OUR TEAM

OUR TEAM

Camarillo Jiu Jitsu, led by Head Coach Daniel Camarillo, is a top-notch academy that’s all about supporting and guiding their students. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or already skilled, they understand everyone’s unique journey. They’ll push you to do your best, help you conquer your fears, and celebrate your achievements. But it’s not just about training—they genuinely care about your well-being and form a close bond with you. With their expertise and genuine support, the coaches at Camarillo Jiu Jitsu are there for you every step of the way.

DANIEL CAMARILLO

4th degree Guerrilla JiuJitsu/Ralph Gracie Black Belt and 3rd degree Judo Black Belt (Head Instructor/Owner)

He grew up in Bakersfield, CA, starting Judo training at the age of 4 with his father. By the time he turned 6, he began competing in Judo tournaments all across the United States, even fighting opponents in higher weight classes as per his father’s guidance. He achieved notable victories, winning junior national championships, Highschool nationals, and ultimately becoming the National Ladder champion in 1996. His dedication to Judo took him to Japan twice, where he competed. During his training, he relocated to Fresno and joined the Fresno State Judo team, finishing 1996 ranked as the sixth-best in the United States.

In 1997, he moved to the Bay Area and joined the Ralph Gracie JiuJitsu Team. It was there that his ground skills significantly improved. Within just two months of training under Cesar and Ralph Gracie, he earned his blue belt. While he initially faced difficulties, he was determined to bounce back after a close loss at the 1997 Nationals. His hard work paid off when he won the Joe Moreira Nationals in 1998, dominating his weight division by submitting every opponent, including Tyrone Glover. In the Absolute division, he secured second place, narrowly losing to a larger opponent by two points. The following year, he excelled at the US Open in Santa Cruz, triumphing over all opponents in his weight division, with the final match lasting a mere 14 seconds. He also emerged victorious in the Absolute division, defeating Genki Sudo.

After experiencing disappointment in his quest for a purple belt, he made the decision to quit Judo and Jiujitsu for a year. However, he soon regretted his choice and returned to training. It took him two months of rigorous effort to regain his shape, and he finally received his purple belt from Ralph Gracie. He continued his journey, winning matches as a purple belt, though facing challenging opponents like Tyrone at the Ralph Gracie tournament.

Due to challenging job prospects in the Bay Area, he relocated to Bakersfield, where he established his own academy. Although he briefly ventured into cage fights, he remains uncertain about further participation in that domain. In 2005, he achieved the remarkable accomplishment of earning a Black Belt in jiujitsu, adding to his existing 3rd-degree black belt in Judo. His family and friends hold great importance in his life, and he knows how to balance fun and seriousness. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and wholeheartedly embraces the opportunity to teach others without holding back.

During his time at Ralph Gracie’s, he acquired a nickname. While intensely training with a friend in preparation for the JiuJitsu Nationals, his friend marveled at his exceptional armlock skills and remarked, “Dang, it’s like you’re hunting the arm!” From that moment on, he became known as “Armhunter.” The nickname perfectly aligned with his impressive record, as he won approximately 90% of his matches by executing effective armbar submissions.

  • Jiu-Jitsu Championships
    2nd 1996 US Open
    1st 1997 US Open
    1st 1998 JM National Jiu Jitsu Championship
    2nd 1998 JM National JiuJitsu Championship Absolute division
    1st 1998 US Open
    1st 1998 US Open Absolute
    1st 1999 US Open
    2nd 2000 National Jiu Jitsu Championship
    2nd 2000 US Open
    3x Submision Wars Champion
    3x Guerrilla JiuJitsu Grand Prix Champion (2012 – 2015)
    3rd 2012 Pan American JiuJitsu Championships
    1st 2013 US Open JiuJitsu Championships
    1st 2014 US Open JiuJitsu Championships
    1st 2014 SJJIF Worlds
    1st 2015 US Open JiuJitsu Championships
    2nd 2016 US Open JiuJitsu Championships
    1st 2023 JJWL Worlds
          1st 2023 NABJJF 18th Annual
          1st 2023 JJWL California VIII
          3rd 2023 IBJJF Master Worlds

  • Judo Championships
    1st 1996 National Judo Ladder Championships
    5x California State Champion
    2xJr National Champion
    4th 1995 Senior Nationals
    1st 1995 Mexico Open Judo Championships
    2nd 1995 Mexico Open Judo Championships 200+ lbs division
    1st National High School Championships

ELISABETH "SUNSHINE" BRAVO

Camarillo JiuJitsu Black Belt 

Elisabeth “Sunshine” Bravo is a female blackbelt who began training Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) toward the end of 2014. She joined Camarillo Jiujitsu (CJJ) and received her blue, purple, brown, and black belts in BJJ under the notorious Daniel “The Armhunter” Camarillo. Through immense dedication and resilience Elisabeth was able to earn her black belt at the end of 2021. Elisabeth is very passionate about BJJ and teaching. Early 2021, Elisabeth took over as the lead Nogi instructor at CJJ. Elisabeth is an avid advocate for women in BJJ. In 2018, She developed a women’s program in Tehachapi at CJJ affiliate school to encourage more women to join the sport. After graduating from college in 2020, she also began leading the women’s classes at CJJ every Saturday. Elisabeth has competed and placed in a variety of tournaments, including JJWL, NABJJ, IBJJF, and F2W events. She continues to be intensely involved with the jiujitsu tournament circuit both as a competitor and a coach.

  • 2023 IBJJF LA open gi and nogi gold medalist
  • 2022 F2W gi black belt champion 2021
  • JJWL NorCal gi gold medalist (brown belt)
  • 2018 JJWL S. California gi and nogi gold medalist (purple belt)
  • 2017 US open silver medalist (blue belt)
  • 2015 NABJJF silver medalist (blue belt)
  • 2014 Revgear gi and nogi gold medalist (white belt)

JASON ACKERMAN

3rd degree JiuJitsu Black Belt and Judo Brown Belt

Jason began training in 2003, as a senior in high school in Santa Clarita under Mike Ortiz. Mike was a brown belt under Rickson Gracie at the time. Jason continued his training in college and eventually found himself training at the Rickson Gracie academy in west Los Angeles where he eventually assisted with instructing classes. Jason received his black belt in 2014 from Kron Gracie. Jason began training with Dan Camarillo after moving to Bakersfield, where he received his 3rd degree on his black belt . Jason enjoys helping teach at Camarillo Jiu Jitsu and competing with the team.

LOVEY CAMARILLO

Camarillo JiuJitsu Black Belt 

Lovey had previous martial arts experience before joining Camarillo Jiu-Jitsu. Her martial arts career
began in December 2008. In April of 2013, Lovey chose to transition to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to better her
grappling. Early 2014 she began shadowing Daniel Camarillo teaching the Kids program. In 2016 she
developed the Camarillo Prep curriculum for the toddler’s program at Camarillo Jiu-Jitsu. Lovey is currently a full-time instructor in the kids’ program ages 6-11 and an assistant instructor to the women’s and adult’s programs. She also teaches the Basics Class: An Introduction to Jiu-Jitsu.

Lovey is the poster child of “show up and learn”. She is proof that even if you don’t do jiu-jitsu until later
in life, through diligence, a growth mind-set, and not giving up on yourself you can have success. She
received her black belt from her husband, Daniel Camarillo, in May 2023. If you can’t find Lovey on the
mats either training or teaching, you’ll find her in the front office where she runs the Operations for
Camarillo Jiu-Jitsu.

  • 1st 2014 Copa Pacifica XVII
  • 1st 2014 Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix

SAM CERVANTES

Camarillo JiuJitsu Blue Belt

Samuel is a wrestler and jiu-jitsu blue belt under Daniel “The Armhunter” Camarillo. Samuel has
fifteen years of wrestling competition experience that includes five years at the NCAA Division 1
level. At the high school level, Samuel is a graduate of the Poway High wrestling team and was a
two-time state qualifier and placer. Upon graduating high school, Samuel went on to the Naval
Academy Preparatory School where he was the starter at the 235-pound weight class. The
following year, Samuel competed at the United States Naval Academy at Heavyweight for one
year before transferring to Cal State Bakersfield where he was the starting Heavyweight and
PAC12 placer from 2012-2014. Upon graduating from CSUB, Samuel became involved in
training with the upper weight classes and volunteering as a coach for the Golden West Kids
Wrestling program. Samuel is now training jiu-jitsu/wrestling full time to fuse his wrestling style
into his jiu jitsu and help others along the way.

Accomplishments in Wrestling:
-California National Team Member (USA Wrestling)
-California Free Style State Champion (USA Wrestling)
-Three Time CIF Champion
-Two-time CIF CA State Qualifier
-CIF CA State Placer
-NCWA All American
-Two-time PAC12 placer

 

  • Grappling X No-Gi Silver Medalist (Intermediate)
  • JJWL Worlds No-Gi Masters Ultra Heavyweight Gold Medalist (Intermediate)
  • JJWL Worlds Gi Masters Ultra Heavyweight Bronze Medalist (Blue Belt)

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VINICIUS MORAIS “Vinny”

De La Riva BJJ Blackbelt 2nd Degree

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USA

  • 2021 World Champion adult Heavy Division Dallas Tx.
  • 2nd Nogi World champion 2021 SJJIF Dallas Tx.
  • 2016 3rd Worlds Championship SJJIF
  • 2017 No gi World champion SJJIF.
  • 2019 2nd Div Medium heavy
  • 2016 3rd open weight. Worlds Championship. Long beach CA
  • 2019 Fresno open Champion Heavy Div.
  • 2019 Fresno 3rd place open weight div Ibjjf.
  • 2019 Long Beach open 3rd weight and 3rd open weight div. Ibjjf.
  • 2010 Arnold tournament champion Columbus Ohio -middle
  • 2010 Arnold tournament champion open weight


Brasil

  • 19 times state champion (over all, total)
  • 13 seconds state champion(over all, total)
  • 12 third place state champion(over all, total)
  • Top 10 all state adult black belt 2015
  • Top 15 all state black belt 2016
  • 2016 Curitiba open third place middle
  • 2015 Floripa open champion middle
  • 2015 Floripa open third open weight
  • 2015 South Brazilian CBJJ third place
  • 2013 Rio open second place middle
  • 2013: Rio open second open weight
  • 2013 World champion of CBJJE purple belt
  • 2013 Abu Dhabi trials champion middle weight
  • 2014 Abu Dhabi trials champion middle weight
  • 2014 Abu Dhabi trials third place open weight

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