Meet another one of our sponsored athletes, Mario Esquivies (@marioakarobin).
Mario has been training in martial arts and Jiu Jitsu for over 10 years. He first started training when his dad, who was also a martial artist, put him into martial arts classes as a child to learn self defense. As Mario grew older, he fell in love with the sport of Jiu Jitsu. He loves that it gave him the confidence and work ethic that he has today, both on the mats and off the mats.
Mario is currently a brown belt under the legendary Baret Yoshida. A typical training day consists of early morning Jiu Jitsu drills followed by competition rounds. He also alternates between lifting sessions and conditioning sessions as well.
His current goals for the sport are to continue expanding his skills, not only as a competitor, but also as a coach. He now teaches at Gamebred Training Center with black belt Herman Terrado. Mario aims to place at any of the major tournaments like Worlds, Pans, etc., at least once as a brown belt, and again as a black belt.
Mario credits his successes (including medaling in multiple IBJJF Opens) to his coaches, team, and family, who have traveled with him around the world, supporting him whether he wins or loses. He thanks his father for introducing him to the sport, his mother for always supporting him through injuries, his siblings for being by his side no matter what, and his longtime girlfriend Pearlynne (and partner in crime, drilling partner, and number one fan). Mario appreciates how much she's been there through the biggest moments in his Jiu Jitsu career, including Fight 2 Win, Subersiv, and many IBJJF opens.
Mario thanks us at Spar Soap for being his very first sponsor, and we love having him in our community. We're rooting for him as he pushes toward his goals!