James Pokluda
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU BLACK BELT - 4 STRIPES
James Pokluda is Urban Jungle's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu assistant instructor, and holds a BJJ  Black Belt. He's also both a MMA fighter and MMA assistant instructor. James is also qualified to teach the Women's Self-Defense program.

Robert Lopez
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU 3 STRIPES BROWN BELT
Robert Lopez is Urban Jungle's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu assistant instructor, and holds a 3 stripe BJJ Brown Belt. He is also a certified personal trainer and can help almost anyone reach his or her fitness and training goals.

Robert grew up with a brother and cousins and they were constantly play-fighting. Robert always had an affinity for grappling, but had yet to learn the true fundamentals of the sport; in those days, he just grabbed for a neck and squeezed. That all changed when his father showed him a VHS copy of the first UFC, and Robert’s fascination with the sport began to grow. Robert identified with Royce Gracie, being a smaller individual and admired Royce’s ability to skillfully finish fights with submissions. Robert believes that there is a gracefulness to ending a fight without striking.

At 23 years old, after a long search for the perfect gym, Robert came to Urban Jungle for a free trial class. He was drawn to Urban Jungle largely because Professor Tony Torres-Aponte has trained under Royce Gracie, and Tony’s team had proven their skills in competitions throughout town.

At Urban Jungle, the entire staff works together as a family. Robert also shares in all the responsibilities. He will do anything from greet incoming students, answer the phone, assist with computer entry, clean, help advertise, and attend to financial matters, all in addition to training, of course.

Robert has a tendency to immerse himself in his hobbies, and he has dedicated a lot of time to studying Jiu-Jitsu outside the gym, as well and now views it as a total lifestyle.

Robert has represented Urban Jungle in tournaments at the local, state and world levels. He sold his car in preparation for his first world competition and has been riding his bike ever since. Through his fascination with nutrition, Robert attended culinary school and loves to cook good food. He also has three dogs and a cat, and enjoys experiencing nature first-hand. Robert also co-founded Kickin' Kombucha- a rebalancing probiotic tea that provides a great energy boost.

Robert now feels that he has found his true calling, and has rearranged his life in order to train others for a living. He loves the fact that everyone has his or her own Jiu-Jitsu. Each student is an artist in that capacity. The physical and mental challenges keep Robert coming back for more. “You truly connect with your body and understand the magnificence of its movement yet acknowledge its limitations. It provides such a beautiful balance that has enriched my life and provided so many valuable lessons and friends,” shares Robert.

Derek Laurel
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU 1 STRIPE PURPLE BELT
Derek Laurel is Urban Jungle's Tiny Tots/Kids instructor, and holds a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt. Derek was originally a student at Urban Jungle, studying Muay Thai and working on getting into better shape. He chose Urban Jungle for its proximity to his house, and now realizes how fortunate he is that his hobby has turned into a way of life for him.

As a child, Derek idolized Bruce Lee and wanted to train like Bruce Lee, but there was no studio near his home for him to attend. His solution was to watch the movie “Enter the Dragon” everyday. He even grew his hair like Bruce Lee. His stepfather ended up taking him to a BJJ class in Dallas, and Derek was hooked. He started training when he was 25. He now trains MMA, BJJ and Kardio Kickboxing at Urban Jungle.

Derek teaches the Tiny Tot and Kids classes. He also assists Tony whenever necessary with teaching or anything else around the gym that needs to be done. Derek has a caring attitude and down-to-earth teaching approach. Derek shares that “BJJ has changed my life and made me more confident in everything I do. There is nothing greater that passing that on to people of all ages. I couldn't ask for a better job.”

Jesse Bailon
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU PURPLE BELT
Jesse experience at Urban Jungle started young. When he was in the second grade, Michelle used to teach kickboxing after school at his elementary school. Michelle was teaching free Kardio Kickboxing classes to promote the business and to give back to the community. Jesse’s mother started doing the free Kardio Kickboxing classes and then decided to become a member of the gym. Eight years later, Michelle and Jesse’s mother had become friends, and Jesse was offered a position supervising kids at the Summer Camps.

Jesse initially began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 16, and progressed to MMA and Kardio Kickboxing one year later. Jesse started training when Michelle offered to let him work to pay off his dues. Before going to his first BJJ class, Jesse learned everything he could about the Gracie philosophy and found out that a smaller person could easily submit a larger person with the right skills. That drove Jesse’s desire to train even further.

Now Jesse does everything from scrub toilets to teaching kids classes, all the while continuing to train in MMA, BJJ and Kardio Kickboxing.

Outside the gym, Jesse enjoys being outdoors and creating 2D sculptures. He is currently attending HCC, majoring in business administration. And since Jesse received an award for perfect attendance from Pre-K through his Senior year in high school, he expects you to come to class when you say you will!

Jesse Bailon is Urban Jungle's Tiny Tots/Kids assistant instructor, and holds a BJJ Blue Belt. In addition, Jesse is a Kardio Kickboxing assistant instructor.

Norma Nunez
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU 3 STRIPES WHITE BELT
Norma Nunez is Urban Jungle's Kardio Kickboxing assistant instructor, and holds a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu White Belt.

Lisa Bolton
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU WHITE BELT
Lisa originally met Michelle and Tony in 2008 while waiting tables; they were regulars at the restaurant and Lisa was their server on several occasions. Eventually, they became friends and Michelle and Tony invited Lisa to come take a class at the gym. She’s been passionate about the gym ever since.

Lisa originally only participated in the Kardio Kickboxing class, as well as Michelle’s Boot Camps. But Lisa eventually tried a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class and loved it. Today she trains in Jiu-Jitsu, along with attending the Kardio Kickboxing classes and the Boot Camps. Lisa works the front door, greets clients, checks them in, cleans and does anything else that is needed. The ‘family’ at Urban Jungle is close knit and they all work together to ensure that the gym is running smoothly.

“Urban Jungle had had an extremely positive effect on my life. It is the main thing that encourages me to make good choices and become a better person,” Lisa shares. “I’m also encouraged to stay in school and make good grades. It's actually part of our job; if we don't stay in school we cannot work at Urban Jungle.”

Lisa Bolton is Urban Jungle's Kardio Kickboxing assistant instructor, and holds a BJJ White belt.

Giovani Torres-Aponte
Junior Instructor - BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU WHITE/BLUE BELT
Giovani Torres-Aponte is Tony and Michelle’s son and he was only weeks old when his parents moved into the current location of the gym. While Tony taught class during the day, Giovani would be either hanging out in a baby harness with Tony or in a playpen. Michelle was managing a restaurant at the time, and so this lifestyle is all that Giovani has ever known.

Giovani has been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since he was just 3 ½ years old. He still practices Jiu-Jitsu today and started training in MMA when he was 13 years old.

Giovani has also practiced and competed in both Judo and wrestling. He was a member of the hip-hop dance crew, Fly Kids, along with his sister. Giovani currently plays football and runs track, and now helps to teach the Tiny Tots class with Derek; he loves to help the little ones learn the sport and see how it can apply to all aspects of their lives.

Bianca Torres-Aponte
Junior Instructor - BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU GREEN/YELLOW BELT
Bianca Torres-Aponte is Tony and Michelle’s daughter. As a child, she used to think the family actually lived at the gym, because she “would take a nap and wake up and we would still be there. I thought we have the coolest house ever,” says Bianca.

Bianca has been practicing and competing in Judo tournaments since she was four years old. She still practices BJJ and just recently started to train in MMA, which she got into, quite frankly, because she was “born into it!”

Bianca also has dance training (like her mother) and used to be a member of the hip-hop dance crew called Fly Kids. Only 7 at the time, Bianca was the youngest member of the group. She then moved on to modern dance and performed with a cast led by Toni Leago Valle. The only child in that cast, she performed in Tetris in 2009, and Baptism in 2010. Bianca is also an artist, and loves to draw. She plans to start taking gymnastics soon, as well.

Bianca now teaches the Tony Tots class with Sensei Derek and Hallie, who Bianca has known since they were both in kindergarten.

Torres-Aponte
Junior Instructor - BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU YELLOW BELT

Diego is Tony and Michelle's youngest son. Diego has been practicing Jiu-Jitsu since he was 6 years old. He enjoys drawing and singing.