Professor Manny Gonzales was born March 31, 1989 in Fallbrook, California. In 2003, at the age of 14 he started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Gracie Barra black belt Ricardo Guimaraes in Temecula, California, instantly falling in love with the sport, he began training as often as possible, competing and doing well on the local circuit. He has over 10 years of experience teaching and training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Manny has had the privilege of training with legends of the sport such as Royler Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr., Roberto “Gordo” Correia, Braulio Estima and others.  Manny started teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 16, assisting kid's and adult classes as well as continuing his own training. At the age of 17, Manny became a home school student and began to teach and train full time.

In January 2011, wanting to improve his skills in BJJ, Manny took a four month trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Living in Rio gave Manny the opportunity to train up to three times a day under the tutelage of world class instructors such as Roberto “Gordo” Correia, his brother Rafael “Gordinho” Correia, and Rommel Cardozo along with training partners such as Robson Gracie, Raphael Dos Anjos, and Leonardo de Sousa.

In July 2012, after almost nine years of training, Manny was promoted to the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Guimaraes.  Upon receiving his black belt, he took a teaching trip to Cairns, Australia for six months to train and teach with some friends he had met in Brazil. Manny continues to teach and train and hone his skills as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Over the years Manny has competed in over 100 matches in BJJ in over 30 competitions including:

    •    American Nationals (2006 1st place, Lightweight Division)

    •    OTM BJJ Championships (2007 1st place Absolute Division)

    •    Copa Pacifica (2007 2nd place Absolute Division)

    •    Gracie U.S. Nationals (2008 2nd place Absolute Division)

    •    North American BJJ Federation (2007 3rd place Lightweight Division)

    •    North American BJJ Federation (2011 1st place Lightweight Division)

    •    Pan American Championship

    •    BJJ Mundials (World Championship)