Meet the Instructors

Ben “The Dutch Assassin” Lindhout is a 1st degree BJJ Black Belt and owner of Kzoo BJJ.  He is a student under Carlson Gracie Jr. and Kzoo BJJ is the only affiliate of the legendary Carlson Gracie Team in the Kalamazoo area.  He began training in Grand Rapids in 2007, and has become obsessed with the sport ever since.
In 2016, after living in Kalamazoo Ben opened up his own school, Kzoo BJJ. Ben is a 7x IBJJF gold medalist from Blue to Brown Belt, and has won and placed in numerous other regional tournaments.

Ben loves to have fun on the mats, but believes in hard work to push you to your potential.

Ivan is a brown belt in BJJ at Kzoo BJJ.  He has been training martial arts for over a decade.  In addition to his passion for BJJ, he is a former Professional MMA fighter, and has significant experience in Kickboxing and Tae Kwon Do.  Ivan is a US Military Veteran and is married to another BJJ Brown Belt named Jen.

Jake “from State Farm” Pellowe is a high level BJJ purple belt.  He has won gold at tournaments throughout the Midwest, and is known for his relentless pressure attack.  Jake has a wrestling background and is a fixture at nearly every class at KzooBJJ.