Powered By Purps: Mason Monsevais' Four Corners

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mason Monsevais and I’m a full-time jiu jitsu competitor based out of Newport Beach, California. I’ve spent the past three weekends traveling to all four corners of the United States to help coach, assist in seminars and also compete. After eight flights and a total of 13,558 miles travel, let’s just say that I’m happy to be back home.

Location: New York, New York || Time Spent: 35 Hours || Miles Travel: 5,654 

The journey starts with a redeye flight from LAX to New York. I accompanied my teammate Liam Moss to the IBJJF NOGI Pan American Championships where he was able to capture double gold in the blue belt juvenile division. Liam and I drill every morning before class at AOJ so it was great to be able to travel alongside with him and see him win. Although we were only in the Big Apple for a few days, we were able to visit the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square and a few other iconic places.

Location: Olympia, Washington || Time Spent: 39 Hours || Miles Traveled: 2,382 

After spending a few days at home, the next trip was to Olympia, Washington to assist Professor Gui during his two day seminar. It’s always great to be able to accompany my professors whenever they travel and share their style of jiu jitsu with others. Being a part of AOJ gives me a unique opportunity to train with not just one, but two multiple time black belt world champions on a daily basis, something very few practitioners will ever experience. On top of that I also love spending time in the Pacific Northwest and enjoy every trip.

Location: Miami, Florida || Time Spent: 22 Hours || Miles Traveled: 5,522 

The third weekend featured flights numbers 6,7 & 8, which landed me in Miami, Florida for the IBJJF Miami International Open. After three fights, I won my division and my 8th tournament of 2015. After just 22 hours spent in the Sunshine State, I headed back home to the west coast to teach the following morning at AOJ.

Location: Costa Mesa, California

The weekdays in between these trips were spent training & teaching at the Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, California. Since it was opened in the summer of 2012, this is where I have spent a majority of my time over the past three years. I’ve been fortunate to travel all around the world but in my mind nothing beats Southern California. After every trip I return home grateful to be able to do what I love each and every day and be surrounded by great people helping me achieve my goals.

Make sure to tag along on my next few trips by following me @MasonMonsevais on Instagram! #PoweredByPurps