Meet The Team

Alex Reyes is a Lightweight fighter currently signed to the UFC, and he is also the owner and founder of Cage Combat Academy. Alex earned his Black Belt from Robert Drysdale in 2015. He has earned a great deal of respect within the MMA community for his ethical values, and his ability to develop highly skilled fighters with little to no experience. His positive attitude, kindness, and ability to make a difference in the lives of his students are widely recognized.

 

Alex is deeply committed to teaching and sharing knowledge with his students, and is known for his unparalleled love and dedication to the sport. As he says often, "All I ever want to do is positively impact lives and teach others to defend themselves and love this sport as much as I do."

 

Fun fact: Alex likes to spend quality time with his wife and children hiking, boating, and anything else that involves enjoying the outdoors.

Rosalie Reyes, one of the co-owners of Cage Combat Academy and wife of Alex Reyes. She plays an essential role in ensuring the gym's smooth functioning. She actively manages the operations and handles all behind-the-scenes tasks, including organizing events, creating newsletters and keeps students and parents informed about the gym's activities.

 

Her focus is to maintain the gym's original vision and motto, which emphasizes providing a family-friendly environment where everyone feels comfortable and confident.

 

Fun Fact: She enjoys doing photography as a hobby, museums, art, music, and spending time enjoying nature and time away with her family in their mountain home.

Jacky is our gym manager at Cage Combat Academy, and she has been with us for over two years. She is the friendly voice on the other end of the phone who will assist you from your first call, guide you through your trial, and help you get started with us. Jacky is known for her friendly and welcoming demeanor towards everyone.

 

She is always ready to help, and her extensive knowledge of our curriculum and class structure makes it easy for her to provide detailed information and answers to any questions you may have. Her exceptional customer service and helpful attitude are constantly complimented, and they contribute to our family-friendly atmosphere.

 

Fun Fact: Jacky loves to read and you can always count on her for a great book recommendation!

Dylan is a dedicated coach and rising fighter who has been training with us for more than 13 years. Throughout this time, he has earned his Jiu Jitsu black belt from Coach Alex Reyes, as well as securing the Spar Star MMA and California State Amateur MMA featherweight (145 lbs) titles. Dylan first joined the gym as a 10-year-old and went through our kids' program himself. His experience in the gym as a child inspired him to become a coach and give back to the community.

 

His commitment to the gym, our students, and our vision has a significant impact on the growth and success of our programs.“I thoroughly enjoy coaching students, I enjoy bonding with them and witnessing them grow into the best versions of themselves.”

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Fun Fact: Dylan was Coach Alex's first student, and has been with Cage Combat since 2010. While pursuing his path to the big leagues, Dylan has also completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics.

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Michael Santiago has been training at Cage Combat for five years and has been coaching for four years. His background is in wrestling, and he was a CIF finalist and master qualifier. Michael still holds a deep passion for wrestling and shares his knowledge with his students. He is known for his patience, kindness, and dedication to ensuring that each student learns, grows, and develops a love for the sport.

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Currently, he is a purple belt and an amateur fighter with a record of 4-1. "Cage Combat is like a second home to me and I feel blessed to have had so many amazing opportunities presented to me as well as every student I have the privilege of coaching."

 

Fun Fact: Michael loves to ride dirt bikes and motorcycles. He is also a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. (Go Birds!)

Nicole Tapia has been training for the past decade, and her training has inspired her to become a coach. Since 2021, she has been an asset to our kids' program, where her kindness, passion, and dedication to improving each student's skills have made her a truly exceptional coach. Nicole received her Purple belt from Alex Reyes in 2023.

 

Her constant positivity is highly valued by everyone in her presence. "I love teaching my students and being a role model for them to look up to."

 

Fun Fact: Nicole loves camping and traveling with my family and friends. She also has been accepted and will be attending Cal Poly Pomona.

Albert has been a part of Cage Combat Academy since 2011, where he initially joined for fun and to learn something new. However, he quickly developed a passion for MMA and Jiu Jitsu and started training to compete in both. He even became our 2nd Amateur Champion, earning the title for U of MMA as the best Featherweight. Albert remains an important asset to our team and helps train our upcoming fighters.

 

He is dedicated to preserving the original values of the gym and pushes everyone to work hard. “I went from knowing nothing in this sport to loving it and being able to now help train fighters and get them ready to compete,”

 

Fun fact: In his free time, Albert enjoys playing soccer, riding horses, and spending time with his family.

Jake Mitchell is a coach and fighter who has been training with us for over 3 years. He first came to us as a young student, and he returned as an adult. He wanted to join our coaching team to give back to the younger students, just as he was once given guidance. Jake is a Blue belt and received his belt from Alex in 2023.

 

During the last three years, Jake has participated in several Jiu Jitsu tournaments and fought in PKB. Jake states, "One of my favorite aspects of coaching is observing students develop good discipline and technique while growing in this sport and improving their styles."

 

Fun fact: Jake enjoys listening to music, snowboarding, and riding motorcycles.

Shandale Mitchell-Reyes is a rising MMA fighter who has been training for three years. He is undefeated in PKB and has won many Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. Shandale is committed to growing as a martial artist and giving back to the students in the gym working hard to evolve the way he has.

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Fun fact: Shandale enjoys training and in any free time enjoys playing video games, traveling or spending time with family.