38 years in Hermosa Beach training everyone from UFC fighters to five-year-olds. Professor Nono raised his own children, Jean-Paul and Bianca, on this mat, and has spent decades building discipline, self-confidence, and respect in South Bay kids and adults. Striking coach and cornerman to the legendary Royce Gracie for 24 years.
Professor Nono doesn't just teach martial arts. He builds young people. Kids who walk in unfocused and unsure walk out standing taller, looking adults in the eye, and carrying themselves with quiet confidence. Parents consistently say the same thing: "My kid is a different person since training with Nono."
Professor Nono raised his own children, Jean-Paul and Bianca, on this mat. Jean-Paul went on to become a professional UFC fighter and proud Mira Costa High School graduate. He didn't just become a fighter. He became a disciplined, respectful, driven young man first. Nono doesn't teach your kids anything he didn't first prove with his own.
Parents don't bring their kids to Professor Nono to learn how to fight. They bring them because something needs to shift. And it does.
Two days a week. Two classes per session. No fluff, no contracts drama. Just real training from a real professor.
Before the UFC was on TV. Before BJJ academies were on every corner. Before it was trendy. Professor Nono was in Royce Gracie's corner, helping shape the fighter who changed combat sports forever. That same level of mentorship is now shaping young people into more focused, more respectful, and more driven versions of themselves. You won't find that at a franchise gym.
Walk-ins welcome. First class is on us. Bring your kid, watch a session, and see for yourself why families across the South Bay have trusted Professor Nono for decades.