I started my Jiu jitsu training in January of 2018 at a Renzo Gracie Westchester, NY. I learned the fundamentals under Julio Ceaser Cruz and got my blue belt a year later. Unfortunately, Covid hit hindering my training but luckily, I got to train with a couple high level peeps in a shed for several months before my family left NY to rural VT. We purchased and ran a General Store and ended up opening a small gym as a 3-stripe blue belt in Readsboro, VT called RGS Underground. I had no one to train with so I had to build training partners from the ground up. As I was running a small part time club, I discovered Jon Manley, a professional UFC & Bellator veteran had opened a gym 30 minutes away. I supplemented my training by attending his gym for four years while running my gym for four years. Finally in Aug of 2025 we ended up merging our part time gyms to open up our current full-time gym called Steeple City Jiu Jitsu.