Alex is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Paul Nava.  He has been training and competing across the country since the rank of white belt.  Alex has won and been the runner up in many International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) tournaments as well as professional “Super Fights”.  He has extensive experience as a kids coach, a fundamentals coach, and advanced techniques coach.  He received his Black Belt from Paul Nava and the Ares Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association in September 2019.  As the head instructor of Ares East Mesa Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy, his goal is to make a positive change in the lives of his students and the community.

Koa has achieved a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He has competed and has medaled multiple times both in in-state and out-of-state tournaments as well as Pro-Fights – Fight 2 Win- No Gi. Koa will be coaching our Mixed Levels No-Gi program, which is currently scheduled on Tuesdays & Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Josh started training jiu jitsu at the age of 12. Received his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt at the age of 20 under Tom Knox. Josh has been competing in tournaments and events since white belt throughout the world. Currently competes internationally as a Black Belt Professional Athlete. He has won various major tournaments and titles from organizations such as IBJJF and F2W.
Josh has years of experience teaching kids, adults, and competition classes with high level instruction. He looks forward to pass down his knowledge of the art he has gained throughout his journey over the years.

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2020)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals (2020)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2021)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• Fight 2 Win 145 lbs No-Gi Champion (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2019 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi Juvenile (2016)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship Juvenile (2016)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship Juvenile (2017)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship Juvenile (2017)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship Juvenile (2016)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2019 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2019 purple)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Asian Open (2019 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2018 purple)

3X IBJJF World Champion
IBJJF Pan American champion

I’ve spent 9 years in the Navy and that’s where I started my martial arts journey. I took Muay Thai for 2 years but being consistent while underway was difficult. Shortly after transitioning to civilian life I started Jiu Jitsu at a Royce Gracie affiliated school where I received my blue belt. I was given an opportunity to relocate to the SF Bay Area and there I trained at One World Jiu Jitsu under Mike Prudencio where I received my purple belt. After a lengthy layoff (recovering from surgery, getting my MBA and being lazy) I relocated to Arizona and visited several BJJ gyms and am fortunate to have found Nava / Ares BJJ. I lost weight, got my mojo back and received my brown belt in July of 2020. I’ve always been a mentor and I love to teach. There are few things more life changing than Jiu Jitsu and I am honored to join the coaching staff at Ares East Mesa. It should be noted that I was voted “Most Likely to be the Nicest Guy You’ll Ever be Submitted by” – NotLanta 2020

Virginia born but Californian by heart my fitness journey started in 2008 when my fiancée and I moved across the country. I wanted to be in the best shape of my life for my upcoming wedding however, growing up a bookworm with very little desire to be athletic left me uncertain on where to start. I decided that trying group fitness classes would help give me some direction and was hooked!Leaving countless classes full of motivation and inspiration from the instructors I decided that this was something that I wanted todo. I want to show others that it doesn’t matter where you start-you just have to start. I love showing other show to challenge themselves and just how strong they are both mentally and physically. My journey started over 12 years ago, and I continue chasing my fitness and helping others meet their goals. Experiences: Athletics and Aerobic Fitness Association (AFAA) Group Fitness Instructorand Nutrition certified. Schwinn Indoor Cycle Instructor NPC Bikini Competitor trained bycurrent Ms.Fitness Olympia Whitney Jones Crossfit and Olympic Lifting trained by one of the worlds top athletes Chyna Cho. These experiences have opened doors to allow me to become a MuscleEgg sponsored athlete and a BSN/Optimum Nutrition regional demo representative during my competing years. I’m also owner of Wanderlust Studio AZ and have done hair and makeup for tons of events andphotoshoots. Fun! You can find me training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (current obsession!), teaching our exciting FitMethod classes here at Ares East MesaBJJ or doing a little hair and makeup on occasion!

Chris Academia is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He started training in 2005 in Maui, HI. In 2007, he moved to Arizona where he continued to train. He won gold at the 2018 American Nationals in Las Vegas. In that same year, he debuted in a professional fight. He continues to train and pursue his dream of opening an academy in the hopes of changing other’s lives through BJJ, the way that it changed his.