Morgan Black

Morgan Black, commonly known as Mo Black, is a jiu-jitsu black belt and a regular contender to the sport’s top tournaments, particularly in the no-gi circuit where Morgan medaled at numerous important events in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) & the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) leagues. This included the ADCC East Coast Trials (2023), the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con (2023), World No-Gi Championships (2022 brown belt) as well as the Pan American No-Gi Championships (2021 & 2022 brown belt).

Morgan Black Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Morgan Leigh Black

Nickname: Mo, which is short for Morgan.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Suyan Queiroz > Marcelo Motta > Morgan Black

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place ADCC East Coast Trials (2023)
• 1st Place IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu CON (2023)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• F2W 125 lb Champion GI (2019 brown)
• F2W 125 lb Champion NOGI (2018 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF Jiu Jitsu CON (2021 brown)
• 1st Place ADCC Las Vegas Open (2022*)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2021 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2021 / 2022 brown)
• 2nd Place ADCC Las Vegas Open (2022)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2021 brown)

Favorite Position/Technique: Pressure Passing

Weight Division: Peso Leve (64 kg / 141.5 lbs)

Team/Association: Tabula Rasa JJ

Morgan Black Biography

Morgan black was born on February 25, 1994, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the United States of America.

Growing up Morgan played several sports through her school’s sporting programs including volleyball, basketball, and track & field, before she found martial arts.

During her late teens, Morgan became a fan of mixed martial arts and decided to join a local gym where she started learning about cage fighting, with a particular emphasis on striking. Despite her interest in the standing/striking facet of MMA, Mo’s cousin, Nick Smith, who had more experience in the sport advised her to pursue grappling as a foundation for the cage, a suggestion followed by the young Coloradoan.

As she pursued a strong grappling foundation, Morgan found coaches Carlos Santos and Marcelo Motta in Colorado Springs. The Brazilian duo was responsible for Black’s development up to the blue belt rank, a time when Motta took the lead as her head coach.

With her newfound commitment to jiu-jitsu, Morgan eventually drifted away from her MMA aspirations and decided to focus on her grappling career. After a successful career at the colored belt level, on October 21, 2022, Black was promoted to black belt by her long-time coach, Marcelo Motta.