Meet another one of our sponsored athletes, Mario Esquivies (@marioakarobin).
Mario has been training martial arts since he started Tae Kwon Do when he was 5 years old. He eventually got into Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu, and has been consistently training for about 8 years since he started working with his coach Baret Yoshida. Mario has also done MMA and Jiu Jitsu training with his coach Herman Terrado, which has been a big influence in his competition background and success. Mario now trains extensively in Jiu Jitsu and also works on striking and MMA.
Mario's typical training schedule includes 2 hours per day of Jiu Jitsu (Gi and Nogi), along with strength, conditioning, and wrestling 2-3 times per week. Last year, he got back into the groove of competing and won 6 out of 8 super matches. He has won both Gi and Nogi SJJIF world titles along with being ranked #3 in his division in 2019, and he also won the Jiu Jitsu World League 2019 Nogi season title and world championship.
His aspirations and goals are to win a world title in IBJJF. Mario would love to win the ADCC Trials and compete in ADCC itself, and thinks it'd be awesome to go to Asia and Europe to win those IBJJF titles.
Even though Mario started a new job this past year, he's looking forward to a very active competitive season - he won a super match earlier in January and has upcoming trials and worlds later this year, so he's putting in all the necessary work to achieve his goals.
One thing that we think makes Mario stand out as an amazing athlete is his never-ending gratitude. Spar Soap was one of his very first sponsors, and he's constantly expressing appreciation for our support.
Mario noted to us that he'd like to thank his brother Milan, and his father, mother, sister, and brother who travel with him and support him, as well as his coaches for all that they do to support him. He also gave a special shoutout to his girlfriend, saying that she not only supports him in life overall, but also in Jiu Jitsu, whether he's cutting weight, competing at a long tournament, winning, or losing, and that she's the best Gi and Nogi gear sponsor.
We think Mario is pretty cool - we're rooting for him as he pushes toward his goals!