BLOG

I started training in 2012 under Burak Değer Biçer (Corvos Combat) and attended 2013 Europeans as a white belt. After attending to Europeans I got extremely impressed by the atmosphere there and decided to quit college and become a full time athlete. People are surprised when they hear it because I was just a white belt when I took that decision. I wasn't happy with college and my studies. But I knew I had to take that decision sooner or later, the same decision I took before I sta …

You can now find all high quality fight gear and clothing products at the brand-new Superare Fight Shop in Los Angeles! They sell a variety of fight gear and apparel, including Moya. Owner, Zach Lipari, just opened his new shop in LA in early January of this year. Zach Lipari started Superare fight shop 7 years ago in Long Island, NY. They were the only outlet in Long Island for fight gear and clothing. At the time, the concept of fight shops was relatively new and they aimed to “not only a …

Attaining a knack for being successful in one sport is impressive in itself, but being successful in two separate sports is on another level. Tom Knox has proved to have done just that in BJJ and skating. Tom has recently won pans for the third year in a row at the masters black belt medium heavy division and has been a well-known figure in the skating community. Tom’s hot streak at pans began in 2016. The previous two years, he won the tournament at the middleweight division. T …

Hurricane Harvey was only one of the recent devastation's our nation faced in the past year. Although some might be focused on the horrific events, we would like to put a spotlight on those who lent a helping hand for those in need. Mike Calimbas is a well-known professional photographer in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu scene. His work can be found on almost all world renowned BJJ athletes’ pages. As a Texas resident, he wanted to offer help in the best way he thought possible. Calim …

We here at MOYA are proud partners with our brothers & sisters at the Mauli Ola Foundation (MOF).  For the last several years MOYA x MOF has banded together to further spread the word of the natural heeling that our great Oceans possess.  It was our collective goal to create, design and produce clothing and Jiu Jitsu Gis, in which the proceeds would be donated to the Mauli Ola Foundation.  MOF originally started out conducting "Surf Experience Days," in which, children and ad …

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become a silver lining for many of the youth in Brazil. Giovanna Caxias Canuto found the sport at only 7 years old in Manaus, Brazil. She contacted Hector Vasquez of Cobrinha BJJ, saying that she wanted to train with Cobrinha himself in the states; after Pans Kids, however, Giovanna decided to train under Hector Vasquez in Vegas where she made a great addition to his team. Although she's only been training there for 5 months, Hector shared with us that she t …

Fight to Win PRO 51 - Brooklyn New York featured some of the hottest talent on the East Coast Jiu Jitsu scene.  MOYA is honored to have had 3 top athletes participate in such a solid show.  All three of our brothers, Devhonte Johnson (Unity BJJ, New Jersey), Rehan Muttalib (Marcelo Garcia, NYC) and Nick Salles (Marcelo Garcia, NYC), put on amazing displays of technical Jiu Jitsu.  All three Athletes submitted their opponents.  Congrats boyz!!!Rehan Muttalib (above)Nick Salles …

Some people know what they want from the very beginning. Our second degree black belt, Michael Cusi is no exception. After watching the UFC Night of Champions with Royce Gracie, where he discovered the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He started at Roy Harris' academy in August 2000. Ten years later, he earned his black belt from Harris himself. Cusi shared with us that BJJ positively changed his life. He gained a stronger self-confidence, made a lot of valuable friendships, and he lear …

Joining our team this year is 3rd degree black belt, Guto Campos. At age 18, he felt the need to learn a self-defense martial arts sport. Growing up and being in Brazil all his life, he found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His first professor was Carlos Aveline, also Master Walter Mattos' student. One day, Campos' mom told him to find a job to help make money for their household. He was afraid that this would interrupt his training, so he began to teach in their living room. Campos' mother w …

Sometimes we begin somewhere and end up at a completely different and new place. That's exactly what happened to our very own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Tom Knox. Originally a black belt in Judo, one of his training partners began to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and asked if he was interested. After some time, Knox was hooked and did BJJ full-time. On top of being a black belt, he's also a professional skater. For him, skating and BJJ balance him out by keeping his life at a vari …