Professor Frank Curreri Forza is a highly-decorated, world-class competitor and instructor who received his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in June 2010 from 6x world champion Robert Drysdale. A Human Performance Optimizer, two-time TEDx speaker, and award-winning journalist, Frank has served as a consultant to U.S. Navy Seals, pro MMA fighters, and several Jiu Jitsu world champions. The University of Maryland graduate has teamed with major brands such as The Salt Lake Tribune, Adidas, Wasatch Advisors investment firm, the Arena Football League (AFL), and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). 

Frank was one of the first 3,000 humans in history to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; he is a three-time gold medalist at the IBJJF Masters World Championships, has won more than 260 competition grappling matches, and was previously ranked No. 1 in the world for his age group (36+ years). 

Frank has devoted 34 years of intense study and practice to wrestling, BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai, self-defense, movement training, weight loss, mental resilience and peak conditioning. 

Highlights for Frank’s competition career include:

• Gold medals at three IBJJF Masters No-Gi World Championships (2007, 2009, 2012)

• Bronze medal at the 2008 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships (adult division, brown belt);

• Bronze medal at the 2010 IBJJF Gi World Championships (adult division, brown belt)

• Silver medal at the 2009 IBJJF No-Gi American Nationals (adult division, brown belt); 

• Recruited to be a Division I college wrestler by the University of Maryland in 1992; 

• For the 1990 season, posted a record of 34 wins, 4 losses and placed 3rd at the Maryland State High School Wrestling Championships (the same state that produced Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestlers Kyle Snyder and Helen Maroulis). 

Frank on the podium at 2012 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships (Masters 2)

Frank began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2001 under Prof. Pedro Sauer, earning his blue belt from the world-renowned instructor. A year later, Frank relocated to Las Vegas for work and began studying with Amilcar Cipili (a black belt under Rigan Machado at the time). Frank eventually started training with Robert Drysdale and was awarded his black belt in June 2010 after placing third at the IBJJF Gi World Championships in the adult division at 38 years old and is proud that he has never used a steroid, PED nor Human Growth Hormone in his life. 

Frank on the podium at 2010 World Championships, Adult Division, Light featherweight

Over the past 16  years, Frank has personally trained and sparred with dozens of the biggest names in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Jiu Jitsu scene. His training partners have included: Andre Galvao, Leo Vieira, Robert Drysdale, Nick Diaz, Michelle Nicolini, Gabi Garcia, Ryan Hall, burgeoning BJJ superstars Tammi and Mikey Musumeci; world champions Lucas Leite, Eduardo Telles, Fernando Margarida, Gilbert “Durinho” Burns and Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros; Olympics bronze medalist Alexis Vila (wrestling), UFC champions Anthony Pettis, Miesha Tate and T.J. Dillashaw; UFC No. 1 contenders Joseph Benavidez and Gray Maynard, World Extreme Cagefighting champion and MMA pioneer Miguel Torres, Martin Kampmann, Tyson Griffin, four-time black belt world champion Fredson Paixao, Ricky Lundell, Dave Camarillo, Walter Vital and many others. 

An incomplete list of Frank’s high school wrestling achievements:

* Frank earned a varsity letter all four years of high school 

• Gilman Classic Wrestling Tournament (Junior Varsity) — 3rd place 

• 1989 Loch Raven Invitational Wrestling Tournament (Varsity) — 1st place (beat a future Maryland state champ in the finals)

• 1989 Overlea Wrestling Tournament — 1st place (beat the state’s No. 2-ranked wrestler in the finals)

• 1989 Baltimore County Wrestling tournament — 4th place 

• Maryland Regional II Wrestling tournament — 4th place 

• 1990 Loch Raven Invitational Wrestling Tournament — 1st place (broke my right hand a week earlier, removed the cast and won three matches that day — beating the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state in the tournament finals) 

• 1990 Baltimore County Wrestling Tournament — 1st place (defeated the two-time defending county champion in the finals)

• Maryland Regional II Wrestling Tournament — 1st place (defeated the defending regional champion in the semi-finals, scored two takedowns in the last 30 seconds to beat the state’s No. 5-ranked wrestler in the finals)

• 1990 Maryland State High School Wrestling Championships — 3rd place 

Team Captain of Varsity Wrestling Teams 1988, 1989, 1990 

High School Wrestling Highlights: Frank defeated two Maryland state champions (Kevin Caudell and Brian Siatkowski); Frank also defeated the Maryland state runner-up, Russian-born Lem Simanovsky, five different times. 

Frank attended the University of Maryland, practiced with the college’s Division I wrestling program, but his wrestling career was cut short by a major surgery on his right leg that left a thick 27-inch scar down his leg (see picture of scar below). 

In 2016 Frank delivered a TEDx Talk titled “Building a Better World With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,” sharing the stage with UFC champion Miesha Tate (My TEDx Talk can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1S9XKB4uI4 ).

Frank’s commentaries and credentials include: 

Frank’s Jiu Jitsu Journey 

GRAPPLING RESUME

2001:

(Nearly 30 years old, with a titanium plate inserted in his neck, Frank begins training BJJ under Prof. Pedro Sauer in Salt Lake City, Utah) 

White Belt:

• Pedro Sauer In-House Tournament — 1st place 

• King of the Hill tournament (Torrance, Calif.) — bronze medal (*I was a white belt competing vs. blue belts, fought five matches that day) 

*Frank joined Pedro Sauer and personally attended the private 90th Birthday celebration of GrandMaster Helio Gracie at the Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in Torrance, Calif. 

Blue Belt

IBJJF Pan No-gi tournament — 1st place (blue belt, Masters 1 division) 

2006 IBJJF Pan Gi Tournament — 3rd place (blue belt, Masters 1 division; won my first two matches before withdrawing from the competition due to severe dehydration)

Grappler’s Quest: Lost 4-3 to eventual champion (Intermediate division) 

Purple Belt

2006 IBJJF American Nationals Gi, masters division — Gold medal 

NAGA (North American Grappling Association) — 1st place (Expert Division, Gi) 

NAGA — 2nd place no-gi (expert division) 

Grappler’s Quest intermediate division competitor — submitted in first round by eventual champion

2007 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships, Masters 1 — Gold medal

Brown Belt 

2008 Grappler’s Quest expert division — 2nd place (lost in overtime, Adult division) 

2008 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds adult division — bronze medal (lost via kneebar submission to Gui Mendes)

2008 IBJJF Pans Gi, masters 1 — lost first-round on points to eventual champ (Masters 1)

2009 IBJJF Pans Gi, masters 1 —  Silver medal 

2009 IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi Tournament, adult division — Silver medal (Score was tied 6-6 but lost via one advantage to the division’s champion Denny Prokopos, who afterwards became the first person to receive a 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu black belt from Eddie Bravo and placed third at the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds black belt division)

2009 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships, masters 1 — Gold medal 

2010 IBJJF Pans Gi, masters 1  — bronze medal 

2010 IBJJF Gi Worlds adult division — bronze medal 

*June 2010 — awarded black belt by Robert Drysdale 

Black Belt 

2012 Abu Dhabi World Pro Trials adult division — 3rd place (lost 6-0 to eventual champion Caio Terra) 

2012 NAGA no-gi expert division, Adults — 1st place 

2012 IBJJF Pan Gi masters 1 — Silver medal 

2012 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships (Masters 2 division) — Gold Medal 

2013 NAGA no-gi expert division, Adults — 1st place 

2013 IBJJF Pans Masters 1 Division — bronze 

2013 IBJJF World Championships Gi — competitor, lost first-round on points 10-0 to Checkmat’s Gabriel Moraes, who went on to win his third world championship)

2013 UFC Intl Fight Week Grappler’s Quest expert, adult division — 4th place 

2014 IBJJF Pans Gi masters 3 — lost first-round (shoulder dislocation

2013 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds masters 2 division — bronze medal (0-0, lost ref’s decision to eventual champ) 

2015 IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi (masters 3 division) — Gold medal 

2015 IBJJF American Nationals Gi (masters division) — (winning first match but shoulder dislocated)

2015 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds (masters 3) — Silver medal

Picture below: 40 years old winning the Expert Adult Division at NAGA in Las Vegas. 

IBJJF 36+ years old World Rankings in 2013: 

Teaching three weeks of seminars at Beijing Sports University

Below: Giving a TEDx talk at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas featuring UFC champ Miesha Tate

Picture Below: Teaching at kids class in Las Vegas

Below: Featured on the cover of a Las Vegas magazine, talking about “Building a Better World With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.” 

Below: Age 41, again winning the Adult Expert Division at the NAGA Las Vegas (no-gi)

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