Instructors

John Castaneda is a professional UFC bantamweight fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under renowned coach Greg Nelson. He is a former Combate Americas bantamweight champion and has been training MMA for over 10 years with extensive wrestling experience.

As an owner and instructor at The Academy Plymouth (https://academyplymouth.com/), John brings elite-level martial arts expertise to law enforcement training. John’s passion for teaching shows in his instruction, working with everyone from beginners to professionals.

John graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a double major in criminal justice and Spanish, plus a minor in social work. His background as a collegiate wrestler and professional fighter gives him extensive knowledge of leverage-based control techniques that work directly for officer safety.

John works with STORM Training Group instructors when his competition schedule allows, sharing his ground control and defensive tactics expertise with law enforcement personnel. His high-pressure fight experience and technical grappling skills help train officers to safely manage combative subjects.