# Matt Leighton

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## Overview

**Name:** Matt Leighton


## Bio

Matthew Leighton was born on August 1, 1992, in Chicago, IL – USA, growing up in a neighborhood located on the famous Windy City gangland region, the South Side, more specifically the South Shore.

During his formative years, Matt closely followed the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) which propelled his interest for martial arts. This curiosity would lead Leighton to a jiu-jitsu gym at the age of 17, a decision highly influenced by a few close friends who had started before him. As there were no BJJ gyms at South Shore, Matt started training in Downtown Chicago with a local  Gracie Barra  team affiliate led by two purple belts: ‘Beto’ Barros and Brick Welch.

One year into his training and Matt Leighton was already convinced he should be focusing all his energy towards grappling. With a tenacious approach to life, even at such a young age, Matt decided to the South Shore behind as soon as he finished high school and moved into the gym where he dedicated his time solely to his jiu-jitsu, an endeavor that started after his 18th birthday.

In around 2011 Adem Redzovic took over the school from Barros. It was he who awarded Matthew his blue and purple belts. Being totally embedded in jiu-jitsu and wishing to progress as far as he could in competition Leighton chose to switch academies in 2013, moving to a more sporting oriented gym, namely the New Breed Training Centre. There he started working with Mark Vives, the team’s leader.

As a brown belt, Matthew received an invitation from a good friend – and New Breed affiliate John Gutta to move to Iowa and coach BJJ. Gutta was making the transition from teaching at the University of Iowa BJJ Club and working at his own school (Tipping Point Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) in Cedar Rapids. The invitation meant Matt could continue training and coaching while making enough money to compete in the top grappling events around the US. With that in mind, the young athlete decided favorably on the move to Iowa which proved to be a successful decision.

On June 30, 2017, Matthew Leighton was awarded his black belt from his coach Mark Vives.

Matthew Leighton vs Christian Dellevag

Matthew Leighton vs Diego Gamonal

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**Last Updated:** March 21, 2026

**Data Source:** BJJ.Space (https://bjj.space/people/matt-leighton-f6ad5c74b1a7)