BJJ Gyms in Merced, United States

Behring Last Stand

Merced MMA, established in 2007 in Merced, California, is owned and operated by 3rd degree Black Belt Professor Marcos Tomé. The academy is affiliated with the renowned Flavio Behring Jiu-Jitsu system under 9th degree Red Belt Grandmaster Flavio Behring, connecting students to the roots of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Merced MMA is a sister school to Oakdale MMA and Sonora MMA, with membership allowing training at all three locations. The academy teaches traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Flavio Behring system, along with Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Submission Wrestling (No-Gi), and Women's Conditioning. Professor Marcos Tomé, born in São Paulo, Brazil, holds a brown belt in Judo and serves as an Athletic Inspector for the California State Athletic Commission. In 2020, he was awarded the Hands on Hero award from the Merced County Office of Education for his work with children. His philosophy centers on the virtues of martial arts: "Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone" and emphasizes that it "does not depend on strength of the body, only the strength of the mind." The academy's instructor team includes Professor Tom Theofanopoulos (4th degree Black Belt, also a 9th degree Kajukenbo Grandmaster and 2nd degree Judo black belt who started Oakdale MMA in 1988), along with black belt instructors Chris Bucao, Chris Curtis, and Daniel De Los Santos. Additional instructors include brown belts Sergio Guerrero and Pardeep Singh, and blue belts Nick Gonzalez, Vinicius Tomé, and Gustavo Guerrero. The facility features a full-range fitness center with free weights, punching bags, pull-up stations, body weight bars, and a full-sized boxing ring available to all members.