About Us

This is a club that wants to bring championship level Jiu Jitsu with the application of self defense to a small but ripe small town. We know that Fort Scott is our forever home, and we want to play our part in improving our community through skill development. You will learn how self discipline, perseverance, and overcoming challenges will not only improve your Jiu Jitsu, but if applied correctly can even improve your life.

History

Rickson Gracie- Our lineage stems from Rickson Gracie- called the “King of the Gracie family” however he only humbly claims to be a developer of Jiu Jitsu and gives credit to all the masters who came before him.

Rodrigo Vaghi (pictured on the right)- Rodrigo (a 6th degree black belt under Rickson) studied at the original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1980's. Rodrigo studied under Helio, Rickson and Royler along with the rest of the Gracie family. Rodrigo moved to St. Louis in 1996 where his school is headquartered today.

Instructors

Sophomore year of High school I moved to a new house and down the street  there was a gym just starting called Mid America Martial Arts. I walked in untrained and eager to learn at 15 years old, this was about 2003. I would train kickboxing and BJJ alternating each day. I did this off and on for few years until I was ready for an MMA fight. I started taking everything more serious at that point. From 2007 until today, I have been training, drilling, and excelling. I have been a sponge of knowledge around all things relating to combat sports. I gathered a 11-1 amateur and 7-1 pro MMA record. In 2020, I received my BJJ brown belt from my professors Rodrigo Vaghi and Ed Shobe. I currently am an active combat sports ref throughout many of the states in the Midwest. I love teaching and cannot wait to share what I know!