OUR TEAM

Co-founders of MMA Fitness

JAMES McNEILL

As co-founder of MMA Fitness, James has combined his passion for Martial Arts and fitness to bring MMA inspired training to everybody. 

James is an experienced Thai Boxing and Kickboxing Instructor since 1998 and Shotokan Karate Teacher (currently graded 2nd Dan) since 2003.  He began studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2008. 

As a qualified and working Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor in Sydney's CBD, James has a unique ability to fuse the benefits and challenge of Martial Arts with the practicality of fitness training.  

James has been an active presenter at the Filex Fitness Convention  and a contributor in a vareity of mainstream magazines, weighing in on a range of fitness issues for publications such as Cosmopolitan, Harpers Bazar, Fitpro and Network Magazine.

When not TEACHING fitness, James can be found doing his time on the bags, pads, kick-shields and mats, trialing every single technique on his own body before passing them to the MMA Fitness Research & Development team.  

Take advantage of James years of training knowledge in the techniques and combinations at our MMA Fitness courses when you next train with us....

MARCELO REZENDE

Marcelo is the co-founder of MMA Fitness and a highly respected and sought after Brazilian Jiu Jistu teacher.  He runs his own highly successful Gracie Barra school in Brookvale, as well as overseeing numerous affiliated branches of Gracie Barra throughout Australia and New Zealand.

As a qualified 2nd degree Blackbelt and coach in the art, Marcelo works with top teams such as the Sydney Roosters, ACT Brumbies, Wallabies and Manly Sea Eagles to adapt Jiu Jitsu grappling to more effective on field techniques.  His training assisted the Sea Eagles in claiming the 2008 premiership and the team trains with Marcelo on a regular basis using MMA Fitness techniques to also improve their ability to focus on field whilst under physical strain.

In addition to sporting teams, Marcelo coaches many champions in Jiu Jitsu, Submissions Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts to an international standard, including fighter Mark Hunt (Pride FC fighter in Japan).  He has also had the pleasure of working with the NSW police force to develop safer arrest procedures, using the skills of control to provide officers with more effective ways to deal with individuals on the job. 

When not teaching, presenting seminars or competing in tournaments (Marcelo is an International Jiu Jitsu Masters Champion) you will find Marcelo enjoying time with his son, and the great weather that Sydney has to offer.

Tap into Marcelo's knowledge base as you undergo your MMA Fitness training...

Development & Support

DEE McNEILL

Working in fitness since 1994, Dee is an experienced Group Fitness Manager, Instructor, Personal Trainer, Convention Presenter and Educator, and a published Fitness Author.  Since 1999 she has trained thousands of fitness professionals across Australia and in Asia through her role as a Senior Trainer and Presenter for Les Mills Asia Pacific.  Between 2006 and 2009 she held the position of Asia Pacific Master Trainer for the BodyCombat program, responsible for recruiting, managing and upskilling a high calibre training and presenting team spanning 5 countries. 

Aside from managing the day to day runnings of the MMA Fitness office, Dee forms an intregal part of our Research & Development for course content and application, working with our presenting team and the fitness general public to test every technique for effectiveness and ease of execution.  A qualified Yoga teacher, and student of Martial Arts for over 10 years, you can find Dee teaching high calibre group fitness classes in Sydney CBD for both Fitness First and Virgin Active.

Training Team

DAVID CROSSLEY

David has studied martial arts for more than 25 years, earning his 5th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do through hours of training, teaching and competition.  Bringing this knowledge to his fitness career, David has championed martial arts based training in classes, and through his role as a National Convention Presenter for FILEX, upskilling the industry in Boxing and Kick-boxing since 2004.  In 2010 David joins our MMA Fitness TEAM as a natural progression to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

A qualified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, David understands what it takes to create a dynamic, results driven pad session for all fitness levels.  He is the driving force behind Fitness Firsts exclusive CORE First program and when not training clients, instructors or teaching classes, you can find David overseeing operations for Fitness First in Sydney in his role as a Cluster Group Fitness Manager, and GFM at their flagship city club Bond St. 

Benefit from David's knowledge and experience when you meet him at your next MMA Fitness course...


FABIO BERTOLLI

Fabio holds a Degree in Physical Education and has over 8 years experience as a Personal Trainer.  He is passionate about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, stuyding the art for more than 12 years, and currently teaching at Gracie Barra in Sydney. 

Fabio's experience is also in coaching Jiu Jitsu athletes to superior levels of fitness to enable better results in training and competition.

You will not only enjoy his passion but also his warm and friendly manner....

   

GUGA PINTO

Guga holds a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and currently instructs classes at Australia's premier Jiu Jitsu school, Gracie Barra, both in Sydney and Newcastle.  He has worked with teams such as the Wallabies, Waratahs, and most recently the Manly Sea Eagles on a vareity of modified Jiu Jitsu techniques to assist in bringing their A-game to the field, and was part of the coaching team that saw the Sea Eagles win the 2009 premiership.

A Law graduate, Guga has since made his mark on the fitness industry, presenting seminars and workshops nationally and internationally, most recently working with coaces at the NSW Institute of Sport.  he is a qualified Personal Trainer, licensed Football Federation Australia Youth coach, and runs his own Personal Training business on Sydney's north shore.

In his 'spare' time you can find Guga attending professional Jiu Jitsu bouts (in 2009 he placed 5th at the World Professional tournament held in Dhabi), attending Capoiera classes (a student for 6 years), enjoying Muay Thai training and teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Newcastle at Gracie Barra.

Experience Guga's energy and passion at an upcoming MMA Fitness workshop...

JULIO GUERRA

Julio is a full time Jiu Jitsu instructor at Sydney's leading Jiu Jitsu school Gracie Barra - training beginners through to experienced fighters in the finer points of ground fighting and the fitness required to achieve the 'superior' position in a fight.  With over 8 years of his own intense training, Julio currently holds the rank of Black Belt in the art and his dedication to training has earned him many tournament titles since arriving in Australia, including:

- 3 times NSW State Champion
- National Submissions Champion
- Overall Australian Champion
- Pan-Pacific Champion

Beyond Jiu Jitsu, Julio's background includes competative sports.  A qualified and sanctioned NSBA Basketball referre and, experienced Gymnastics instructor and current student of Muay Thai. 

You will love Julio's postive approach and humour when you next train with MMA Fitness....


MARCIO LEMOS

Marcio is a professional MMA Fighter with a 4-win 1-loss record.  Originally a student of Capoeira in Brazil, Marcio switched to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after trying a class with what he describes as a 'skinny friend' who was able to easily choke him out during class.  Since then Marcio has held many Jiu Jitsu titles, including - 

- 4 times State Champion in Brazil
- 2008 Pan Pacific Champion
- New Zealand National Champion, and
- NSW State Champion

Currently ranked as a Brown Belt in Jiu Jitsu, Marcio runs the Hornsby Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu school and claims the over right as his favourite striking technique... so now you have the heads up for course!!!! 

SYLVIA SERTO

Moving from the world of professional classical and comtemporary dance to fitness was a natural progression for Sylvia.  An experienced Personal Trainer with a passion for making fitness achievable for women, Sylvia is currently the Womens Self Defense and Fitness Program Coach at Gracie Barra in Sydney.  She leads the training of Gracie Barra's Pink Team, a specifically designed program to empower women to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a form of self-defense and enjoy the fitness gains with it.

In her 'real' job Sylvia is a savvy online marketer - holding a Masters Degree in International Business - so she understands how to package your fitness skills and sell them to your clients. 

Join Sylvia in learning how to create kick-butt workouts using MMA Fitness techniques for men and women alike.