Greg Souders
Address
Rockville, Maryland, United States
Phone
About Us
Greg Souders was born on April 26, 1984, in Washington, DC, USA, and was raised in the neighboring state of Maryland.
His first experience with competitive sports came through chess, a game he played during high school in which he reached the rating of 1705 during his peak as a competitor, a very respectable number that, at the time, would have placed him in the upper echelon of skillfulness equivalent to a class A to an expert level player.
During his late teens, Souders gained an interest in mixed martial arts (MMA) by watching Pride FC and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This awareness of martial arts drove the young Maryland resident to the jiu-jitsu mats, a decision that took place after he watched the famous Gracies In Action tape. A promotional/documentary-style film that depicted the history of the Gracie Family and its influence in the development of this martial art style.
Although geared towards MMA, the aforementioned Gracies In Action led 20-year-old Souders to try his first BJJ class, which he did under the guidance of coach Mike Moses. His tuition was later picked up by Lloyd Irvin, one of the state’s most prestigious and accomplished instructors, and the man who took him from white to the brown belt rank.
As a purple belt, Greg suffered a severe neck injury from a training accident that ruptured a ligament and caused his C5 & C6 vertebrae to slip (herniate), an event that put a break on any competitive aspirations for Souders in jiu-jitsu. Still in love with the sport and the learning process, Greg sought to maintain his activity in the coaching capacity.
In 2013, controversy hit Team Lloyd Irvin, shaking the squad at its core (more information on that episode here). Many students broke with the workgroup and Souders was among them. He joined David Jacobs‘ affiliation and received his black belt rank from the East Coast jiu-jitsu pioneer in 2015.
