Andy Varela

Andy Varela is a grappler and a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who holds the rank of black belt in jiu-jitsu under Casey Halstead of the 10th Planet team. Varela first made waves in the sport of grappling while competing in the Submission Underground (SUG) event, a promotion led by former UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen. Varela would later cement his claim as one of the top 170 lbs (77 kg) competitors in the sport after a superb performance at the 2022 ADCC West Coast Trials.

Andy Varela Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Andrea Varela

Nickname: “Andy”

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Hélio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Júnior > Jean Jaques Machado > Eddie Bravo > Casey Halstead > Andy Varela

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place PGF 6 (2024)
• 2nd Place ADCC USA West Coast Trials (2022)
• 3rd Place ADCC USA West Coast Trials (2024)

Favorite Position/Technique: RNC

Weight Division: Peso Médio (82,30 kg / 181.5 lbs)

Team/Association: 10th Planet

Andy Varela Biography

Andy Varela was born on March 20, 1992, in El Paso, Texas, where he grew up.

As a child, Andy played a variety of sports with basketball being the one he was most fond of, and the one that sparked his interest in physical activities. Varela also had basic combat training given by his father, who was a mixed martial artist himself, but it wasn’t until high school that the young Texan started officially working with a team, that team being the J.M. Hanks High School wrestling squad. Despite joining Hanks HS wrestling training room as a junior, Andy only competed for the team as a sophomore due to his poor grades.

Two years after he finished high school, 19-year-old Varela joined an MMA gym, making his amateur debut one year into his training – around the same time he joined his first jiu-jitsu class. Varela would go on to win the KOTC at the age of 22 and turn pro at 23.

Despite being well-known as a representative of the 10th Planet gym in Las Vegas, Varela started his grappling career in his hometown under Cristobal Davila at 10th Planet El Paso and earned all his belts up to brown from another well-known member of the 10P family, Mr. Victor Davila. Once he moved to Las Vegas, Andy Varela joined Vegas’ 10P affiliate under coach Casey Halstead who promoted him to black belt on November 24, 2019.

Although a black belt under the 10th Planet system, Varela is known in the grappling world for having a style of grappling that greatly differs from the traditional 10P methodology. When asked about how he developed his approach to grappling while climbing the ranks of the sport, Varela explained:

“My style comes from watching a lot of different guys in the sport. Although I came up white to black under 10P, since I wrestled I always studied other players online that best fit my style or liking, athletes like Marcelo Garcia, Rafa Mendes, GSP, Jordan boroughs, etc. I traveled to compete and trained often at other gyms so it was easy to soak up different information from every style.”