Jitsu opened May 11 at 12551 Old Glenn Highway Unit B in Eagle River.

Who owns Raiz Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Mateus, an IBJJF certified black belt with 17 gold medals and a world title, and his wife Kylli, who grew up in Eagle River.

What is the Raiz Scholarship

It's covering a full year of free training for a local Eagle River police officer right now, with plans to expand to others in the community who can't afford it.

Evidence

Sources

Claims and where they come from

Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →

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