{"id":37927,"date":"2026-08-11T04:40:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T23:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=37927"},"modified":"2026-08-11T04:40:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T23:40:05","slug":"palisades-martial-arts-gym-returns-after-fire-with-new-home-and-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=37927","title":{"rendered":"Palisades martial arts gym returns after fire with new home and name"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F137018538.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/21\/us-news\/palisades-village-reopens-for-business-after-devastating-wildfires\/\">Pacific Palisades is getting some of its fight back<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A martial arts studio that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire is returning under a new name, new home and with one of its former students helping lead the comeback.<\/p>\n<p>Justin Caruso, who also lost his Palisades home in the blaze, has teamed up with instructors James Gavsie and Freddy Cerrato to <a href=\"https:\/\/ludusmma.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">launch LUDUS<\/a>, a private Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing gym opening Aug. 15 at Palisades Village.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>LUDUS will offer martial arts, self-defense and youth training from its new home at Palisades Village as the community continues rebuilding after the Palisades Fire. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Justin Caruso, who also lost his home in the Palisades Fire, has teamed up with longtime martial arts instructors James Gavsie and Freddy Cerrato to launch LUDUS. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Caruso, who is the son of billionaire businessman Rick Caruso, began training at MAX Impact, Gavsie\u2019s longtime Palisades martial arts gym, after discovering it within walking distance of his home.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI just immediately fell in love with it, fell in love with training martial arts and jiu-jitsu with them,\u201d Caruso told The California Post.<\/p>\n<p>Then the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/08\/us-news\/pacific-palisades-fire-is-las-most-destructive-blaze-ever\/\">January 2025 Palisades Fire<\/a> tore through the neighborhood, destroying the site and the homes of Gavsie, Cerrato and Caruso.<\/p>\n<p>But martial arts soon provided Caruso with one of his first glimpses of normal life after the disaster. \u201cOne of the first days that felt normal again for me after the fires was when our community of people that trained together got together in Venice at a temporary spot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>They threw down mats and started training. \u201cIt just felt like normalcy again,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom that moment, I knew I wanted to bring this community back.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Caruso said getting back into martial arts training helped restore him to a sense of normalcy after the Palisades blaze. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That idea eventually became LUDUS. The three co-founders are rebuilding around the martial arts community that existed before the fire while creating a new gathering place for the community.<\/p>\n<p>Gavsie, known throughout the Westside as \u201cMr. G,\u201d is a sixth-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with more than 30 years of martial arts experience and will serve as LUDUS\u2019 lead instructor. Cerrato is a first-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with more than two decades of experience across jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, judo and Kali.<\/p>\n<p>Before the fire, MAX Impact drew a cross-section of the Palisades, from high school students to doctors, lawyers to police officers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Cali - Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia&#8217;s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt was people from all walks of life, which was awesome,\u201d Caruso said. \u201cWe all just were really supportive of each other and got to know each other well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now the goal is to recreate that community while much of the Palisades is still rebuilding.<\/p>\n<p>A major focus will be children whose old routines and gathering places vanished in the fire. LUDUS will offer after-school Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes for children ages three to seven and eight to 12.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now in the Palisades, majority of it is still burned down, all the commercial zones,\u201d Caruso said. \u201cThere\u2019s really nowhere for those kids to go after school or go do after-school activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gavsie is a sixth-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who spent roughly two decades teaching martial arts in the Palisades before the fire destroyed his gym. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The new LUDUS martial arts gym at Palisades Village will feature roughly 1,000 square feet of mat space, heavy bags and seating for parents. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>LUDUS, a new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing and mixed martial arts gym, is opening Aug. 15 at Palisades Village. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The gym will also offer a women\u2019s self-defense program led by black belt instructor Anna Kemper, an active jiu-jitsu competitor and former professional athlete.<\/p>\n<p>The space will feature roughly 1,000 square feet of mats, white oak finishes, floor-to-ceiling glass, built-in seating for parents and multiple heavy bags for kickboxing.<\/p>\n<p>The interior was gutted, tested and cleaned before construction to ensure no smoke damage remained. For Caruso, the gym is rebuilding alongside his own effort to restore a life in the Palisades.<\/p>\n<p>He had lived there for seven years when the fire hit. His wife was pregnant, and, after losing their home, the couple relocated to Newport Beach for roughly six months.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cWe didn\u2019t really know what was going on, when we were going to be able to come home.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Cerrato is a first-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The interior of the gym was gutted, tested and cleaned before construction to ensure no smoke damage remained.  <span class=\"credit\">Photo Copyright John Chapple \/ instagram: @JohnChapple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Caruso works day-to-day with his family at Caruso and has also been involved in bringing Palisades Village back, with him working dually as a businessman and a resident who lost his own home.<\/p>\n<p>He said he hopes LUDUS can give others the same escape and sense of community martial arts gave him after the fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most incredible thing about what we\u2019re doing is we\u2019re bringing back a local business that was lost, that was there for 20 years, that we lost in the fire,\u201d Caruso said, \u201cand giving people a place to go again.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post News<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/email.nypost.com\/#california-post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download here!<\/a><br \/><strong>Home delivery<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\">Sign up here!<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/><\/a><strong>Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pacific Palisades is getting some of its fight back. A martial arts studio that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire is returning under a new name, new home and with one of its former students helping lead the comeback. Justin Caruso, who also lost his Palisades home in the blaze, has teamed up with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/137018538.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}