06/05/2026
I wanted to wait a little with all the other posts from the weekend to put up a separate post for Mike. Last week Mike was awarded his black belt in BJJ.
Mike has been training with us since we were at the yellow school where Mass BJJ first started out. He came to us with some jiu-jitsu knowledge already and I remember thinking when I first trained with him that he was both technical and tough. Way back then Mike was ahead of the times trying all sorts of crazy leg locks on everyone.
He stayed with us for several years and then took some time off the mats. Once he returned he has been one of the constants in the day class. It is rare to have a noon BJJ class that Mike doesn’t show up for.
Mike is a great role model at the school as I know he doesn’t want me to post his age because when people complain about why they can’t train at age 40 or 50 I yell across the room, “Mike how old are you?” He just smiles and says, “Age is just a number.” Never gives an answer and keeps on training.
Through his journey he has balanced his game between learning and chasing the meta in competitive jiu-jitsu and honing and refining the fundamentals of jiu-jitsu.
More importantly, Mike always has a smile on his face from when he is helping a newer student or Ryan is kneeling on it.
Congrats on your promotion Mike!
