3. Dave Camarillo, Formerly of the ‘American Kickboxing Academy’
A Ralph Gracie student, Dave Camarillo (far right) is an outstanding practicioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo and holds a black belt in both sports. He created a revolutionary technique he called “guerrilla jiu-jitsu”, a combination of both BJJ and judo.
When it comes to the submission game, Camarillo’s philosophy is to attack first and keep your opponent on the defensive. If you get beat to the spot, he believes offense is still your best defense.
“If I get too focused on defending, I’m going to keep my attack going and my arms high and I’m going to get you eventually,” Camarillo said.
Camarillo has notably turned wrestlers into more well-rounded grapplers, adding his own flavor of submission game into their already formidable wrestling base.
The most famous names who fought under his watch at AKA were Luke Rockhold, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, and UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez.
