Travis Stevens happened upon judo almost by accident when he was a young boy around the age of 7. He has said in interviews that he had signed up at a local youth center for sport and he accidentally checked the judo box. After just one class, he was hooked on the sport and martial art of judo.

Travis would eventually come under the tutelage of four time Olympic team member Jimmy Pedro. It is Jimmy Pedro who Travis would credit with guiding his career both on the mats and off. Travis is well known for his incredible work ethic. Jiu Jitsu teammate and training partner Garry Tonon has described Travis Stevens as one of the only athletes in grappling who trains more than him, as someone who’s known for training up to 8 hours per day on most days.

Travis was introduced by BJJ black belt and judoka Dave Camarillo to the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, initially as a means of cross training and getting extra workouts in. Travis quickly excelled and found himself at Renzo Gracie’s Academy with the blessing of his coach Jimmy Pedro, during a period when he was rehabilitating from an injury he had suffered related to judo. He found himself into classes taught by John Danaher, the mastermind behind the high level grappling careers of people like Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon and Eddie Cummings, among others. Travis was attracted to Danaher’s approach towards teaching and would become a staple training partner for UFC veterans like Georges St. Pierre and Chris Weidman.

Though Travis would ultimately pick Judo as his preferred sport because of it’s contant movement and aggression, he loves the creativity that BJJ affords him. Ultimately his goal is to achieve the most he in each of the sports and with his nearly nonstop training schedule and his ability to work through any adversity or injury, place your bets on Travis.

In the short video, Travis Stevens Judo Highlights are on display.

Travis Stevens American Warrior