I am a 34 year old Black-Belt in BJJ. I started training Traditional Jiu Jitsu in mid 2007 under Ben Reay of reACTION Martial Arts, Auckland. I received my Green-Belt under Ben and my Blue and Purple-Belts in TJJ under Christiaan Buijsers of J1 Jiu jItsu, Auckland. I started training BJJ in mid 2013 under Vanderson Pires who awarded my first two stripes as a White-Belt. I trained under Vanderson from 2013 until 2017. I trained 'regularly' for about 3 of those 4 years at the Combat Room in Wellington. I was just shy of completing my Blue-Belt Grading under Vanderson, but ended up leaving the country. I moved to Germany in 2017 and shortly there-after started training under Milton Fernando Ferreira of Kamikaze BJJ Academy in Bochum, DE. I received my Blue Belt from Milton on June 13 of 2018 and my Purple Belt from him on 21 December of 2019. In early 2020 I moved back to New Zealand and rejoined the Combat Room under Vanderson. On the 8th of May 2022, I received my Brown Belt, and on the 4th of May 2024 I was awarded my Black Belt.