Professor Whakamoe Soutar
Ko Maungapōhatu Te maunga
Ko Ōhinemataroa Te awa
ko Mataatua Te Waka
Ko Te Totara Te Marae
Ko Te Urewera Te Hapū
Ko Tuhoe Te iwi
Ko Whakamoe toku ignoa!
I am a 1st degree Black Belt Practitioner. My Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) journey began in 2012, training with a couple of friends (Rodney Brooking, Kemara Huirama-Osbourne & Tim Peters) in a garage on Sunday mornings in Brisbane, Australia.
This initial experience planted the seed, and I soon joined Palaestra BJJ academy (Affiliated by Garra BJJ Brisbane) led by my professor, Ty Johns. Over the years, I steadily progressed through the ranks and leading my whanau through it all.
In 2018, Ty Johns and our team joined Ares MMA with Jamie Hewko, where I had the opportunity to help and teach both adult and kids’ classes.
In 2021, I was awarded my BJJ black belt by my mentor, Professor Ty Johns which I am so grateful to have received. My family and I moved back to Tauranga Moana, New Zealand in Feb 2022 with a motivating dream to open our own Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gym - in the hope I could make a difference in our own Hapori. Now I can officially say we are the proud owners of MKM BJJ – Something for the whanau!
