10th Planet Denver, CO

10th Planet Denver head coach Conor Heun got his first taste of combat sports as a five year old stepping onto the wrestling mat in 1984. Nine years later he watched in disbelief as Jiu Jitsu master, Royce Gracie, choked wrestler, Ken Shamrock, into submission at UFC 1.

Conor had won numerous state titles in Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling, competed collegetly at the NCAA tournament, and even traveled to France to compete in the Tour Du Monde world championships. He had racked up over 1000 wins in tournaments around the world yet he couldn’t forget the way Royce Gracie dominated the bigger, stronger wrestler at the first UFC. Determined to learn Jiu Jitsu, Conor studied every Pride and UFC fight he could get his hands on, but it wasn’t until he walked into The Bomb Squad Gym in 2005 and met Eddie Bravo that his life was changed forever.

Eddie Bravo had gained notoriety after becoming the first person to submit Royler Gracie at the ADCC championships. Eddie was know for his open minded approach to Jiu Jitsu, taking effective techniques from everywhere and discarding anything that didn’t work, including the use of the traditional gi or kimono favored by the Gracie’s. Eddie saw Conor’s strong wrestling base and nonstop work ethic and took Conor under his wing, believing that he could be the one to introduce the world to the power of the 10th Planet system by competing in MMA.