GDAProfessors On The Mat
Active competitors leading the room week to week.
Professor Mike Perez
Four-time ADCC veteran. Two-time ADCC Trials champion. IBJJF No-Gi Worlds silver medalist. The first 175 lb athlete to win the 99+ kg ADCC Trials.
Coached Kade and Tye Ruotolo and Jadeya Reber before they were household names. Two decades of high-level competition, now pointed at youth development.
He connects with kids before he coaches them. The respect goes both ways, and that is what lets him push an athlete without breaking one.
Professor Amanda Bruse
Black belt. FloGrappling top 20 pound-for-pound female grappler. IBJJF No-Gi Pan champion and ADCC Trials semifinalist. Holds a B.S. in clinical psychology, which shapes how she coaches athletes under pressure.
Professor Aaron Villanueva
Black belt and 2020 Masters World Champion. Gi specialist with a background in modern jiu-jitsu, back attacks, and lapel-based guard play. Also a professional referee for ADCC and NAGA.