Michael Liera, Jr.: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

Who is Michael Liera, Jr.?

Michael Liera, Jr. is an American black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who represents one of the best competition teams in the world, Atos Academy. Liera himself is also a standout: he’s generally considered to be one of the best lightweights alive. He’s won several titles at the highest levels and is now on the black belt circuit cleaning up at the Pan American games each year. Michael Liera, Jr. has his eye on another World Championship in years to come.

Who is Michael Liera, Jr.?

Michael Liera, Jr. is an American black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who represents one of the best competition teams in the world, Atos Academy. Liera himself is also a standout: he’s generally considered to be one of the best lightweights alive. He’s won several titles at the highest levels and is now on the black belt circuit cleaning up at the Pan American games each year. Michael Liera, Jr. has his eye on another World Championship in years to come.

What This Article Covers:

• Who is Michael Liera, Jr.?
• How Old is Michael Liera, Jr.?
• How Much is Michael Liera, Jr. Worth?
• How Much Does Michael Liera, Jr. Weigh?
• Michael Liera, Jr. Fight List
• Michael Liera, Jr.'s Best Fight of All Time
• Michael Liera, Jr. Record

Although his name carries all the pedigreed weight of a Brazilian, Liera was actually born in Littleton Colorado. His family was not involved with martial arts and he had no introduction to combat sports until he happened to watch UFC 60 with at a friend’s house. After watching Royce Gracie and Matt Hughes go at it, Liera was inspired. He soon convinced his father, Liera, Sr., to take him in for a trial class.

Playing Guard Against Big Guys by Michael Liera Jr.

Liera’s skill in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was apparent almost immediately, and he started making himself known on the competition circuit as a young blue belt. He won his first World Championship at that rank in 2011, a feat which he repeated twice more, at purple belt and at brown belt, before eventually receiving his black belt in 2014. During that time, Liera changed camps from the Ribeiro team, to the Atos team.

It was with Andre Galvao’s guidance that Liera earned his purple and black belts, and his style is evident in Liera’s game. Although Michael is not a large grappler, he plays the top game much heavier than a man his size has any right to; due in part, no doubt, to the influence of the much-larger Galvao.

After training at Atos under Andre Galvao for over five years and receiving his black belt, Michael Liera, Jr. took what he’d learned and moved back to Colorado to start his own gym in 2019. The gym is still in its infancy but so far looks like it will continue the championship tradition, mentality, training style, and ethos of Atos HQ. The gym, co-founded and operated by fellow Atos prodigy YJ Lee, is called Logos Jiu Jitsu Academy.

Michael Liera, Jr. continues to be one of the most active and competitive lightweight grapplers alive, and will no doubt continue his reign of terror on the mats for years to come.

How To Beat Bigger Guys: Guard by Bruno Malfacine

How Old is Michael Liera, Jr.?

Michael Liera, Jr. was born on September 29th of 1993 in Colorado.. He is 28 years old as of 2022.

Michael Liera, Jr. Family

Liera’s family has no background in martial arts, but he convinced his father to take him to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class after watching a UFC broadcast. If not for the involvement of Dad, Liera may never have made it in for the first day!

How Much is Michael Liera, Jr. Worth?

Michael Liera, Jr. is still making a name for himself and, as of 2019, is a gym owner. He runs Logos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Colorado.

How Tall is Michael Liera, Jr.?

Unlike fighters, grapplers don’t usually have to record their heights for competition. We don’t know his exact height, but we do know that his weight class is 170. Liera must be under 6 feet.

How Much Does Michael Liera, Jr. Weigh? 

Michael Liera, Jr. competes at lightweight under IBJJF rules. That means he weighs in at 168 pounds, or about 76 kg.

Michael Liera, Jr. Fight List

As a grappler, Michael Liera, Jr. has had far too many matches to list out in a practical way; over one hundred as a pro! In order to get a good sense of how skilled he is on the mat, you can take a peek at his biggest accomplishments in competition. Included below are his accolades at both colored ranks and at black belt.

Blue Belt, Purple Belt, and Brown Belt:

• 2011 IBJJF World Championship - Gold (Blue)
• 2011 Pan American Championships - Gold (Blue) 
• 2012 IBJJF World Championship No Gi - Gold (Purple)
• 2012 IBJJF American National Championships - Double Gold (Purple & Absolute) 
• 2012 Pan American Championships - Double Gold (Purple) 
• 2013 IBJJF World Championship - Gold (Purple) 
• 2013 Pan American Championships - Double Gold (Brown & Absolute)
• 2013 IBJJF American National Championships - Double Gold (Brown & Absolute)
• 2013 American National Championships No Gi - Gold (Brown)  
• 2014 IBJJF World Championship - Gold (Brown) 
• 2014 Pan American Championships - Gold (Brown) 
• 2014 IBJJF American National Championships - Double Gold (Brown & Absolute) 

Black Belt:

• 2016 IBJJF European Open - Gold

2017 IBJJF Pan Championship - Bronze

2017 IBJJF World Championship No-Gi - Bronze

2019 IBJJF Pan Championship - Bronze

• 2018 IBJJF Pan Championship - Gold
• 2019 IBJJF European Open - Bronze
• 2020 UAEJJF Grand Slam, MIA - Gold
• 2020 IBJJF Pan Championship - Silver

Michael Liera, Jr.'s Best Fight of All Time

Grapplers like Liera often reach a triple digit match count before they reach adulthood. Liera’s record is long enough that it’s hard to pick just one fight to stand out. We think his 2021 victory against Johnny Tama stands out as a bright spot.

After a huge run through the colored belt divisions, Liera was welcomed to the black belt divisions in a big way. It was surely a challenge to make the transition, but the World Championship match against Tama proved that Liera’s RNC is no joke: it works at the very highest levels of professional competition.

Who Did Michael Liera, Jr. Lose To?

Grapplers compete so often that losses are bound to come with the territory. One of Liera’s most recent losses came to a man who’s stepped up to fill in for Liera on short notice in a previous bout, Matheus Gabriel. Gabriel is one of the Checkmat association’s best competitors and is on his way to being a champion several times over. 

The two faced off in the quarter finals and gave us a taste of what is likely to be a rivalry to watch for the next decade. Although Michal fought hard and was able to secure two points, Gabriel eventually outscored him 4-2 and took home the victory at 76 kg that day.

Michael Liera, Jr. Record

Michael Liera, Jr. has an overall professional grappling record of 91-35. He shows an extreme preference for chokes. His favorite submission is the rear nake choke, which he has secured 15 times in professional competition. His next most frequent submission is the triangle choke, at five victories. Amazingly, Liera has only submitted himself three times in competition.  

Michael Liera, Jr. Injuries

Grappling injuries a fairly common, even among young, in-shape athletes. Liera is not immune to this, and in 2019 he was forced to step down from a match against Marcio Andre. Luckily, his budding rival, Matheus Gabriel was able to step up to fill in.

Is Michael Liera, Jr. Retired?

At only 28 years old, Michael Liera, Jr. is far from retiring. He still has many major tournaments to attend in 2022 and beyond. He’s sure to continue making his way to the final rounds of tournaments against the upper echelon of competitors, so watch the brackets for the name Liera, Jr.!

Finally, Michael has agreed to film some of his unique and creative content for all to learn from. He teamed up with BJJ Fanatics to give us all his thoughts on working with a size disadvantage: “Playing Guard against Big Guys”. Are you feeling outgunned by the gorillas at your gym? Maybe you’re a heavyweight looking to escape the bottom side against the superheavies in your gym. If you’ve ever been the smaller player, Liera has some tips for you.

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