- AJ Agazarm grooming allegations have surfaced after a former student, speaking anonymously, described a coach-student relationship she calls textbook grooming and alleged physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
- She was 19, an adult, when the relationship began around May 2023, while Agazarm was 35.
- No criminal charges have been filed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office as of publication.
- Gracie Barra says Agazarm’s affiliation was terminated in July 2026 and that he does not represent the organization.
- An arrest and a restraining order are not proof of the underlying claims, and Agazarm is presumed innocent.
Agazarm, a 2014 IBJJF No-Gi World Champion at adult black belt and a 2017 ADCC silver medalist at -66 kg, was arrested September 22 in Ventura County on suspicion of residential burglary. The new development is the voice now attached to the AJ Agazarm allegations: his former student and ex-girlfriend has gone on record, anonymously, with the San Luis Obispo Tribune to describe the relationship behind the arrest.
AJ Agazarm Grooming Allegations: What the Former Student Claims
The accuser, a 24-year-old former Jiu-Jitsu student, told the Tribune she dated Agazarm from around May 2023 to December 2025. She was 19 when the relationship began, and he was 35. She characterized his behavior as textbook grooming, pointing to the 16-year age gap and what she called the inherent power dynamic of a coach dating a student.
She alleged that Agazarm was physically, sexually and emotionally abusive toward her throughout the relationship. Those are her allegations, and they have not been tested in court.
I was so deep in the cycle of abuse
– The former student, speaking anonymously –
It is worth being precise about the word at the center of the story. Grooming is the accuser’s characterization of an instructor-student power and age-gap dynamic between two adults. It is not a criminal charge, and nothing in this reporting involves a minor. The case nonetheless lands inside a recurring conversation about BJJ instructor grooming and the power coaches hold over students.
The AJ Agazarm Arrest and the Protective-Order Timeline
The arrest and the protective-order record sit in two separate courts. In Ventura County, Agazarm was arrested September 22 on suspicion of residential burglary under California Penal Code 459 and released the next day on $50,000 bail, according to arrest records reviewed by the Tribune.
A judge issued an emergency protective order the day of the arrest, and it was replaced by a temporary restraining order issued September 28 as part of an open domestic-violence case.
Separately, in San Luis Obispo County, Agazarm filed his own restraining order in a family-court domestic-violence case, number 26FLP-0308, about a week before the arrest. Records reviewed by the Tribune show it came after a September 9 cease-and-desist letter from the woman’s lawyer. The order was temporarily granted, then dismissed within a month.
The woman also had a prior emergency protective order through the Atascadero Police Department in January, and text and Snapchat records reviewed by the Tribune show Agazarm continued trying to contact her and her father after it expired.
BJJ World’s earlier report on the AJ Agazarm arrest covers the arrest record in more detail.
Gracie Barra Cuts Ties and Disavows Agazarm
Gracie Barra corporate told the Tribune in an October 20 email that its relationship with Agazarm ended in July 2026, about two months before the arrest. The organization did not disclose why the two-decade affiliation ended.
AJ Agazarm is not affiliated with Gracie Barra and does not represent our organization. His affiliation with Gracie Barra was terminated before the events currently being reported.
– Gracie Barra corporate, October 20 statement –
His academy, Agazarmy Atascadero, formerly Gracie Barra Atascadero, is no longer authorized to use the Gracie Barra name or trademarks. Even so, the Gracie Barra name was still printed on the building’s awning as of October 27, and the school had not yet put up new signage, according to the Tribune.
What’s Confirmed and What Remains Unproven
What is documented is limited: an arrest on suspicion of burglary, protective orders granted in two separate courts, and a corporate disavowal. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office has not filed charges, and it did not respond to the Tribune’s request for comment. Agazarm did not respond to requests for comment.
The AJ Agazarm grooming allegations, and the abuse claims behind them, remain allegations. An arrest and a restraining order are not proof of the underlying claims, and Agazarm is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.-
