Johnny Tama His Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

By Benjamin Strusnik, January 21, 2022

Who Is Johnny Tama?

Johnny Tama is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt at Alliance BJJ under Juan Miguel Iturralde. Johnny has become one of the most active grapplers since receiving his Black belt, as he averages 35 fights per year. Johnny has built a reputation for having an extremely well rounded game as he has executed his technical proficiency successfully. Johnny became the first Hispanic athlete to ever win an IBJJF NoGi World Championship in the Adults division. Among his many other accomplishments Johnny has accumulated wins at the; SJJIF Gi and NoGi World Championship, Fight 2 Win Championship, New York, Boston, Houston and Charlotte Opens along with the Ecuador National Pro.

Who Is Johnny Tama?

Dynamic Pressure Passing by Johnny Tama

In 2015 and 2016 as a Brown belt, Johnny won multiple events including; UAEJJF Los Angeles Grand Slam, Pan American NoGi Championship and the IBJJF Dallas International Open. After all Johnny's triumphs his coach and mentor Juan Miguel Iturralde awarded him his Black belt. In 2017 Johnny exploded onto the world scene with multiple wins including double Gold at the Ecuador National Pro and the Chile Open. Johnny defeated opponents like; Marcus Suel, Gaston Manzur and Pelucio Ramos. Johnny also won other events including; the Houston Open, the Boston Spring Open and third place at the UAEJJF New York Pro. Johnny also won his super fight match with a Tama Lock against Yan Lucas at the FIVE Super League event.

In 2018 in the lead up to the SJJIF World Championships, Johnny was off to a good start as he secured multiple wins. He defeated opponents like; Vinicius Wong, Dante Leon, Rodrigo Freitas, Victor Silverio, Thiago Lemos and Alexandre Molinaro. Johnny won Gold medals at the Austin Open, the New York Spring Open and the Orange County Open as he prepared for an assault on the world stage. Competing at the SJJIF World Championships, Johnny blew away his competitors as he secured wins over; Vitor Morales, Piter Frank, Dustin Akbari, Erik Cruz and Jose Souza. Johnny was the standout as he won World titles in the Gi and the NoGi divisions.

In 2019 Johnny Tama continued on his rise through the world of professional grappling. He won the New York Spring Open in NoGi and secured the Silver medal in the Gi. Johnny also placed second at the IBJJF Pan American Championships and third in the IBJJF American Nationals in his weight class and the absolute division. Johnny also ramped up his appearances on the Fight 2 Win promotion, securing victories against Kevin Berbrich and Diego Santana. Johnny also fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning the IBJJF World NoGi Championship after dominating Ygor Rodrigues in the final 7 points to nil.

In 2020 Johnny Tama had a more troublesome year as he only managed 4 wins out of 16 matches, as he competed at various Fight 2 Win and Kumite events. Some of Johnny’s losses at F2W were against highly talented fighters like; Edwin Najmi, Dante Leon and Johnatha Alves. In 2021 Johnny redeemed himself as he secured a much better record of 14 - 10. Johnny won the Charleston Summer Open and secured second place at the IBJJF Pan American Championships and the IBJJF Dallas Open. Johnny would also achieve retribution against Edwin Najmi as he defeated the talented grappler with a Heel Hook and secured the 170 pound Fight 2 Win title belt.

Aggressive Spider Guard by Johnny Tama

How Old Is Johnny Tama?

Johnny Tama was born in Guayaquil in Ecuador on the 20th of October in 1992, he is currently 29 years of age.

Johnny Tama's Early Life!

Johnny Tama grew up in Ecuador, and as a child he was not a big fan of Martial Arts. Playing football and hanging out with his friends was what Johnny did in his spare time, although he did Taekwondo for a small period of time. Growing up in a heavily religious family consisted of church on Sundays and Johnny was raised to be a good boy. Growing up as a hispanic boy on the streets of Ecuador had its relevant dangers. In 2009 Johnny was attacked by another youth and from all reports he received quite a beating. After this incident Johnny was worried about his safety so he decided to train in self defense. After receiving some advice from his stepfather, Johnny decided to start training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Johnny would also watch Fernando Di Piero pick apart his MMA opponent with just pure Jiu Jitsu, which was the deciding factor to start training in BJJ. Johnny Tama would join up with Juan Miguel Iturralde, one of Fernando Di Piero's Black belts. Johnny stayed with Juan Miguel throughout his development, and Johnny also credits Rubens Charles as a huge influence on him as a training partner. Johnny spent many years going back and forth to Chile where he competed and coached, Johnny was instrumental in the development of Jiu Jitsu in Chile.

How Much Is Johnny Tama Worth?

Johnny Tama has burst onto the Black belt scene in the past four years as a highly talented athlete. Johnny has started running exclusive seminars all over America as he looks to bolster his finances. Along with his cash prizes he has secured throughout his exciting career, Johnny has a net worth of over five hundred thousand dollars and rising. Johnny has also started working exclusively with BJJ Fanatics, the young talented grappler has filmed a few instructional videos called; "Dynamic Pressure Passing", "Aggressive Spider Guard" and "The Aggressive Open Guard NoGi" all his videos are available for purchase exclusively on bjjfanatics.com.

How Tall Is Johnny Tama?

Johnny Tama stands at 5 feet and 10 inches tall which is the equivalent to 177 centimetres.

How Much Does Johnny Tama Weigh?

Johnny Tama weighs in at 76 kilograms or (168 pounds) Johnny has spent his career fighting at weight ranges between 73 to 84 kilograms, he has also competed extensively in the absolute division.

Johnny Tama's Fight List!

Johnny Tama has been a prolific addition to the professional grappling circuit. He has fought against some of the world's toughest competitors in his weight division as well as the Open weight class. Johnny has a fight list that includes; Marcus Suel, Thiago Macedo, Frederico Silva, Joao Miyao, Joao Ferreira, Jonathan Correa, Victor De Matos, Lucas Rocha, Michael Liera, Yan Lucas, Kauan Barboza, Thiago Lemos, Victor Silverio, Rodrigo Freitas, Vinicius Wong, Dante Leon, Jose Souza, Erik Cruz, David Garmo, Gabriel Silva, Tomoshige Sera, Mauricio Gomez, Edwin Najmi, Adriano Araujo and Nick Salles.

Johnny Tama's Best Fight Of All Time!

Johnny Tama has achieved many accomplishments since joining the Black belt ranks. Johnny has won multiple titles including a 2021 Fight 2 Win title with a Heel Hook victory over the up and coming Edwin Najmi, which earned submission of the night honours. Johnny has also won 2 SJJIF World Championships as he secured the Gi and NoGi title in 2018. Johnny achieved his best win in 2019 when he competed at the IBJJF NoGi World Championships. Johnny defeated Natan Chueng, Fabio Caloi and Ygor Rodrigues all by points as he won the coveted World Championship Gold.

Who Did Johnny Tama Lose To?

Johnny Tama has only been submitted 8 times out of his 56 losses since becoming a Black Belt. In 2017 Johnny was submitted by Gianni Grippo at the UAEJJF New York Pro and at the New York Spring Open Marcio Andre submitted Johnny with a Bow and Arrow choke. In 2018 Jonnatas Gracie finished Johnny with a Rear Naked Choke at the World Series of Grappling 2nd edition, and then he was submitted by Ben Leynard at the Long Beach Open with an ankle lock. In 2020 Johnny suffered a loss by Triangle at Fight 2 Win 142 against Dante Leon and then was defeated by Pedro Marinho who secured a Guillotine at 3CG Kumite 3. In 2021 At the Who's Number One Championship Tye Ruotolo finished the fight with his signature move the Darce choke and at the most recent World Championships Michael Liera submitted Johnny with a Rear Naked Choke. Johnny has lost other fights against top.level athletes like; Oliver Taza, Osvaldo Moizinho, Renato Canuto, Valdir Araujo, Edwin Najmi, Gabriel Almeida, Felipe Trovo, Roberto Abreu, Mahamed Aly, Victor Silverio and Kit Dale.

Johnny Tama's Record!

Johnny Tama has achieved a huge amount of accolades in the short time he has been a Black belt. He has astounded the grappling world with his technical capabilities. Johnny has an extensive record of 78 wins with 56 losses since 2017, including 38 submission victories. Johnny Tama has a list of accomplishments that includes;

IBJJF NoGi World Champion (2019) SJJIF No Gi World Champion (2018) SJJIF World Champion (2018) Fight 2 Win 170 lbs Champion (2021) Fight 2 Win Submission of the Night Honours (2021) IBJJF Charleston Summer Open Champion (2021) IBJJF NoGi New York Spring Open Champion (2019) IBJJF New York Spring Open Champion (2018) Orange County Champion (2018) IBJJF Houston Open Champion (2017) IBJJF Austin Open Champion (2018) IBJJF Charlotte Open Champion (2017) IBJJF Boston Spring Open Champion (2017) AJP Ecuador National Pro Champion (2017) AJP New York National Pro Champion (2017) FIVE Grappling Super Fight Winner (2018) IBJJF NoGi Pan American Championship Runner Up (2019, 2021) IBJJF New York Spring Open Runner Up (2019) IBJJF Dallas Open Runner Up (2021) Marianas Open Runner Up (2017) IBJJF Absolute NoGi American Nationals Third Place (2019)

As a coloured belt;

IBJJF Pan American Champion (Purple Belt 2014) IBJJF NoGi Pan American Champion (Brown Belt 2016) IBJJF Dallas International Open Champion (Brown Belt 2016) UAEJJF Los Angeles Grand Slam Champion (Brown Belt 2015) IBJJF Miami Open Weight Class and Absolute Champion (Purple Belt 2013, 2014) IBJJF New York Spring Open Champion (Brown Belt 2015) IBJJF Boston Spring Open Champion (Brown Belt 2015) IBJJF NoGi World Champion Runner Up (Brown Belt 2014) IBJJF World Championships Third Place (Purple Belt 2014, Brown Belt 2015) IBJJF Pan American Championship Third Place (Brown Belt 2015)

Johnny Tama's Injuries!

Johnny Tama has suffered from plenty of injuries during his prestigious career. His worst injury came in 2016 when he tore his LCL and his PCL. Johnny suffered from this extensive knee injury which sidelined him for months, although it did not stand in his way of achieving his Black belt in the same year. Johnny has a will to win and to be the best grappler he can be, hurting his knee was a minor hiccup in his road to glory. Johnny is heavily religious and attributes his recovery and rise up the ranks to his belief in God. Johnny has self belief too which has given him the pathway towards a greater destiny.

Is Johnny Tama Retired?

Johnny Tama is an extremely active grappler who competes regularly on the world stage of Jiu Jitsu. Averaging over 30 fights per year, Johnny is well on his way towards winning many world titles and to becoming another Hall of Fame legend. Johnny has aspirations to open his own academy in the future, but for now his sights are firmly set on winning more World Championships.

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