Murilo Santana is from the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He started training with Mario Yamasaki (the famous UFC referee) in Sao Paulo, earning his black belt training with the Yamasaki Academy. When Yamasaki moved to the United States to open an academy and later referee MMA events, Santana decided to move to the Equipe Barbosa, a team led by Marcos Barbosa where Murilo already had many personal friends. Under the Barbosa banner, Santana’s Jiu Jitsu flourished.
A world-renowned Jiu Jitsu competitor and instructor, Murilo Santana has fought all over the world, winning some of his sport’s most prestigious titles. He has also taught Jiu Jitsu all over the world for more than 15 years, attaining a reputation for his knowledge and attention to detail. He is an Open Weight World Champion, and a coach of numerous other black belt World Champions and vice-Champions.
Main Achievements:
1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2007 /2010 / 2012)
1st Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2013*)
1st Place CBJJE World Championship (2007*)
1st Place ADCC Brazilian SP Trials (2011)
1st Place IBJJF Houston Winter Open (2020)
2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2010)
3rd Place IBJJF World Championships (2014 / 2008 / 2007)
3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2008*)
3rd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2016)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2020*)
3rd Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2010/2018)
4th Place ADCC World Championship (2011*)
** Absolute
** Weight and absolute

See more at: https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/murilo-santana-facts-and-bio

Ana is responsible for the general creation of the gym, and specifically the Kids Programs, Women’s Programs and Introduction Program, as it was first implemented.
Originally from Maine, Ana began training Jiu Jitsu in 2006, managed a world famous Jiu Jitsu academy in the Washington, D.C. area before relocating to Sao Paulo, Brazil for five years of hard training and relentless competition. Training and competing under Cicero Costha’s PSLPB Social Project (a project that brings underprivileged children into Jiu Jitsu), she became a 2x Brown belt No Gi World Champion, as well as a No Gi Pan American Champion and Brazilian National Champion in both the Middleweight Division, and in the Open Weight Division.
She created the Able Approach Introductory Program, an innovative solution to all the common setbacks faced by those first learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Using her experience teaching women’s programs and seminars, Ana designed a cutting-edge women’s program for Unity Jiu Jitsu, leading the way in a training environment for women that is designed specifically with them in mind, and for the good of everyone’s training.
Her teaching style is very conceptual, and based around the idea that everyone is uniquely able to contribute to the evolution of Jiu Jitsu.
Ana is currently back home in Maine, working remotely for the good of the gym, and hoping to create and teach again in the near future!

Leandro Lo is one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes to have ever competed in the gi class (kimono) and a record holder for most IBJJF World titles in different weight classes (5) — light, middle, medium-heavy, heavy and open weight, a 20-year-old record broken in 2020 (more details here). A former student of Cicero Costha, Leandro Lo’s first steps towards grappling stardom were taken in April 2011 when he defeated Michael Langhi (who had been unbeaten for 3 years), on his way to the top of the podium of the UAEJJF World Pro. Since that win, Leandro Lo cemented himself as one of the best “Pound for Pound” grapplers to have ever graced a mat, with repeated wins at the World Championships, the prestigious Copa Pódio, and Pan American Championships.

Leandro Lo was born on the 11th of May, 1989 on the east side of São Paulo – Brazil. He started practicing Jiu-Jitsu through the Projecto Social Lutando Pelo Bem (PSLPB) a social project for underprivileged children in 2004, a project led by Cicero Costha.
Leandro was a natural athlete and won many important titles as a junior, such as the Mundial in 2005, medalling again in 2006. Known as a spider guard /triangle type of grappler, when he was a purple belt, Lo’s game would change due to an injury suffered when he was a purple belt, which kept him away from competitions for few months. Not having the pressure to perform every weekend, it was during his “competition-free” phase that Lo started working on his top game, a game for which he would become known during his black belt heyday.
In 2007 the world’s biggest organization (CBJJ/IBJJF) moved its most important tournament, the Mundial, to the United States seeking worldwide recognition. With the change, many Brazilian competitors (Leandro included) lost their window, the best way to showcase their skills to a wider audience, as they did not have the means to travel to America. These grapplers were left with smaller events, most of which were won by Lo.
It was on April 14th of 2011 that Leandro finally turned a few heads his way. After winning the trials in the south of Brazil (Gramado), Lo went on to defeat two legends in the tournament’s final stage, Celso Vinicius and Michael Langhi. Langhi was widely considered the best lightweight in the world and hadn’t lost a competition in 3 years. In 2012 Leandro Lo settled his name as the best lightweight competitor in the world, after wins at the Mundial (World Championship) the Pan American and the Brazilian Nationals. Leandro also established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the open weight divisions with a win at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals and a second place at the No-Gi World Championship.
After winning all the main competitions at lightweight, Leandro Lo went up a weight division. Fighting at middleweight did not faze his performance as he kept winning all the top grappling competitions with and without the gi.
In late September 2015, Leandro Lo and a few of his teammates severed their bonds with the PSLPB team, moving on to form their own academy, led by Lo. Jiu-Jitsu New School Brotherhood was the name of the new team.  Among the most significant athletes who left with Leandro, were: Luiza Monteiro, Helio Dias, Gustavo “Braguinha”, Ygor Schneider, Anderson Lira, and Wellington Luís.
In June 2018 Leandro was hoping to match Saulo Ribeiro’s 4 IBJJF world titles in 4 different weight classes, after came up short in 2017.  He reached the final against Mahamed Aly but was forced to quit after a shoulder injury from a throw dislocated his shoulder. Although still scheduled to compete in the final of the open weight class against Marcus Almeida, the injury prevented him from stepping on the mat and all hope of matching Ribeiro’s record was lost. That was until Marcus chose to forfeit the title and not to challenge Leandro, this way awarding the São Paulo native his first absolute title and his 4th world title in a different weight class.

Leandro is kept mainly with his responsibilities in Sao Paulo, but joins us in New York City for training and competition as often as he’s able to.

See more at: https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/leandro-lo-pereira

Devhonte Johnson was born in Paterson, New Jersey, United States of America, being raised in one of the most crime-afflicted areas of Passaic County called the 4th ward, on a street named Godwin Avenue.
As a child Johnson became increasingly interested in sports, and although he played a few at school it wasn’t until high school that Devhonte found something he really enjoyed and wanted to pursue: Baseball, a sport he played in parallel with basketball through his freshman and sophomore years at Eastside High School, choosing to focus solely on baseball after that.
Although Devhonte saw baseball as his passion, during his senior year he discovered jiu-jitsu, a martial art that soon took over on Johnson’s priorities ranking. Not one to split his focus unnecessarily, the young New Jersey athlete decided to quit the ball game and swap it for the gi, becoming a two sessions per day type student from the very get-go.
Coach Edson Carvalho was Devhonte’s first instructor and the man who guided Johnson up to purple belt. As a white belt, young “Bones” was of the belief that he could go far in the sporting facet of jiu-jitsu and trained hard to achieve his goals. Although he loved his team, Devhonte felt his fellow training partners lacked his competition mindset – the class consisting mainly of over 30’s part-time trainers.
Searching for a room where he could have a world-class instruction and sparring, Devhonte decided to leave team Carvalho in 2015, then joining Unity Jiu-Jitsu in New York City with coach Murilo Santana. The head instructor at Unity took Devhonte under his wing, structuring his training and raising the youngster’s attributes to a professional level.
It was also during this purple belt stage that Devhonte started his coaching career, being given a few classes at Unity HQ in Manhattan. Months later, after a few requests from personal friends who asked Johnson to teach BJJ to their kids, and as those friendly privates became consistent in numbers of students, there was the need to grow into a gym, Bones ended up opening his own Unity Jiu-Jitsu affiliate in New Jersey.
On August 2018, after a spectacular year as a brown belt, when Devhonte conquered titles in the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, IBJJF European Open Championship as well as the IBJJF Pans No-Gi Championship, Johnson was awarded his black belt rank by coach Murilo Santana.
To keep up to date with Coach “Bones” tournament results follow his social media pages!
https://www.instagram.com/_bonesbjj_/
https://www.facebook.com/devhonte.johnson

We are proud to have Devhonte “Bones” Johnson as the head instructor of Unity Jiu Jitsu-New Jersey, Bones BJJ. Devhonte trains under the tutelage of world renowned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor Murilo Santana in New York City and brings the same dedication, principles, and commitment that he trains with to his own students.

Devhonte commutes from New Jersey every day to train with us in the Pro Training, and evening classes. He helps out instructing some of the 5:30pm Open Drilling Classes, and competes in just about every competition available to him.

Main Achievements:
1st Place IBJJF European Open NoGi (2019)
1st Place IBJJF New York Fall NoGi Open (2018)
1st Place IBJJF Washington DC Open (2019)
2nd Place IBJJF European Open NoGi (2019*)
2nd Place Subversive Team Tournament (2020)
3rd Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2018)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi (2019**)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2020)

Main Achievements (colored belts):
1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2017 purple, 2018 brown)
1st Place IBJJF World NoGi Championship (2014 blue, 2015 / 2016 purple, 2017 brown)
1st Place IBJJF European Open (2017* purple, 2018 brown)
1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2016 / 2017 purple)
1st Place IBJJF Pans No-Gi Championship (2014** blue, 2016 purple, 2018** brown)
1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NoGi (2017** brown)
1st Place IBJJF NY Summer Open (2017** brown)
1st Place IBJJF NY Summer Open NoGi (2017** brown)
2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2016 purple)
2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2017 purple, 2018 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2018 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2016* purple)
3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2015* purple)
3rd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2015 purple)
3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018 brown)
** Absolute
** Weight and absolute
See more at: https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/devhonte-johnson

Edwin Ocasio, commonly known as Junny Ocasio is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Santana, and one of the main representatives of the Unity Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York City, USA. Junny gained recognition in the grappling world, particularly under the nogi setting by consistently competing in different rulesets with great success, be it submission-only, Kasai Pro or International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) rules.
Edwin Ocasio was born on January 23, 1989, in the Bronx, one New York City’s most famous boroughs.
Growing up in a turbulent household, Ocasio endured extreme abuse early on in his life. These tragic circumstances led Junny to suffer from behavior issues at school and a general disconnection with the traditional academic setting.
At the age of 15, while attending high school in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Junny found the sport of wrestling, and what he perceived to be his natural calling. A way to vent out his penned up frustrations without the repercussions that occurred in day-to-day life.
From the moment he started wrestling, Ocasio was hooked. Unfortunately, his sporting high-school career fell short at the age of 16, when Ocasio tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a wrestling match, causing him to cease his wrestling training. It would take him nearly six years to fix his injury, through surgery, but as soon as he did, he returned to combat sports.
It was in 2013 that Ocasio re-committed to combat, then joining a mixed martial art (MMA) academy. During his MMA training, Edwin noticed how much he enjoyed jiu-jitsu, an interest that grew to the point that he decided this was his preferred path in combat sports.
Coaches Christian Montes and Carlo Chan were Junny Ocasio’s first instructors at Ronin Athletics, and it was while training with them that Edwin met and befriended Murilo Santana, then the future founder of the Unity Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
At the time when Ocasio met Murilo, the famous grappler was looking for a space in which to open a gym in New York City. While scouting for places, Santana trained at the same gym as Junny (Ronin). More often than not, Ocasio would open the gym up in the early hours of the day and would train by himself with Murilo, a ritual that lasted for months. Santana became Junny’s sparring partner and coach, for the most part, during this process and once he found the space to open his gym, Junny decided to switch teams, then becoming the first Unity JJ student.
Santana quickly grew into more than a coach, a mentorship that led to Ocasio’s brown belt promotion on in 2017, and his black belt grading on August 3, 2019.

Junny trains in the Pro Training every day, and in the evening as much as possible. He also teaches our 7am Classes and the 5:30pm Class on Wednesdays.
 
Main Achievements:
F2W Bantamweight Champion (2020)
1st Place IBJJF New York Spring No Gi Open (2020)
1st Place IBJJF New York Spring Open (2019)
1st Place IBJJF Mexico City No Gi Open (2019)
2nd Place Kasai 6 Grand Prix (2019)
2nd Place IBJJF Austin Winter Open (2020)
3rd Place IBJJF No Gi World Championship (2019)
3rd Place IBJJF European No Gi Open (2019)
3rd Place IBJJF Kansas City Open (2020)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):
1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2017 purple)
1st Place IBJJF Boston Spring Open (2018 brown)
1st Place Sub-Spectrum Invitational 135 lbs (2019)
1st Place SOGI Invitational 135 lbs (2019)
1st Place KASAI Pro 155lbs Qualifier (2017)
2nd Place KASAI Pro 135lbs Qualifier (2019)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2014 blue, 2016 purple)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2015 purple)
3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2018 brown)
* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

See more at: https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/junny-ocasio

We are lucky to have Gene Kobilansky teaching our Wrestling classes, as he is one of New York University’s most decorated wrestlers, is in his sixth season as an assistant coach of the program there. He works mainly with the team’s middleweights.

Inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame in May 2018, Kobilansky has helped the NYU wrestling team amass a 75-29 (.721) dual-meet record and capture four University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships during his first five years on the coaching staff.

The 2017-18 campaign was another successful one for NYU as the team posted a 12-10 record and won the Ned McGinley Invitational at King’s College in November. The squad also excelled at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, finishing fourth and qualifying four wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, where NYU produced a 19^th-place national finish.

Sophomore Evan Drill (fourth place – 149 pounds) and senior Raymond Jazikoff (fourth place – 157 pounds) both earned All-America honors after qualifying for the NCAA Championships by winning their respective weight classes at the Northeast Regionals. Sophomores Sean Lyons (141) and Matt Noble (133) also qualified for nationals.

The roster also featured five UAA All-Association honorees in ’17-‘18: Drill, Jazikoff, sophomores Jack Kligerman (184) and Jack La Corte (197), and junior Santino Pelusi (285). In addition, Jazikoff set team records for most wins in a season (48) and career (149).

In 2016-17, Nathan Pike became the program’s first-ever National Champion when he captured the 133-pound title at the NCAA Championships. He was joined by Blaise Benderoth (184 pounds – sixth place) as All-Americans, while both John Messinger (174) and Jacob Donato (125) also qualified for the NCAA Championships. NYU had a successful dual-meet season as well, finishing with an 18-4 record and its sixth-straight UAA Championship. Additionally, Kobilansky and the NYU staff were honored as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

Since returning to NYU as an assistant coach, Kobilansky has helped developed nine All-Americans, including Pike and Brandon Jones ’13, who each earned the prestigious honor three times. Additionally, the squad has succeeded as a team at the NCAA Championships under Kobilansky, finishing as high as 12^th in 2015.

A 2007 NYU graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, Kobilansky was a four-year member of the wrestling team. He compiled 118 career victories, the fourth-highest total in program history. Kobilansky recorded 64 wins at 141 pounds, the most ever by an NYU grappler in that weight class, while his 48 victories at 149 pounds is the third-highest total.

During his NYU career, Kobilansky earned UAA Rookie of the Year honors and then UAA Most Outstanding Wrestler accolades as a senior. He was a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and UAA All-Academic honoree, an 11-time UAA Athlete of the Week selection and was the first three-time NCAA Championships qualifier in NYU program history.

Kobilansky, who also earned a certification in management consulting from Yale University in 2007, went on to win a silver medal in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the Pan Am Games in 2012. He also currently does private instruction with aspiring Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters.

A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Kobilansky was raised in Rochester, NY, and resides in Manhattan.

Felipe Cesar, also referenced as Felipe Silva or simply “Felipinho”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Marco Barbosa, as well as a representative of the well known São Paulo based team Barbosa Jiu Jitsu team (B9), as well as Unity JJ in New York City. Well known for his submission oriented game, Cesar’s reputation was earned during his brown belt campaign of 2013-2014, and was later cemented as a black belt.
Felipe Cesar Silva was born on the 14th of August, 1992 in Araçatuba, Brazil. He started training jiu-jitsu in 2008 with coach Gilberto Gabas at the Gabas JJ Academy, an affiliate of Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu academy in the city of Araçatuba. Felipe remained with coach Gabas until his blue belt.
At the end of his blue belt career, Felipe understood he had the talent to succeed in the sport and decided to go pro, leaving everything behind to move to the Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu headquarters (B9) in Sao Paulo and train full time.
After a fantastic run at brown belt where he medalled in the world championships (gi and no-gi) as well as the Brazilian nationals (gi and no gi) he was graded a black belt by his coach Barbosa on July 2014. From 2016 Felipe became a regular face in the New York City-based academy – Unity JJ.

Main Achievements:
1st Place ADCC Brazilian SP Trials (2017)
1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2019*)
1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NoGi (2015)
1st Place IBJJF Houston Winter Open (2020)
1st Place UAEJJF New York City Pro (2016**)
1st Place IBJJF Sao Paulo Open NoGi (2015*)
1st Place Desafio UK Challenge Champion (2015)
2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2019)
2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2017)
2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NoGi (2018*)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2016)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2019)
3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi (2018)
3rd Place IBJJF Houston Winter Open (2020*)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):
1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2013 brown)
1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi (2013** brown)
1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2013 purple)
1st Place IBJJF Sao Paulo Open (2013 brown)
1st Place IBJJF Sao Paulo Open NoGi (2013 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2014* brown)
2nd Place IBJJF WorldChampionship NoGi (2013 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan American Championship NoGi (2016)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2013 purple)
3rd Place IBJJF World  Championship (2014 brown)
3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2014 brown, 2012 purple)
* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

See more at: https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/felipe-cesar

Chloé is a brown belt under Murilo Santana and has been training at Unity Jiu Jitsu since 2016. At Unity, Chloé has become a World Champion, Pan American Champion and Brazilian National Champion. Chloé’s proudest accomplishment is being able to teach at Unity Jiu Jitsu alongside her teammates and family. She is very grateful to be a part of a community that transforms and positively enriches peoples’ lives.

Chloé grew up a competitive athlete in the San Francisco Bay Area. She worked at a ranch from the age of 9 years old where she trained and competed in a multitude of Equestrian disciplines, eventually, reaching the Junior Olympic circuit as a teenager. At 18, she moved to NYC to study at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Chloé first tried Jiu Jitsu in 2014, but it wasn’t until 2015, when she was working at NBCUniversal that was finally able to start training Jiu Jitsu regularly. Addicted to the fact that it made her incredibly uncomfortable, she quickly rearranged her schedule so she could train before work, during lunch and after work as well. In 2016 after her first IBJJF competition, Chloé began training at Unity Jiu Jitsu. Three months later, she quit her job to pursue Jiu Jitsu full time under the guidance of Murilo Santana. Supporting herself by coaching 5am CrossFit classes and with personal training clients, Chloé was able to make her dreams come true by evolving into a full-time athlete. Nowadays, if she’s not traveling for a tournament, you can find her on the mat in almost every class either, training, teaching or working with privates clients.

Main Achievements:
1st Place IBJJF European Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2019 brown)
1st Place Kasai Pro 6 Superfight Champion (2019 brown)
1st Place IBJJF Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship (2019 purple)
1st Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2020 brown)
1st Place IBJJF Brazilian Nationals (2018 purple)
1st Place IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2017 blue)
2nd Place IBJJF American Nationals (2020 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2020* brown)
2nd Place Subversive Team Tournament (2020 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Championship (2019** purple)
2nd Place IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2018** purple)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship (2018 purple)
2nd Place IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Championship (2017* blue)
2nd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2017 blue)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2017 blue)
2nd Place IBJJF Pan Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2016 blue)
3rd Place IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2019 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF European Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2019* brown)
3rd Place IBJJF No Gi American Nationals (2020 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Championship (2017 blue)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship (2017 blue)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship (2017* blue)
* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

Born in Sydney, Australia Levi Jones-Leary is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Santana. Widely recognized as one of the top competitors of his generation, Jones-Leary is also part of the first batch of high level athletes produced by the Unity JJ academy of New York – USA, a label earned after important wins in the colored belt divisions such as at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World (brown belt), Pan American (brown + purple belt) and European Open (brown belt) titles.
Levi Jones-Leary was born on March 13, 1997, in Bondi, Sydney – Australia where he spent most of his formative years, with the exception of a short period spent in the United States as a child.
Highly competitive from a young age, Levi competed in athletics sports specializing in the 100-meter dash (sprint) while also testing his skills in football (soccer) prior to finding jiu-jitsu.
During his mid-teens, Jones-Leary became disenchanted with academic life and was pondering leaving school altogether. It was around then that a social program called “Links 4 Learning” introduced Levi to mixed martial arts (MMA). Links 4 Learning was a project designed to help kids at risk of abandoning the Australian education system by providing a series of activities, taking kids out of school once per week to introduce them to a variety of self-expressing platforms. MMA was immediately appealing to 15-year-old Jones.
From MMA Levi Jones-Leary quickly shifted to jiu-jitsu, learning the trade from Guilherme Neves at the Garage Jiu-Jitsu academy. From the get-go Levi understood BJJ was where he wanted to take his life and started pursuing it as a career, leaving school and quickly becoming a kids instructor at the Garage.
In trying to become a world-class competitor Levi started traveling to the United States prior to big tournaments such as the IBJJF World Championship and Pan. To prepare for these events Jones trained at Rubens Charles (Cobrinha) academy in Los Angeles. This was until 2015 when the Unity Jiu-Jitsu academy opened its doors in New York.
Being a tremendous fan of Paulo and João Miyao, as well as Murilo Santana – all members of Unity. Jones-Leary daydreamed of training alongside this trio. To accomplish this goal he found a job at an Australia furniture delivery company, working for a while and saving enough money to travel to the States. Once there Levi worked as hard as he could, gaining the trust and recognition of head coach Murilo, then becoming part of the team.
After a few years competing under the Unity JJ flag, Levi Jones-Leary earned his black belt from the hands of Murilo Santana, on June 2018 after an outstanding competitive year at brown belt.

Main Achievements:
1st Place IBJJF European Open (2019)
1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2019)
1st Place Spyder Invitational GP (2019)
2nd Place Subversive Team Tournament (2020)
2nd Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, Abu Dhabi (2019)
Main Achievements (Colored Belts):
1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2018 brown)
1st Place IBJJF European Open (2018 brown)
1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2018 brown, 2017 purple)
1st Place IBJJF Pans NoGi Championship (2016/2015 purple)
1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, Abu Dhabi (2018 brown)
1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, Tokyo (2017 purple)
1st Place UAEJJF North American Continental (2018 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2015 blue)
2nd Place IBJJF Juvenile World No-Gi Championship (2014*)
3rd Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2016** purple)
3rd Place IBJJF Juvenile World No-Gi Championship (2014)
3rd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2017 purple)
* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

See more at: https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/levi-jones-leary