Emilio Hernandez

Emilio Hernandez is an American grappler and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Ray Casias as well as one of the main representatives of the Zenith Team in the sport’s international circuit. Hernandez made waves during his debut year in BJJs pro division, after making the podium of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan American No-Gi Championship (2019), after which he went on to win other important events on the international grappling calendar.

Emilio Hernandez Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Emilio Alejandro Hernandez Rodgriquez

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Leonardo Vieira > Robert Drysdale > Ray Casias > Emilio Hernandez

Main Achievements:

• 2nd Place IBJJF American Nationals (2021)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2019 / 2023)
• 2nd Place IBJJF JJ CON NOGI (2022 / 2023)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2015 purple)

Favorite Position/Technique: Lower Limb Submissions

Weight Division: Peso Pena (70,00 kg / 154.5 lbs)

Team/Association: Zenith BJJ

Emilio Hernandez Biography

Emilio Hernandez was born on July 2, 1996, in Yakima, Washington, United States of America, where he spent his childhood.

A very active kid while growing up, Hernandez practiced a variety of sports from an early age, including baseball, basketball as well as track and field, though the game he played the most was football (soccer), which Emilio started when he was 5 years old and ended after graduating from high school.

At the age of 14, Emilio Hernandez moved to Spring Hill, Tennessee, to live with his aunt. This was a particularly stressful period for the young athlete, who saw himself away from his parents for an extended period for the first time. As a way to relieve some of the anxiety he was experiencing, Emilio decided to start practicing a combat sport and join a small local mixed martial arts (MMA) school for that purpose.

Emilio first started training jiu-jitsu in August 2010 in Columbia, TN with coach Keefe Cothran. After a year of training at this MMA-oriented gym, Hernandez opted to switch to a bigger, and more jiu-jitsu-focused training center, deciding on Ray Casias’ – Tennessee Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy.

Under Ray Casias, Hernandez progressed through the belt system and grew as a competitor in the local and national scene. His positive results led him to abandon all extra activities to focus solely on his grappling, a decision he made as a purple belt.

The continuous positive results obtained on the mats throughout the years led Ray Casias to promote Emilio to black belt on July 22, 2019.

Emilio Hernandez VS Manuel Macias (2019)