Since 2016, Charles has been willingly getting folded, squished, and occasionally choked—all in the name of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He started his journey under Professor Ed Shobe, one of Omaha’s first black belts, and dove headfirst into the Rickson Gracie lineage through Rodrigo Vaghi, a true pioneer of BJJ in the U.S. (In other words, he picked some seriously legit people to learn from.)

With a background in Training and Development, he didn’t just show up to roll — he built coaching models that have helped multiple athletes win world championships, all while introducing newcomers to the sport and watching them level up their fitness, confidence, and ability to escape awkward situations (both on and off the mats).

Since 2018, he’s been teaching BJJ to students of all ages and skill levels in positive, safe environments—because getting better at jiu jitsu shouldn’t involve an ER visit. After years of hard work (and probably a few thousand hours spent in bottom side), he earned his black belt in 2022.

While he loves competing and testing his skills against other high-level athletes, his real passion is coaching—helping others grow, watching their breakthroughs, and proving that, yes, jiu jitsu really can make life more awesome.

Career Highlights

2018 IBJJF World Championships (No-Gi) - Gold Medalist - Masters Blue Belt

2019 IBJJF World Masters - Silver Medalist - Masters Purple Belt

2020 IBJJF Pans Championships - Bronze Medalist - Masters Purple Belt

2020 IBJJF Pans Championship (No-Gi) - Gold Medalist - Masters Purple Belt

2020 IBJJF World Masters - Bronze Medalist - Masters Purple Belt

2021 IBJJF Pans Championships - Silver Medalist - Masters Brown Belt

2021 IBJJF American Nationals Championships - Gold Medalist - Masters Brown Belt

2021 IBJJF American Nationals Championships (No-Gi) - Gold Medalist - Masters Brown Belt

2021 IBJJF Pans Championships - Bronze Medalist - Masters Brown Belt

2021 IBJJF World Championships (No-Gi) - Gold Medalist - Masters Brown Belt

2022 Awarded Black Belt

2023 IBJJF European Championships - Silver Medalist - Masters Black Belt