At 10 years old, Samurai Marat is part of the AOJ children’s army, a team led by the Mendes bros in the USA. Despite his young age, Marat has extensive experience in fighting. He trained as a wrestler for six years until he found a new passion in Jiu-Jitsu.
“I loved wrestling and was becoming pretty good at it, so my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to try Jiu-Jitsu.”.
Since he started, Marat has already won important titles in the Gentle Art, all from IBJJF. Recently promoted to gray-black belt by Tainan Dalpra, he won the Pan Kids after three matches, finishing in the final. His most recent title was at the Jiu-Jitsu Con, in Vegas. Due to his experience in wrestling, Samurai Marat is dangerous to his opponents when it comes to takedowns.
“My wrestling experience definitely does give advantage, especially when it comes to take downs and hip throws.”.
Since joining AOJ, Samurai Marat has trained daily, for hours
It was through Alek Mendes, one of Marat’s opponents in competitions, that he met and became interested in the Mendes brothers’ AOJ. It is at the Jiu-Jitsu school in Costa Mesa that he improve his techniques, mentioning his ability as a guard passer.
“My game is built around strong take downs and top control. My professors are my mentors. They’re very supportive and challenge me to strive for excellence. At AOJ, I train from morning until sundown with my teammates.”.
Even as a young boy, with a long road ahead of him, Marat already sees himself in the future with a black-belt and exploring new territories with AOJ. “I want to open AOJ in Japan, Tokyo and Osaka.”, Marat said.
