# Michael Liera Jr.

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## Overview

**Name:** Michael Liera Jr.


## Bio

Michael Liera Junior was born on September 29, 1993, in Littleton, Colorado. Michael got interested in jiu-jitsu after he got invited over to a family friend’s house to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 60). The main event fight was between Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie. This was the first time the Liera family watched mixed martial arts (MMA), and they immediately became intrigued by the sport. It was this frame of mind that led Michael and his father to visit a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym where their friend trained (the same family friend who showed them the UFC).

Both Michael Liera Junior and Senior started training jiu-jitsu with coach Odie Neto, but soon moved to João Cunha of Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu, Cunha awarded Liera Jr. his yellow, and orange belts. The family then moved to the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu gym, a gym led by two of the sport’s biggest icons,  Saulo  and  Alexandre Ribeiro  who awarded Junior his blue, and purple belts.

As a purple belt, Michael changed teams, leaving Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu to join  André Galvão  at the Atos headquarters in San Diego, where he also picked a roll as an assistant coach at the academy a role he had also fulfilled at the RJJ academy. It was Galvão who awarded Michael Liera his brown belt in 2013, and his black belt on November 2014, after a flawless campaign in the brown belt  lightweight division .

[fighter_status id=528]

Michael Liera vs Alex Cabanes

Michael Liera Jr. vs Anil Singh

Michael Liera Jr. vs Lindsey Arcangel

Michael Liera Jr Highlight (closed guard to back)

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**Last Updated:** March 21, 2026

**Data Source:** BJJ.Space (https://bjj.space/people/michael-liera-jr-1b373ec56b69)