Matt Salinas

My name is Matt Salinas and I am a jiu-jitsu black belt with two decades worth of martial arts training and over a decade of coaching experience.

Along my journey, I have been fortunate enough to travel the world to coach some of the top fighters in the UFC, Bellator, and Rizin. Such as former UFC World Champion Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza, and top UFC flyweight standouts, Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall and Louis "Da Last Samurai" Smolka, to just name a few. I have been the head coach for the MMA grappling team at Team Oyama MMA in Irvine and the head coach at 10th Planet locations Costa Mesa, Orange, and Buena Park. It is now my mission to lay roots in and serve the community of South Orange County.

What you can expect from my classes is a positive and beginner-friendly, family environment with a holistic approach to martial arts training. Meaning I want my students to be well-rounded. You will learn jiu-jitsu/wrestling for sport as well as self-defense. Not just one or the other and during class, I will point out the application for the given technique (sport, MMA, self-defense, or all)

I also place a massive emphasis on mobility and breathing techniques in my teaching as I believe those are keys to longevity in training, competition, and in life.

Although I do enjoy teaching the athlete, what holds my heart will always be teaching the fundamentals/beginners class. The fundamentals are vital. The building blocks to everything that we do. Additionally, I love witnessing the growth and evolution of a person at the start of their journey. Seeing the light bulb go off and witnessing the newfound confidence instilled in an individual that just began walking their martial arts path is what drives me to continue serving the community.

If you have any questions for me please don't hesitate to reach out.

See you on the mats