Coach · Blue Belt · Renzo Gracie Lineage
Matthew runs the 6:30am sessions. If you train before work, you train with him.
He’s American and has lived in Erbil for years. He’s been part of Renzo Gracie Team Elwany since 2023 and earned his blue belt in 2025 under Al-Hakam Elwany, under the direction of Renzo Gracie HQ in New York.
The morning class is the hardest one to show up for, and he’s the reason it runs. Reliability is the whole story here — twice a week, before the city is awake, he’s on the mat.