BLOG

The IBJJF Masters Worlds happened not too long ago on August 25-27 in Las Vegas. It was a jammed-packed tournament that had some of the biggest names in the game including our very own black belt, Rodrigo Medeiros. He had 3 fights in the middle weight division, where he won the silver medal. He also did the Pan Americans this past March in the Master 4 Lightweight division, where he won the gold. What people might not know are the obstacles he had to face after Pan Ams, before heading for the Ma …

They say good things happen to those who go out and work for it. It's no wonder that even from facing adversity, our 28-year-old teammate Julio Cordova eventually found his way to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 9 years ago. This was his way to steer away from the bad influences surrounding him. Julio has actually been in the martial arts scene since he was a child, practicing judo and karate. He's currently training Jiu-Jitsu as a brown belt at the Renzo Gracie/Skrap Pack academy in Mexico City. From becom …

It's about time that we talk about our multi-talented rep, Tom Knox. He moved to Visalia, CA from Torrance and started training judo when he was just 4 years old. 21 years later, he earned his black belt in the sport. Within this time span, someone introduced him to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1998 and ever since then, he was hooked to the game. Tom received his blue and purple belts from Royce Gracie, then his brown and black belt from Cleber Luciano. He said, "I owe a lot to him for his technical g …

Just over 10 years ago when she was a 15-year-old living in Brazil, Pati Fontes only dreamed about becoming a black belt World Champion. That dream pushed her all the way until she got promoted to black belt on the podium at last year's IBJJF Worlds by Lucas Leite. She wasted no time and immediately hopped on the highly-competitive tournament scene. Just 5 months after receiving her black belt, she became the IBJJF NoGi Worlds Light-feather Weight Champion. This year, Pati got 3rd …

It's crazy to see how kids are evolving in the Jiu-Jitsu community. It's not hard to spot the ones with amazing technique and well-rounded game throughout the many tournaments each year. MOYA Brand definitely found a gem within the youngsters, Anaya Falcon. She is an 11-year-old orange-white belt training out of Checkmat La Habra under Pati Fontes. She was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 5 years ago by her father (David Falcon) when he came across a Gracie Barra academy (Anaya's …

Women have been making a stand in the martial arts world. We're proud to announce that one of our very own was the main event at the most recent Invicta FC, an ALL female fighting organization. Alexa Grasso was chosen to fight against Jodie Esquibel in Kansas City this past 29th of July. After 3, 5-minute rounds, Alexa won by unanimous decision. She said that she had a very tough opponent, but that she felt great responsibility fighting in the main event so she held nothing back. After all, she …

Our rising star Alyssa Wilson has always been a household name in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world. Her age never stopped her from putting on a show every time she competed. This year, she began a new journey when she did tournaments in the adult blue belt division. She's done 7 tournaments so far this year, winning the gold for 5 of them, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. This might seem a lot for the normal competitors, but for Alyssa, she thought this was taking a step back from the tournament scene. She …

When someone is born to do something, nothing will be able to stand in their way from doing it. Tatiana Padilla is one of those people born to be a fighter. She was just 3 and a half years old when she started wrestling. Her uncles and her older brother wrestled before her, so she followed their example. Also, having ADHD as a kid, she found that wrestling was the only activity she loved enough to pay attention to. Tatiana excelled in wrestling while attending school. One of the ma …

It has always been said that people who do good, end up getting rewarded for their deeds no matter what. For our teammate, Ryan, his acts of leadership, generosity, and unwavering work ethic come naturally. He carries no intention of being recognized at all, but that doesn't mean that these things won't eventually come his way, TWICE! Ryan made it known early in his life that although he has ADHD and Asperger, absolutely nothing will stop him from accomplishing many great - and selfless - things …

From Tijuana, Mexico, comes a 25-year-old competitor who dedicates a great amount of hard work towards Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His name is Fernando Amado, but he goes by the name "Fer Ji." He trains regularly at the Entram Academy in Tijuana, Mexico, and also trains 2 days a week at the Atos HQ academy in San Diego. Fer Ji started off doing MMA, but then went on to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been in it for 3 years now in the gi. He trains in the gi 2 times a day, enjoying doing leg d …