Asylum Rises: Pit Wall Tested, Asylum Approved
DALLAS— Will McKee, owner of Asylum Jiu Jitsu in Aledo, Texas, opened his new gym on July 4th — complete with Fuji mats, a subfloor he built himself, and a 29-foot pit wall inspired by the Craig Jones Invitational. Just weeks after the grand opening, four of McKee’s students will now represent Asylum Jiu Jitsu at Main Character Jiu Jitsu’s Side Quest #1.
The gym, which is NoGi only, is already making noise thanks to competitors Quentin Blair, Charlie Spoelstra, Frankie Washington, and Austin Ambrosini — all purple belts who have trained under McKee’s system for the last four years. “I taught a lunch class there [at Silverback BJJ] and these are my dudes,” McKee said. “They’ve been doing my Jiu-Jitsu. I’m super excited to see them go.”
For McKee, the moment is surreal.
“Yeah, I mean it’s honestly—it’s all crazy,” he said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I had no idea these guys would just come and like fly my flag, fly the banner, but they’ve all joined in. Everybody’s drinking the Kool-Aid, so to say. We’ve got a great sponsor like Nation Rash Guards… Everybody is loving it, wearing them… They’re just so excited to get out there and compete.”
McKee left the medical industry five years ago while still a blue belt. After four years teaching at Silverback BJJ, he was ready to launch his own gym.
“I was going to open a gym like over in Fort Worth, closer to Dallas, where there were 20 other gyms. Then I found this spot in Aledo, and it could not have been a better place. Better timing. The surroundings here, the community—it’s amazing.”
A standout feature of his gym is the pit wall, something he says changes the dynamic completely.
“As soon as I saw the pit wall at CJI, I knew I had to have one… There’s no running out of bounds like in ADCC… It does add a lot to the game… I’m also going to have a cage installed too, so we’ll have all three different types of walls.”
Despite just opening, McKee already has two seminars lined up — one with Kemoy Anderson and another with Mason Fowler. He also praised how the Jiu-Jitsu community has embraced small gyms like his.
“That’s the greatest thing about Jiu Jitsu… I just started messaging people, and they messaged me back. Big names will just message you back… Kemoy has just talked to me a whole bunch. He comments on my posts. He’s shared one of my posts before. It makes it feel like you’re just part of the community.”
McKee is also a fan of the pit-style format showcased by CJI.
“I’m really sad that Gordon [Ryan] isn’t competing in it… But the rule set, the pit, everything—I think it’s going to be super exciting… If you get stuck in that corner up against the pit wall, you’re toast.”
As for Side Quest #1, McKee is all in on his athletes.
“My guys are going to put on a really good show, right? They know some of the best leg locks. They know some of the best transitions. They’re all good at scrambling, and they’re all just beasts in their own way… As soon as you see that red and black rash guard, you hear from Asylum Jiu Jitsu — just start paying attention.”
He’s still hoping to compete again himself.
“I definitely still want to compete a few more times. I’m 41 now, so I feel like my time is running out a little bit to compete at a really high level… I’m also going to run… well, I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk about it yet—but I’m trying to run my own events here in the gym. I want to be a part of Kemoy’s thing and have it recurring here… I was toying with the idea of asking Kemoy if he would fight me in an exhibition match because I think that’d be super fun.”
From vision to execution, McKee and Asylum Jiu-Jitsu are moving fast. The gym may be new, but the mission is clear — train hard, innovate, compete, and fly the flag high.