CT BJJ Black Belt: Meet Coach Mike

Coach Mike opened Performance Combat MMA gym in Wallingford, CT, to provide the best martial arts training environment for all ages and skill levels. He aims to see each student learn and grow their self-defense skills and confidence while achieving their fitness goals. 

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Coach Mike has trained in various martial arts for 26 years. He has nearly two decades of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training and obtained his BJJ black belt under Master Ricardo Cavalcanti. Further, he holds a black belt in karate and has trained extensively in Muay Thai, Russian Sambo, Wrestling, Boxing, and Judo.

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As a CT gym owner, Mike has many years of experience coaching Connecticut martial arts students. Coach Mike has a positive attitude that inspires and motivates his students, creating an enjoyable and engaging learning environment. He understands that learning martial arts takes time, and every student progresses at their own pace. For this reason, he finds opportunities to provide one-on-one feedback and guidance, even in group classes. Beyond physical techniques, martial arts emphasize personal growth, discipline, and character development. Mike imparts these values to students and serves as their role model.

What Our Members Are Saying About Coach Mike:

"My son (14.5 yrs old) has been training with Coach Mike at Performance Combat MMA for a little over 2 years now. He started with the Kids MMA program and now also trains with the adults in BJJ, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. While he had some previous BJJ experience, he has improved so much in this time, and he's gained a lot of confidence in his abilities. He now competes regularly in BJJ competitions and has a kickboxing match under his belt with another on the horizon. Coach Mike is very knowledgeable and great with both kids and adults, from training in various disciplines, correlating techniques to self-defense vs. competition, to fighter preparation, and really knowing the regional fight scene. He has some great fighters competing out of the gym now and several promising up-and-comers in the wings." - Andy

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"Great environment. Mike is a great coach he knows how to train people at all different levels of martial arts, from beginners to pros. The competition team is a big family who supports you all the time throughout your journey. I love this place." - Joshua