About Us
Aaron Botehlo
Owner & Head Instructor
Aaron received his black belt in December 2017 from Martin Escobar, a Carlson Gracie Black Belt.
In 2018 Aaron decided to start his jiu-jitsu school in a humble 1000sqft space in Tucson as a Marcelo Garcia Association affiliate. The team regularly visits Marcelo at his headquarters in Manhattan and continuously helps shape the jiu-jitsu at Sonoran.
Sonoran is now located at 4410 E. Grant Rd, boasting 1500 sqft of mat space and thriving with 150 active members.
SBJJ prioritizes creating a culture of developing leaders by challenging students’ physical and strategic abilities.
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John Stuckey
Black Belt Coach
John began his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu study in 2004 under Martin Escobar and Rey Diogo in Tucson, AZ earning his black belt in 2011.
John has competed at the Southwest Classic BJJ tournament, earning a silver medal in the brown belt super-heavy class in 2011, and the Arizona Open BJJ tournament, also earning a silver medal in the purple belt open class in 2008.
John has trained with Sonoran BJJ since December 2018 and enjoys being a part of a growing and vibrant BJJ academy.
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Morgan Holland
Black Belt Coach
Morgan Holland has been studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over 12 years, achieving his Black Belt in January 2020. Since starting Jiu Jitsu, Morgan has competed in both MMA and Jiu Jitsu, winning and medaling in both arenas. Morgan is a student of the art, constantly studying different game elements. Morgan enjoys Gi and No-Gi while blending a classic open-guard game with modern concepts and techniques.
Above all else, Morgan loves to teach and assist new students with learning the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu.
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Christian Wilson
Brown Belt Coach/Operations Manager
Christian started Jiu-Jitsu in 2015 during his sophomore year of college aft r grappling with some friends in their garage. What began as a hobby became a borderline obsession and a cornerstone of his life. After competing regularly for his first three years, Christian found a love for teaching others and is heavily focused on being the best possible instructor he can be. The acquisition and sharing of knowledge is Christian’s ultimate goal.
Christian relocated to Tucson with his wife, Morgan, and two cats after spending his childhood here. He enjoys Magic the Gathering, Sports, Video Games, and American Hardcore music.
Christian Wilson currently serves as operations manager for Sonoran and can help you with your membership and merchandising needs.
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Cody Riggs
Brown Belt/Head Kids Coach
Cody grew up about an hour north of Cincinnati right outside Dayton, Ohio. He has been in Tucson since June of 2021.
He started wrestling when he was a kid but was introduced to Jiu-jitsu in 2009 through mixed martial arts. He started consistently training Jiu-jitsu in 2019.
Cody teaches a timeless blend of wrestling and guard passing for self-defense with a fusion of modern techniques for competition.
Cody likes growing cacti and succulents. He only has a few, but enjoys the different species and shapes to choose from.
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Gabriela Bowman
Brown Belt Coach
Gabriela was born into a fighting family of wrestlers and boxers. She started training jiu-jitsu at 8 yrs old (2010) under Martin Escobar. She began competing after only three months of training. Gaby has medaled in dozens of tournaments, winning multiple states, regional, and super-fight championships. She owns IBJJF Pan Am gold and silver medals. Gabriela has had similar success competing in judo and wrestling tournaments. She was among very few female varsity wrestlers in high school competing against male athletes.
Gabriela started teaching at 12 yrs old leading kids' classes. She honed her teaching skills over the years, showing a vast knowledge of grappling arts while having patience with her students.
Gaby was taught a solid pressure base that she developed into a hybrid style that fuses modern jiu-jitsu with elements of judo and wrestling.
Gabriela is a U of A student. She loves family, friends, fashion, and music.
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Tim Beithon
Brown Belt Instructor
Tim started Jiu-Jitsu in 2015 and has competed in nationwide tournaments multiple times at every belt level and has competed in several local super fights.
Tim's favorite past time is traveling and while traveling he enjoys training Jiu-Jitsu at different schools and taking privates lessons from some of the highest level instructors in the sport. Tim has trained in New Zealand, China, France, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Holland and Japan, as well as countless gyms around the United States.
Tim also helps run a non profit where he instructs law enforcement and first responders Jiu-Jitsu and defensive tactics to help keep them safe and not have to depends on using weapons initially.
Jiu-Jitsu is not only a hobby and past time but a passion to pass along the knowledge he has gained to others.
Facility & Affiliation
Marcelo Garcia is a legend of sport jiu-jitsu and is a multiple-time world champion in the most prestigious and highly competitive tournaments like ADCC, IBJJF, and more. We are a proud affiliate of Marcelo Garcia. We are the ONLY affiliate in the entire state of Arizona.
The jiu-jitsu facility is located at 4410 E. Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ. Our academy provides conveniences like 1000 sqft of mat space, cubicles for storing your gear, free filtered water, changing rooms, three bathrooms, and ample parking space for all members.
Join Our Team
We have a great staff of instructors and friendly members ready to welcome you to your first class. Click the button below to register for a free class.