Instructors
Sean Cerveny- Co-Owner & Head Instructor
Sean Cerveny is a Cesar Gracie black belt as well as a currently undefeated pro MMA fighter (5-0) and professional boxer.
His grappling career began when he started wrestling as a young kid. He soon discovered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; and in hopes of becoming a pro MMA fighter, he started training under Cesar Gracie with Darin Cooley, Nick and Nate Diaz as well as many other notable fighters in Stockton, CA where he is originally from.
He has been training Jiu Jitsu, Sambo, and mixed martial arts for over a decade and other forms of grappling for much longer . He has competed in many Jiu Jitsu and wrestling tournaments since he was 10 years old.
He is currently undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist and hopes to continue his career. He has fought internationally as well as on the regional level on shows such as Fury Fighting Championship and Legacy Fighting Alliance to name a couple. His fights have been televised on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+. Having finished all his fights in the first round with unorthodox finishes, Cerveny is widely recognized as a leg lock specialist.
Never turning down a challenge and an opportunity to test himself, he's also fought as a professional boxer, including a bout on Top Rank boxing. You can watch his fights here.
Before moving to Maine with his wife to pursue their dreams of opening a gym, Sean has lived in California and Texas where he's taught both adults and kids classes and has over 10 years of teaching experience.
Grace Cerveny- Co-Owner & Coach
Grace Cerveny started Jiu-Jitsu in 2015 at Graciefighter Manteca, in California for the purpose of learning practical self defense. She quickly developed a love for the art and now trains daily and competes in Jiu Jitsu tournaments.
She is currently a purple belt under Cesar Gracie and received her purple belt from her husband and instructor Sean Cerveny in May 2022.
She teaches all of our beginner's Jiu Jitsu classes and some advanced classes. She also runs our fitness classes and offers private lessons to kids.
Our Lineage
We are a Cesar Gracie school, meaning you will have the opportunity to learn from the some of the best instructors and attend world class seminars taught by Cesar Gracie black belts.
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Robson Gracie > Cesar Gracie > Nick Diaz > Darin Cooley > Sean Cerveny
Cesar Gracie
Cesar Gracie is known worldwide as a legend in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA instruction. Born in 1966, he is related to Carlos Gracie Senior (the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu founder) by way of his mother, Sonja Gracie-Gronning. His parents separated when Cesar was still a toddler and Cesar was raised solely by the Gracie side of the family with grappling being a natural part of his upbringing.
Cesar Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Senior's son Robson Gracie. After receiving his black belt in 1992, Cesar moved to Northern California where he opened his own academy, becoming the 3rd Gracie in North America to open a Jiu Jitsu gym. His gym became one of the most successful Jiu Jitsu and MMA gyms in the world, producing top fighters including Jake Shields, Yancy Medeiros, Gilbert Melendez, David Terrell and most notably, Nick and Nate Diaz among many others.
Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz is a professional Mixed martial arts fighter and has fought in UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, EliteXC, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), DREAM, and Shooto. He was promoted to black belt in Jiu Jitsu by Cesar Gracie on May 8th, 2007
Darin Cooley
Darin Cooley holds a Black Belt under the prestigious Cesar Gracie , who is universally known for having some of the strictest standards in Jiu Jitsu. He has been training and teaching Jiu Jitsu for almost 20 years, a long time training partner to well- known fighters such as Nick and Nate Diaz. Cooley is also an accomplished professional MMA Fighter, Jiu Jitsu competitor and college wrestler. He has since turned his focus to teaching full time and runs his own Jiu Jitsu gym in Manteca, CA.
