Introducing BJJ Blue Belt Luke Gentile

With the popularity and growth of Jiu-Jitsu in the last 10 years, we have seen a much larger amount of athletes competing and helping grow the sport compared to years past.  There are now many more White Belts and Blue Belts that are both training and competing in Jiu-Jitsu than ever before and they have found success on the mats.  One of those Blue Belts is Luke Gentile.  Luke is a BJJ Blue Belt out of Tennessee that trains at Maverick Training Center.  He has goals to continue training, competing, and improving in Jiu-Jitsu every time he steps on the mats. Check out our interview with him here:

JK:  What got you into training Jiu-Jitsu and how long have you been training?

Gentile:  I watched a lot of action movies growing up and I've always been interested in the grappling aspects. I've been doing jiu-jitsu for almost 2 years now.

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JK:  Where is it that you train and what caused you to pick that academy?

​Gentile:  I train at Maverick Training Center and I chose Maverick because it was a high level gym.

JK:  You are a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Most consider that the most important rank/promotion in BJJ.  How much did it mean to you when the promotion happened?

Gentile:  It was very exciting.  It showed me that I was improving and also gave me a chance to start competing with people that knew a little more Jiu-Jitsu.

JK:  What is your biggest accomplishment so far in Jiu-Jitsu?

Gentile:  I guess my biggest accomplishment would be winning Purple Belt and Expert divisions.  I haven't had any really big accomplishments yet, but if I keep training I should continue to improve.

JK:  What are some goals of yours in 2024 in the sport and when can everyone see you back on the mats again?

Gentile:  I plan to compete as much as possible.  Probably 2 times a month.  My next competition will probably be Fight 2 Win on February 3 if I get accepted.

JK:  Thank you for the time!  And thank you for being part of this great community of ours.  Is there any last words you would like to get out there to everyone?

Gentile:  Not really any last words.  I guess just train as much as you can and try to compete, it seems to make you get better faster.