MMA UNIVERSITY- Little Falls NJ. North Jersey's Premier Martial Arts Academy. Classes for Men Women and Kids. Ages 4 & up. Classes for Beginners. The MMA University offers world class instruction in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing , Muay Thai and Wrestling for men women and children . We have a great kids program that you and your child will love. Whether you are a beginner or a professional fighter, we have instructors dedicated to improve your skills as a martial artist. Our professors have many years of experience in Martial Arts and we have one of the best coaching staffs in Northern New Jersey. We offer fun, exercise and self defense to the ENTIRE family.

The University also provides private lessons with our  instructors and fighter management for pro and amateur fighters.

The MMA University is located at 153 Newark Pompton Tpke in Little Falls NJ. Whether you are training to be the Champion of the World or you just want to stay in shape and have fun doing it, the MMAU is the place for you.
Check the website themmauniversity.com for the schedule

Andre “Gigueto” Soares
Head BJJ and MMA Coach


Gigueto is a 3rd degree BJJ Black belt and professional MMA fighter. Andre started training in martial arts at 9 years old practicing Judo. At the age of 15 he fell in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has devoted his life to it since then. When Gigueto was a purple belt he was invited to try out for the legendary Carlson Gracie Competition Team. Carlson Gracie is one of the founders of BJJ and a legend in the sport. To make the team there was a tournament style training session in the middle of Carlson Gracie’s gym. Andre won the tournament and became a Team A competitor. Carlson Gracie Competition team included UFC champions Murilo Bustamante and Vitor Belfort, Pride veteran Mario Sperry, ATT founder Ricardo Liborio, Wallid Ismail, De la Riva, and many other founders and legends of MMA and BJJ. Andre's skills grew quickly and he won the Brazilian Nationals in 1998. He ended up training with the legendary Carlson Gracie for five years and learned pure Brazilian Ju Jitsu straight from the roots. Gigueto received his black belt in 2001 under former UFC fighter Marcus Aurelio. As a black belt, Andre came in second in the 2002 World Championships and became one of the best BJJ competitors in the world. In 2004, he was recruited to train at American Top Team by  Ricardo Liborio and his master Marcus Aurelio. Andre competed in MMA and BJJ with much success in America. He won Hawaii Shooto 2005, he also took first in the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Gracie World Submission championships where he won all six of his matches against top ranked talent from across the world. Besides making his name as a world class competitor, Andre is also known for being a world class instructor where he now is teaching on the mats of MMAU.

Main Titles: Gold medal 1998 Brazilian National Champion, Silver medal 2002 IBJJ World Championships, Bronze medal 2003 IBJJ World Championships, Bronze medal 2007 IBJJ World Championships, Gold medal 2011Brazilian National Jiu Jitsu Championships, Silver medal 2012 São Paulo International Open IBJJ Championships, Multiple Naga and Grapplers Quest World Championships


Ramon Maldonado
Muay Thai Instructor
Ramon is a dedicated instructor who has a teaching style that is very detail orientated and enjoyed by everyone. His classes are a great cardio vascular workout and a fun way to learn how to defend yourself. With a mixture of technique,excerising and drilling Ramon always keeps it interesting. Ramon is also a Muay Thai fighter who currently is undefeated.

Ricardo Ruiz
Kids Instructor/Self Defense
Ricardo has been training BJJ for 6 years and a purple belt under Gigueto. He is also an amateur mma fighter with a 2-1 record and has won numerous grappling tournaments. Ricardo has been teaching kids for the past 4 years and truly enjoys it, which reflects in his class.

Marc Vender
Kids Instructor
Marc started training Judo at the age of 7 years old and continued for the next 6 years before switching over to wrestling. Marc wrestled all 4 years of high school and is also a BJJ Blue belt under Gigueto. He is currently in college studying to be a grammar school teacher.

Boxing/MMA Striking Coach
Heron DeDios started boxing as a young teenager in Passaic NJ. He fought until his mid 20’s when he hung up his gloves due to a career ending knee injury. But his knee couldn’t keep him out the gym and he began to train boxers at the Passaic PAL Boxing Gym . Through the years he has trained many professional fighters in the MMA and Boxing world. He also help run a very successful childrens’s boxing program that has created some of the top amateur boxers in the country. He has now taken his creative style of teaching and extensive striking background to the University mats.