About Us
Evo BJJ strives to understand your personal goals, strengths, and weaknesses to bring your best self forward.
Evo BJJ helps individuals evolve through martial arts training. Whether you’re a student looking to learn the basic fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu or striving to be a national Jiu Jitsu champion, Evo BJJ is the place for you. We uplift students towards their goals on and off the mat. Through training with us you’ll not only become stronger but you’ll grow amongst passionate peers. Join Evo BJJ to become the best version of yourself today!
Meet the Evo BJJ Team
Here at Evo BJJ , our staff is the secret to our student success.
Johnny Mendoza and David Vasquez opened Evo BJJ in December 2022 to provide Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes in Carlsbad. They wanted to change the face of martial arts in the area to be more welcoming and inviting. While continuing to live out that goal, they have grown the Evo BJJ family and shown the community the benefits of martial arts. It’s not just about making individuals physically stronger, but also about building character and becoming united. Evo BJJ is a way for their students to evolve within a safe training environment. We’re home to strong and skilled martial artists of all ages.
Meet the team below!
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Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out, our classes cater to all skill levels, providing a supportive environment for growth and success.
Johnny Medoza
Coach Johnny is currently a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and co-owner of Evo BJJ.
He started his Jiu Jitsu journey late in life while in his 30s because he felt like something was missing, and he wanted to improve his fitness. Coach Mendoza immediately fell in love with the sport and jumped in headfirst. He currently is an active competitor and a two-time bronze medalist at IBJJF NO GI Pans.
Jiu Jitsu has shaped his life in many ways for the better, including helping him become a better competitor on and off the mats.
When the opportunity came to open his own school, Coach Johnny quickly jumped on it. Johnny loves giving back to our community and the youth here in Carlsbad, NM and wanted to share his love for Jiu Jitsu with everyone. He believes that there is a place for all people, especially the youth, in Jiu Jitsu and wanted to bring a safe place for kids to train and feel like they belong.
David Vasquez
Coach David, currently a brown belt, started his Jiu Jitsu journey in January 2019.
As a fitness fanatic, he immediately became intrigued with the structure and challenge of the sport.
He has competed in multiple IBJJF tournaments and super fight promotion, Submission Hunter Pro.
Among his many competition successes, David was the 2019 White Belt International Novice Champion at Medium Heavy and the 2021 Blue Belt No-Gi Pan American Champion at Heavyweight.
Coach David particularly enjoys teaching our kids and teens classes.
Jason Montoya
Head Instructor Jason Montoya is a second-degree black belt under Bruno Bastos.
Jason’s martial arts training began in 2006 when he began learning Judo under Sensei James Lloyd in Carlsbad, NM.
Two years later, he added Brazilian jiu jitsu to his training.
Jason received his Judo black belt through the United States Judo Association in 2012, and in 2017, he received his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt.
Coach Jason has dedicated much of his adult life to teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, having started coaching as a blue belt.
He currently coaches several classes at the academy and coordinates all class curriculum.
Stephen Moore
Coach Stephen started his martial arts journey with Judo under Sensei James Lloyd in 2005 and continued until 2008, participating in several Judo tournaments.
After a brief hiatus, he returned to martial arts in 2013 studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Throughout his journey between belts Stephen entered several tournaments.
Stephen started instructing BJJ students when he had achieved his purple belt level.
Coach Stephen received his black belt in BJJ in 2022 and continues to instruct several classes at EVO BJJ.
Bo Bowen
Coach Bo Bowen’s introduction into the grappling world started at age 4 with Little Cavemen Wrestling.
He wrestled from the ages of 4 to 20, competing across the country in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco Roman wrestling. After competing on a club wrestling team at Texas Tech University, he started to coach youth wrestling with a traveling team in Lubbock TX.
Then after graduating and returning home to Carlsbad in 2009, Bo continued to coach youth wrestling, helping with the middle school and high school wrestling teams.
For the past 14 years, he coached the Razorbacks Little Cavemen wrestling team. In 2018, his son began doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and it awoke the competitive desire in him.
Coach Bo started training Jiu Jitsu in 2018 and became obsessed. He competed across the country in multiple tournaments hosted by NAGA, AGF, and the IBJJF. Coach Bo grew to love the sport of Jiu Jitsu and how it worked hand-in-hand with his wrestling experience. Among his many competition successes, Bo was the 2019 Blue Belt No-Gi Pan American Champion at super heavy weight.
Evo BJJ
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Evo BJJ in Carlsbad is a Jiu Jitsu Academy for everyone. We invite nearby communities including Artesia, Hobbs, Roswell, and beyond to train with us near Carlsbad High School.
