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 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. Matt Leighton Grappling Record 20 WINS BY POINTS 7 (35%) BY ADVANTAGES 0 (0%) BY SUBMISSION 11 (55%) BY DECISION 2 (10%) BY PENALTIES 0 (0%) BY DQ 0 (0%) 11 SUBMISSIONS WINS #214eb8 Armbar 55 6 #86e620 Triangle 27 3 #5AD3D1 Wristlock 9 1 #d1212a Submission 9 1 11 (100%) SUBMISSIONS 10 LOSSES BY POINTS 4 (40%) BY ADVANTAGES 0 (0%) BY SUBMISSION 3 (30%) BY DECISION 3 (30%) BY PENALTIES 0 (0%) BY DQ 0 (0%) 3 SUBMISSIONS LOSSES #214eb8 Triangle kimura 33 1 #86e620 Triangle 33 1 #5AD3D1 Choke from back 33 1 3 (100%) SUBMISSIONS Matt Leighton Fight History ID Opponent W/L Method Competition Weight Stage Year 13155Lucas BarbosaLucas BarbosaLPointsChicago SMO88KGF201713162Keenan CorneliusKeenan CorneliusLPointsChicago SMOABS4F201713481Breno BittencourtBreno BittencourtLPts: 5x0Atlanta SM OpenABS4F201713527Aaron JohnsonLReferee DecisionNo Gi Pan Am.O97KGF201713879Keenan CorneliusKeenan CorneliusLTriangle kimuraBJJ NY Pro94KGSF201714064Vitor OliveiraVitor OliveiraLPointsCincinnati Open88KGF201714067Silvio DuranLReferee DecisionCincinnati OpenABSSF201714830Gerard LabinskiGerard LabinskiLReferee DecisionGrand Slam LDN110KGSF201814882Horlando MonteiroHorlando MonteiroLTriangleChicago Sp. Open94KGF201814889Gutemberg PereiraGutemberg PereiraLChoke from backChicago Sp. OpenABSSF201813154Joseph HookerWArmbarChicago SMO88KGSF201713161Danilo LopesWArmbarChicago SMOABSR1201713228Malden JokmanovicWArmbarWashington Open88KGSF201713229Christian DellevagWTriangleWashington Open88KGF201713353Nick CalvaneseNick CalvaneseWReferee DecisionF2W Pro 49ABSSPF201713478Walnan PrestoWPointsAtlanta SM Open94KG4F201713479Jeff BoudreauxWArmbarAtlanta SM Open94KGSF201713480Josh BowlinWPointsAtlanta SM Open94KGF201713526Oleksandr KarliychukWArmbarNo Gi Pan Am.O97KGSF201713877Charles McGuireWArmbarBJJ NY Pro94KG4F201713977Diego GamonalWWristlockSan Antonio Open88KGF201714065Fabricio BarbarottiWTriangleCincinnati OpenABS4F201714337Pedro AzambujaWPts: 2x0Orlando Nat. Pro94KGF201814411Eduardo MiguelWTriangleMexico Pro94KGF201814553Kenneth BrownWPointsContinental Pro110KGRR201814554Aaron JohnsonWPointsContinental Pro110KGRR201814828Jamie HughesWPts: 6x4Grand Slam LDN110KG4F201814839Inacio NetoInacio NetoWReferee DecisionF2W Pro 6694KGSPF201814844Matthew GoddenWSubmissionCanada Nat. Pro110KGSF201814845Amir YafawiWPts: 6x0Canada Nat. Pro110KGF2018 Matthew Leighton vs Christian Dellevag Matthew Leighton vs Diego Gamonal