Matt Leighton

Matthew Leighton, or Matt Leighton is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Mark Vives (New Breed Training Centre) and a member of the Bonsai JJ team when competing internationally. Leighton made his name as one of grappling’s rising stars while climbing the ranks of jiu jitsu, by conquering important titles such as the IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2016) and IBJJF European Open Champion (2016), a status he later cemented as a black belt with repeated podium placements in jiu jitsu’s international circuit.

Matthew Leighton Jiu Jitsu

Full Name: Matthew W Leighton

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > George Gracie > Octávio de Almeida > Adilson de Souza > Mauricio Antonio de Souza > Mark Vives > Matthew Leighton

Main Achievements:

• IBJJF Chicago Summer Open Champion (2018)
• IBJJF Atlanta Summer Open Champion (2017)
• IBJJF Washington D.C. Open Champion (2017)
• UAEJJF Canada National Pro Champion (2018)
• UAEJJF Mexico National Pro Champion (2018)
• UAEJJF Continental North American Pro Champion (2018)
• IBJJF Chicago Summer Open Championship 3rd Place (2017)
• IBJJF Pans No-Gi Championship 3rd Place (2017)
• IBJJF Cincinnati Open Championship 3rd Place (2017*)
• IBJJF Chicago Spring Open Championship 3rd Place (2018*)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2016 brown)
• IBJJF European Open Champion (2016 brown)
• IBJJF Pans No-Gi Champion (2016 brown, 2015 purple)
• IBJJF World No-Gi Championship 3rd Place (2015 purple)
• IBJJF European Open Championship 3rd Place (2016* brown)
• IBJJF Pans Championship 3rd Place (2017 brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Peso Pesado

Team/Association: Bonsai JJ

Matthew Leighton Biography

Matthew Leighton was born on August 1, 1992 in in Chicago, IL – USA, growing up in a neighborhood located on the famous Windy City gangland region, the South Side, more specifically the South Shore.

During his formative years Matt closely followed the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) which propelled his interest for martial arts. This curiosity would lead Leighton to a jiu jitsu gym at the age of 17, a decision highly influenced by a few close friends who had started before him. As there were no BJJ gyms at South Shore, Matt started training in Downtown Chicago with a local Gracie Barra team affiliate led by two purple belts: ‘Beto’ Barros and Brick Welch.

One year into his training and Matt Leighton was already convinced he should be focusing all his energy towards grappling. With a tenacious approach to life, even at such a young age, Matt decided to the South Shore behind as soon as he finished high school and moved into the gym where he dedicated his time solely to his jiu jitsu, an endeavor that started after his 18th birthday.

In around 2011 Adem Redzovic took over the school from Barros. It was he who awarded Matthew his blue and purple belts. Being totally embedded in jiu jitsu and wishing to progress as far as he could in competition Leighton chose to switch academies in 2013, moving to a more sporting oriented gym, namely the New Breed Training Centre. There he started working with Mark Vives, the team’s leader.

As a brown belt Matthew received an invitation from a good friend – and New Breed affiliate John Gutta to move to Iowa and coach BJJ. Gutta was making the transition from teaching at the University of Iowa BJJ Club and working at his own school (Tipping Point Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) in Cedar Rapids. The invitation meant Matt could continue training and coaching while making enough money to compete in the top grappling events around the US. With that in mind, the young athlete decided favorably on the move to Iowa which proved to be a successful decision.

On June 30, 2017 Matthew Leighton was awarded his black belt from his coach Mark Vives.

Matthew Leighton vs Christian Dellevag

Matthew Leighton vs Diego Gamonal