Dark clan has everything I was looking for in a martial arts gym. Everyone was inviting, didnt sense any unchecked egos! They also have a great selection of classes!

Love the owner and its staff, theyre normal people who love doing what they do. Great place for anyone starting out.

Relocated to Austin ror a bjt and wanted to continue my training while there. Dark Clan is an extremely welcoming gym led by Derrick, he and the other instructors provide top notch instruction leaving no detail out and ensuring the family atmosphere of the gym is felt by all. Dark Clan has something for everyone regardless if youre a beginner or a higher belt. I highly encourage anyone interested in beginning their practice to check out dark clan, as well as higher belts looking to improve there skills and continue training.

Amazing people and a great place to go!!

I stopped by Dark Clan to try a No Go Submission class in the middle of the day. We warmed up, paired off for that days drills, and ended by rolling with various other partners. Derrick was a great instructor; giving pointers to everyone during drills. All the students were welcoming and everyone had their head in the game. Im definitely coming back!

Derrick and Victoria were amazing and took a lot of time making sure our class covered the information in detail. You can tell they work great with all kinds of learning styles and are there to help you succeed. The gym offers various classes at a great value. Theres lots of parking, places to change, and ice cold water for when you work up a sweat.

Great facility, friendly staff, all students are super welcoming, and excellent instructors. Highly recommend!

Blown away by this place. I went days ago and its still on my mind. Such an amazing stack of people. The energy is insane and the tunes are perfect. Highly recommend!!!!

Great atmosphere to learn the grappling and striking arts. A well balanced mix of sincerity and leisure. Everyone is incredibly welcoming, alleviating any feelings of anxiety. Its not just a place to learn to wrestle or kickbox, its a community of people giving 100% of there effort to better themselves and their teammates. Im not exaggerating when I say its one of the best decisions Ive ever made in my life joining this gym.

Man, where do I start? I have tried out virtually every jiu-jitsu/kickboxing gym in this town (and a lot of other towns, too, for that matter), but I haven’t found anything that holds up to Dark Clan. Particularly during the pandemic, the gym has been a source of community and endorphins and just overall awesomeness in a time when awesomeness can be harder to come by.For the last year(ish), I’ve been going to DCFL kickboxing classes, and Tim — the instructor— is the best! He’s super talented and friendly and good at structuring the class in a way that is accommodating to different levels. We do lots of pad work, which is engaging and fun and sweaty and physically challenging in a way that makes the hour-long class whiz by (almost toooo quickly).Also, I recently tried jiujitsu for the first time, and oh my gosh, who knew it’d be so addictive? Even though I am a total and complete beginner, everyone is real patient and helpful and chill. Shout out to Derrick — who is the gym owner and one of the jiujitsu instructor — for being a superb teacher/all around great dude and building hands down my favorite MMA gyms in Austin (and probs all the world).

I’ve been training here for about six months, and I cannot enough good things about the great coaches, people, and environment here. There’s a great variety of gi and no-gi classes (although it’s most no-gi). They also have striking and beginner jiu-jitsu classes. All the coaches are extremely helpful and friendly. Everyone is always willing to go the extra mile to help you and show you things. They’ve also been very safety conscious during Covid. I would strongly recommend this gym to anyone looking to do any combat sports in the Austin area!

Derrick is a fantastic instructor who also has a great reputation in the local community. If youre a competitor looking for a new place to train or you want to visit for an open mat, the Dark Clan has a diverse group of high level competitors that consistently win high profile and professional grappling events. This place has a great vibe for hobbyists and beginners as well. Derrick and his team will definitely help you reach whatever fitness goals you set. Stop on and check these guys out. You wont regret it.

Such an awesome place to train! The instructors are great, everyone is super nice, theres a good mix of skill level, plus tons of mat space. Coming to a new gym can be pretty intimidating but the staff goes out of their way to make you feel welcome. I signed up about a month ago and I already feel like Im part of the team. Cant say enough nice things about this place!

Dark Clan Fight Lab is an extremely special place. I can be having the worst of days but believe it when I say after visiting the lab and working on improving with my friends, a lot of those problems float away. When I first moved to Austin I checked out multiple spots and although some were nice, they werent really a perfect fit for me. Then I came across Derrick Garza and squad. His approach and passion for teaching are second to none. He makes you feel like family off the jump. This has translated in his students, making it an extremely positive, friendly environment. I could write about how awesome DCFL is all day but honestly I have to go back to work, so get to the lab and see for yourself!

I signed up here a few months ago and it has been an awesome gym. I mostly go to Jiu Jitsu but drop in on the other classes as well. Great vibe and atmosphere, awesome training partners. It is a welcoming environment and the instructors are all great. I like the variety of classes and that they have stuff scheduled throughout the day which is helpful for me since I have an erratic work schedule. Highly recommend!

Great atmosphere. Great everything.

Easily the best and most welcoming gym in Austin. Whether youre brand new to martial arts or a seasoned vet looking to stay sharp Dark Clan Fight Lab is the answer.

One of the best places to train in Austin. Super welcoming with great technique. Awesome coaches and students.

Dark Clan is amazing. Awesome people, Awesome coaches. They take care of their students and give back to the community. Oss!

This is a badass gym where you can find quality BJJ and MMA training. Ive been with both Toby and Derrick since 2015 when Eastside Elite was around. Things between them two have always been professional. Both do a really good job of paying attention to your craft. They truly want the best for their students both technique and life wise. To add, the environment at the Gym is amazing and welcoming to anyone willing to learn. If you want top notch training and very good training partners this is the place to be.

I have had a fantastic time learning with DCFL! Derrick has built a great community with a welcoming atmosphere.

Excellent place, excellent staff. Whether youre a seasoned combat athlete or looking to indulge that growing interest, this is the place to be.

Great people! If youre looking for quality training and just a bunch of good dudes and dudettes, this is your spot in East/central Austin. And dont think for a second they wont whoop your butt into shape just because theyre nice! Youll have to sweat! Visit them!

Such a welcoming community. Derrick and the staff have built a gym for the serious competitor or newbie looking to learn a “certain set of skills”. I have known these guys for years and have trained all over Texas. They are as good as it gets.

Best BJJ gym on the east side. Probably the whole town. Amazing atmosphere. I feel lucky I get to train here.

The coaching and camaraderie are unparalleled. Theyve got the most friendly and welcoming crew! Ive trained at many gyms in the US and after my first time at Dark Clan I knew this was the place for me.

The team at Dark Clan Fight Lab have put together a competitive environment, that nurtures creativity and instills great fundamentals. Its amazing to find a team that is both challenging and supportive. A great community, please consider visiting.

Every time I visit Austin I try to drop by for some great rolls. Awesome environment!

I dropped in for a Monday night no-gi class when I was in Austin for work. The team was very welcoming and Derrick was a great instructor! I had some great rolls with some very skilled guys, and got a great workout. I will definitely be training at DCFL on future visits.

Dark Clan Fight Lab is a friendly and welcoming place to train. Derrick is an exceptional BJJ instructor. He’s always happy to clarify techniques and really emphasis safety in training.I hopped around looking for a BJJ gym after moving to town and instantly felt at home at Dark Clan. Very happy to be able to train here.-Matt

The Austin Ecstatic Dance on Sundays 9.30 to 11.30 in this space cleanses the fight vibe with the love and healing of its sacred Dance Energy.

Dark Clan is a tight-knight high performance competition team with a great rep and friendly vibe. I always love getting to hang with Derrick and his crew!

I had previously posted a positive review when this place first opened to show my support. I’ve had to edit it in light of my experiences over the past two years. I’ve known Derrick since he was coaching at Eastside. That gym was awesome, well managed, clean, and had a great community and competition team. Unfortunately DCFL is none of those things. Derrick also goes out of his way to make it an uncomfortable place for women to train.

Ive trained martial arts in several different states and countries, but Dark Clan Fight Lab has the best mix of competitors and community that Ive ever found. Their grappling program is headed by Derrick Garza, of the highly regarded Paragon Jiujitsu lineage. Their MMA and kickboxing programs are led by the supremely technical former professional fighter Toby Imada. Together theyve created an environment that is conducive to getting in shape, training self-defense, and learning combat sports.

There is no place Id rather train than Dark Clan Fight Lab. I started bjj when I moved to Austin as a way to feel safer about being alone with a toddler in a new growing city. I now call Austin, my home and the Dark Clan team, my family. The mma community in Austin is always growing and being a part of DCFL has been one of the best decisions Ive ever made.Whether you are just looking to get in shape or plan on competing, Dark Clan Fight Lab will get you where you want to be. The knowledge, support and respect for every person is there from the moment you step on the mat till long after class has ended.

Jiu jitsu is a terrific sport/hobby/activity. It exercises the mind, body, and soul. If you are new to the sport, it is arguably the most practical of martial arts, as well as one of the most fun to practice daily/weekly due to being able to test techniques out with regular sparring, or rolling. It is an expression of love, trust, and respect, and it is way more fun than lifting weights or jogging.Its good to have a group of people to practice with whom you can trust and grow. In jiu jitsu, the stronger the community, the stronger the individuals within it. I have only done the jiu jitsu, so I can only speak to that, but Jeremy, John, and Derrick are great people (all blackbelts by the way, wow!) with very effective technique, and classes that reflect who they are, and they all take great pride and care in allowing others to reach their potential and strengthen their craft. There are also fitness classes w/ Victoria that will test your resolve, and kickboxing and mma classes w/ Toby or Kyle that will make a well rounded fighter out of anybody willing to put in the work.Everyone puts great care into their work, you can tell, and it shows in their students and the respect between everyone there. The school is genuine and relatable. There are a lot of beasts, well educated and/or athletic types, as well as tricky trickster rollers, lots of bodies and philosophies, its cool. There are get togethers and activities that this school engages in, that you wont find at some other places. It is tremendous camaraderie.Its an investment in yourself and its worth it.

One of the largest training facilities in the ATX! Derrick and Toby go beyond traditional teachings in a way that keeps training exciting and refreshing. Ive been to A LOT of jiu-jitsu gyms around town and Dark Clan Fight Lab is definitely the place to be.

Solid foundation for Brazilian Jui Jitsu. I couldnt be happier to have started my BJJ career here. Derrick Garza is a guru and is building a positive atmosphere and great community.

When I moved to Austin I had the hardest time finding a MMA gym that had everything I wanted. I’d been practicing Krav Maga for two years and I’m a licensed group exercise instructor. I tried 7 different boxing gyms and DCFL was the only one that had everything I wa looking for. Their instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, patient and challenging. The classes are well designed and the community the owners have created is wonderful. For everything they offer, I think they’re worth every penny - and then some. Thank you for giving me a little home DCFL ❤️🥊

I had the fortune of training with Derrick Garza for four years. An accomplished Paragon BJJ Black Belt, has an immense amount of knowledge and is a skilled coach. Dark Clan fosters a competitive, healthy and safe environment. You will always have a training partner to work with you rather than an opponent; but the monsters here can crush you if thats what you need. At this new location he and Toby Imada will undoubtedly continue to crank out some of the finest combat athletes in Austin Texas.The enormous mat space cushioned on a floating platform, and the classes are so good people just loiter around afterward just because theyre having a good time. The Dark Clan Fight Lab is what East Austin Texas should try and remain to be.Thank you Derrick, for following through with @Dark Clan Fight Lab.

Started jiu-jitsu with Derrick as a complete beginner. This gym is extremely welcoming without the big egos and overly aggressive vibe. Derrick makes jiu-jitsu fun and he truly has a passion for what he does. If your thinking of starting or wanting to see what this place has to offer I highly recommend DCFL.

Like many others, I followed Toby and Derrick to Dark Clan from EAE, the beloved MMA gym that closed in 2017. The loyalty so many have demonstrated towards these two pretty much says everything you need to know.At Dark Clan, like EAE before it, you train with a mix of hardcore badasses and casual fitness types. Everyones in it for a good workout, and everyones cool. No ego or attitude. Strong community vibe. You get to know people because once they realize theyve found something special, they stick around.Ive trained with Toby for 4+ years. Its rare to come across an instructor that can 1) keep you inspired class after class, year after year, and 2) simultaneously engage beginners and advanced with the same workout. With Tobys classes, you get out of them what you put in. His advanced classes focus more on technique, but his beginner classes are far from dull. And fundamentals are solid across the board.

Excellent place to train and great community!

Its like Jazzercise with chokes.

Awesome club, fun, friendly, safe environment