ATHLETES AND INSTRUCTORS
BJJ and MMA ATHLETE
Marcos Cunha
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 4th degree black belt and the head trainer of The Match Champ (TMC), which has more than 36 facilities across Brazil, Canada and the United States. He has trained Jiu Jitsu for over 30 years, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt for over 29 years, has promoted over 120 black belts under TMC, and is the head trainer of the competition team in all the biggest BJJ competition in the world, including UAE, Europe, Brazil, USA and more, with many world title champion athletes. There are people whom, with their passion and dedication, can profoundly impact the world around you. Professor Marcos Cunha is one of these individuals. Born in Carioca, but his home started in Santa Catarina and became an iconic figure in the world of Jiu-Jitsu. Marcos built a network of academies throughout the world and now has his TMC headquarter in the heart of Johnson County, Kansas.
He is also the founder of the UCLA Project. This program focuses on competition athletes, selecting talents from all regions from Brazil. These athletes, who aim to make a living exclusively from Jiu-Jitsu, receive a unique opportunity. These high-level athletes are specialized, provided physical preparations and a chance to learn English to stand out internationally. Marcos Cunha’s vision and the commitment of these athletes have turned dreams into reality.
BJJ ATHLETE and INSTRUCTOR
Kazuma Terada
Kazuma Terada is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan. He is an active BJJ competitor, and placed bronze as a brown belt GI in 2024 at the Master Worlds in Las Vegas. He was ranked 1st in the world in the Master 3 Purple belt GI category in 2022 and also as a Blue Belt in 2021. As a blue belt and purple belt, he took gold at the Master Worlds in Las Vegas back to back. He also took 2nd in the world as a Master 3 blue belt No-GI in 2021, taking silver at the Master World No Gi tournament in Dallas, Texas. In 2020, he was ranked 2nd in the world, as a Master 3 blue belt GI, taking silver at the Master Worlds tournament in Orlando, Florida. In 2019, he was ranked 3rd in the world as a Master 2 white belt, taking bronze at the Mater 2 Novice tournament in Las Vegas. He is also a 2 times Pan Americans GI and No Gi champion. Kazuma has won many championships in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Open tournaments from 2018-2023 across the US. He has other wins through CXBJJ, Blue Corner at the Harrah’s Casino pro fight, Fuji bjj, Grappling Industries, Velox fighting League championships, and American Grappling Federation. He specializes in Triangle submissions and loves to teach and compete. He loves spending time with his wife, Trisha and two boys, Kasen and Jaden who also train BJJ.
BJJ ATHLETE
Eduarda Cunha
Jiu-jitsu has always been part of my life, with my father being the master, but when I started training, I saw how passionate it can be. I’ve been training since I was 7 years old, and now I’m blue belt.
I love the adrenaline of each workout, the support of each person, and how jiu-jitsu teaches you on and off the mat.
For me, knowing how to enjoy the process and achieve your goals is the most important thing.
MUAY THAI / KICKBOXING INSTRUCTOR
Benjamin Nogueras Jr
I’m originally from Cayey, Puerto Rico, but raised all over the world, due to my fathers twenty-Seven years of service, in the Army. I started Amateur Boxing and Martial Arts early on in life due to some Puerto Rican tradition and some of life’s circumstances. Most Puerto Rican kids start at an early age playing Baseball and Boxing. Those are our two staple sports in my culture. I first started boxing when I was 9 yrs old, and boxed for the local Military Base YMCA. I was a short and skinny little kid, and occasionally ended up on the wrong side of being bullied for a number of reasons. I didn’t speak English fluently coming from Puerto Rico, and I was short and Skinny. I was a prime target for bullying. My father was a Sergent in the Army, and realized quickly that the direction of the bullying was going in the wrong direction. As a kid, I had had enough, and as a parent, my father new he needed to intervene. He enrolled me into boxing to help build my confidence, and to teach me not to be afraid of taking a punch.
WOMEN’S PROFESSOR
Maria Eduarda Tozoni Ono
Maria Eduarda Tozoni Ono. Better known as Duda Tozoni, she was born in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Maria is 22 years old, she has been training Jiu Jitsu since 2013 and started training with master Marcos Cunha. She has participated in competitions since 2013 and has international podiums and major titles such as: European Champion, South American, Brazilian, Grand Slam and several opens around the world.
From the orange belt at the age of 12 she helped his teacher in children’s classes and in 2018 in the blue belt at the age of 17 she had the opportunity to have her own children’s class with the supervision of Marcos Cunha, thus having 6 years of experience with children up to her black belt currently.
She took self-defense classes, and has already participated in self-defense classes for women along with the women’s police station in order to teach the importance of martial art.
Her teacher Marcos Cunha always encouraged to learn about rules and since the orange belt Duda arbitrated fights in internal championships in the academy where she trained to learn the rule in practice. She participates in the arbitration of professional competitions since her brown belt, and acts as the official referee of the IBJJF.
NO GI PROFESSOR
Wanderson Martello
Wanderson Martello is a 22 year old, born in Blumenau Santa Catarina, Brazil. He started Jiu jitsu in January 2014 in a social project with Professor Douglas Freitas, student of master Marcos Cunha, in 2015. He had the opportunity to train in the academy of the master marcos where over the years he won state, national and international titles. He started teaching in 2018 as an instructor at the match champ academy. In 2019 he entered wrestling with Professor Douglas Freitas where he was state champion.
