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Rob Magao is the founder, owner and head coach of the Bushido Jiu-Jitsu Academy, with over 30 years experience in the martial arts. Rob is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under legendary Jiu-jitsu Master Pedro Sauer. Rob owns and operates two Pedro Sauer BJJ Affiliate Academies in Connecticut (Hebron BJJ and Manchester BJJ). Rob is the co-founder of the New England Submission Challenge and is the host of The Code Podcast. Over the years, Rob and his team of instructors have competed and coached students to success in numerous local, regional and international grappling competitions as well as mixed martial arts events.
Rob also has over 25 years of law enforcement experience (18 years on SWAT). This experience is vital in being able to teach realistic self-defense based on real life experiences and not just theory. Rob is a founding member of the Connecticut SWAT Challenge and was the Event Coordinator for the Physical Fitness Challenge for 10 years. Rob is the founder of The Officer Survival Series: De-Escalation Through Confidence Program which is a POSTC Certified police defensive tactics program. Rob is a highly respected international law enforcement instructor. He has taught hundreds of personnel from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as the United States Military in the areas of arrest and control, defensive tactics, force on force, use of force, SWAT, Dignitary Protection and Physical Fitness. Rob is also the Director of Development for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) 111 Project and he is a sponsored athlete/ambassador for the Invictus Law Enforcement Jiu-jitsu Collective.
James Kodzis - Manchester
Senior Instructor
Jimmy is a lifelong martial artist and career law-enforcement professional. Jimmy has extensive experience in a variety of martial arts specializing in Gracie Jiu Jitsu where he is a second-degree black belt under Master Pedro Sauer. Jimmy is one of the founding members of Bushido BJJ. Jimmy is also a Level 5 Officer Survival Series Instructor.
Mike Rossi – Manchester
Senior Instructor
Mike began his martial arts journey with karate in 1984 and received his black belt under Jack Smola.
During college in the early nineties, Mike started jujitsu under Wali islam and was awarded a black belt.
After joining the US Army in 1996, Mike began studying Kodokan judo. Over the past 25 years, he has trained under Robert Brink, Steve Cunningham (who awarded him the rank of shodan) and Bill Montgomery.
In 2008, Mike began training in Gracie jiu jitsu under Rob Magao and Jim Kodzis. Mike was awarded his black belt from Pedro Sauer in 2014.
Gerry Navarra – Manchester
Senior Instructor
Gerry Navarra has been grappling since 1990, when he joined his high school's wrestling team. In college, he signed up for a Judo class on a whim and fell in love with the martial arts. Soon Gerry began competing, winning multiple state and New England titles. He practiced with Olympians and world champions, and even took classes at a small dojo in Tokyo. He received his black belt in Judo and Japanese Jujutsu in 2005 from Stephen Cunningham, whose sensei, Taizo Sone, was a student of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.
Continuing to study Judo formally, Gerry returned to wrestling when he began coaching at Manchester High School in 1999. In 2008, right before the Judo class officially disbanded, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program fortuitously began at Gerry's dojo. He went on to receive his black belt in BJJ from Pedro Sauer in 2014. Gerry continues to coach wrestling--which, along with his Judo and Japanese Jujutsu background, helps inform his ongoing training and teaching of BJJ.
Gerry has cornered both amateur and professional MMA fighters, both locally and in the UFC, helping them hone their grappling skills. He is a Social Studies teacher at Manchester High School.
Jerry Lashway – Manchester Instructor/ Striking Coach
Jerry has been training Martial Arts his entire life. He has studied arts such as JKD, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing and is 1st Degree Blackbelt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Rob Magao.
Jerry is the lead instructor of our BMA Program and helps to train and corner MMA fighters.
Jerry had an extensive career in law-enforcement and the United States Military. Jerry is a Level 5 Officer Survival Series Instructor.
Rich McKeegan – Manchester Instructor/ Academy Manager/
Hebron Owner
Rich began his jiu-jitsu journey in 2008 and earned his blue belt from Royce Gracie in 2009. In 2010 he transferred schools to Manchester BJJ and earned his black belt in 2019 from Rob Magao. Rich began teaching the Fundamentals Class in 2014 and took on teaching full time in 2017 at MBJJ. Rich is the President of Blackbelts for Butterflies which is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Autism non-profit created in the wake of the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, CT. He has been the Academy Manager at Manchester BJJ since 2017 and is an owner at Hebron BJJ.
Jason Smyth – Manchester Fundamentals Instructor
Jason Smyth – Jason began his bjj career in the winter of 2011. He currently holds the rank of black belt which he received in 2018 from Rob Magao. Jason has received all his promotions from our academy. He is one of the jiu jitsu fundamentals instructors at the academy and has taught fundamentals for over seven years now.
Buddy Delp - Manchester
Junior Samurai Instructor
Dan Lalancette – Manchester
Little Samurai Instructor
Dan began training at Bushido in 2016 and is a brown belt under Rob Magao. He enjoys teaching our youngest students, to include his three children. Dan also assists with the officer survival series. He is a veteran of the Marine Corps and currently on active duty in the CT Air Guard.
Emily Selbie - Manchester
Junior Samurai Instructor/
Women's Instructor
Emily began practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2014, and has worked her way up through the ranks from the Kid’s Program through to the Adult’s Program. She is currently a brown belt under Rob Magao. She now instructs the Kid’s Program, guiding children through the challenging martial arts journey.
Mark Byrne – Manchester
Instructor
Mark started his Jiu Jitsu journey at Bushido BJJ in 2016. He is currently a brown belt under Rob Magao and has received all of his belts at Bushido BJJ. Mark played football in college and wrestled in high school but had no former martial arts background. He started with the physical aspect in mind but quickly became obsessed with the mental aspects of Jiu Jitsu. He can be found on the mats in the early morning classes. Professionally, Mark works as a client executive in information technology.
Jack Maycock – Manchester Fundamentals/ BMA Instructor
Jack Maycock is a BJJ brown belt as well as studying many other forms of martial arts including Muay
Thai and Boxing. Jack has been training at Manchester BJJ for over 13 years and has risen through the
ranks of the kids class to become one of the instructors of the BJJ beginners Class and the gyms BMA
program. Outside of the academy Jack is a licensed EMT and a Firefighter for the town of Wethersfield.
Helio Goncalves –
Hebron Instructor
Hélio Gonçalves started his jiujitsu training at Manchester Bushido BJJ in 2016 after a serious injury. The day the doctor told him to get back to normal status he joined the academy and within one year lost 40 pounds and earned his blue belt. Helio currently holds rank of brown belt and teaches Mornings at Hebron Bushido BJJ.
Andre Lyew – Manchester
Junior Samurai Instructor
Andre Lyew a member of Bushido since 2014. Andre has spent his time here at Bushido learning jiu jitsu, making friends and helping the young samurais at Bushido do the same. Andre also assists with our Officer Survival Series Program.
Austin Watroba - Hebron Instructor
Austin began training at Bushido in 2018. He is a purple belt under Rob Magao. Austin was first exposed to grappling in 2012, training in all aspects of MMA on and off while studying at UMASS-Amherst. He enjoys all styles of sport grappling including, Brazilian jiu jitsu, folk style and freestyle wrestling. He has been an instructor at our academies since 2021. Austin is a Manchester resident and licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Connecticut. In his spare time he enjoys snowboarding, spending time with his family and his dog.
Isaac Goncalves - Manchester
Little Samurai Instructor
Isaac is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt under Rob Magao. Isaac began training BJJ in 2014, starting in the Little Samurai's which he graduated from in 2017. Isaac has been instructing in the Youth program since 2019. Isaac is currently a full-time student at UConn.
Alex Goncalves – Hebron
Little/ Junior Samurai Instructor
Alex is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt under Rob Magao. Alex began training BJJ in 2014 starting in the kid's class with his brother Isaac, where he graduated in 2019. Now Alex is the assistant coach in both the Little and Junior Samurai programs in Hebron.
Tony Wyman – Manchester Fundamentals Instructor
Tony began training at Bushido in 2016 and is a purple belt under Rob Magao. He believes jiu jitsu should be accessible for everyone and strives to create an inclusive and fun environment in his Fundamentals classes. Outside of the academy, you can find him training with his son, competing in yo-yo tournaments. Tony is bilingual in English and Spanish.
John Bakke - Hebron
Fundamentals Instructor
John is a fundamentals instructor who began his martial arts journey in 2011 as a member of the Tae
San Taekwondo Academy before starting BJJ at the very first class held at our Hebron facility in January
2018. John has been training martial arts consistently since 2011 to both stay in shape and practice self-
defense. When not training BJJ, John is a finance executive with a multinational company.
Alex Magao - Manchester
Front Desk
Alex Magao is a purple belt and the eldest son of owner Rob Magao. Alex works at our Manchester Academy at the front desk. He is always happy to assist new students with information about the school, pricing, and tours of the facility. Outside of the academy, Alex is a licensed CT Real Estate Agent, and is focused on growing his business as well as taking on more responsibility at Bushido BJJ Academies.
Lindell Burns - Manchester
Junior Samurai Instructor
Lindell is a U.S Navy veteran and experienced LEO. He started training at MBJJ in August of 2017. Lindell received his purple belt under Rob in 2021. In 2021 Lindell also began teaching Junior Samurai class at MBJJ while becoming a certified Officer Survival Course instructor.
Scott Lesinski – Hebron
Fundamentals Instructor/
Hebron Owner
Scott Lesinski began training in the martial arts in 1985 and opened the Tae San Taekwondo Academy in 1996.
After running the Academy for over 20 years, he began his next journey with Jiu-Jitsu and is one of the co-owners of the Hebron Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
Brian Penda – Hebron
Head Little Samurai Instructor/
Little Samurai Instructor
Brian has trained in the martial arts and instructed children for over
20 years. When Tae San Academy in Hebron closed, he hung up his black
belt in Taekwondo and transitioned to studying jiu-jitsu. He received
his purple belt under Rob Magao in 2022. He works in the recycling industry.
Nick Urgo- Hebron
Junior Samurai Instructor
Nick started grappling back in 2006, wrestling all 4 years for Windham High. After graduating in 2012 continued his grappling and started training with Kipp Kollar, president of NAGA. Nick has been Head Coach for Windham Middle School Wrestling, and as an Assistant Coach at Windham High School from 2013 to present day. Nick is currently a blue belt in jiu-jitsu as well as a blue belt in Judo.
Sam Magao – Hebron
Assistant Little/ Junior Samurai Instructor
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