Instructors

Nick Recanati

Professor / Co-Owner

Nicholas C. Recanati is a retired police officer for the Bergen County Police department. He was the lead training advisor for the Bergen County Police Academy for four years. Read More

Brandon "Sunshine" Recanati

Coach / Co-Owner

Brandon “Sunshine” Recanati is a co-owner at Xtreme Gracie Jiu Jitsu. He has been training in since he was 5 years of age. He received his black belt under his father, Professor Nicholas Recanati in July of 2021. Read more

Sunshine is a Black belt in the Bang Muay Thai system under Sensei Duane Ludwig and travels out to HQ to sharpen and hone his skill as a mixed martial artists multiple times throughout the year, so his students are always getting fresh information and evolving.

Sunshine is an active competitor with an outstanding record… some being 7 x Gold medal Disney Martial Arts, 6 x Gold Medal COPA, 1 Gold Del Rivra Cup, 3 x Gold NAGA, 1 National NAGA champion (rank #1) 2008, 8 x Gold New Breed & 11 X Gold Grapplers Quest. Brandon also has an amateur record in Kick Boxing.

His main goals are to create a safe and supportive environment for everyone, to inspire and guide everyone on their unique journeys!

Janie Ramkishun

Coach / Manager

Janie began her Jiu Jitsu journey in 2015 after retiring from a long and successful softball career, which she pursued from age four to twenty. Read more

She is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu purple belt under Nicholas Recanati and Brandon “Sunshine” Recanati, with over a decade of experience on the mats. In addition, she holds a Black Belt in the Bang Muay Thai system under Sensei Duane “Bang” Ludwig making her one of five in the world of female black belts.

As the manager of Xtreme Gracie, Janie is dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming, and empowering environment for all students. She strives to ensure that every member can learn to fight, develop self-defense skills, improve their overall health, and enjoy the process along the way.

Janie also serves as our lead female coach, teaching both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Bang Muay Thai. Her mission is to provide every student who walks through our doors with a strong foundation to grow, excel, and carry the spirit of the dojo with them wherever life takes them. She is passionate about helping students cultivate not only technical skill, but also a resilient and positive mindset while embracing the physical and mental growth that martial arts offers.

Justin Henselin

Professor

Justin was born in Orlando Florida and raised in Winter Garden Florida. He graduated from West Orange High School where he played football all four years. He began his Jiu Jitsu Journey under Professor Jon Burke, Master Royce Gracie, and his main Coach at the time Nick Recanati (Professor). Read more

Justin is now a Black Belt under Master Nick Recanati. Justin helps instruct Adult and Kids classes. He has competed in many local tournaments and has had two super fights.

Justin is also a Purple Belt in Bang Muay Thai under Sensei Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Coach Brandon “Sunshine” Recanati. Justin debuted in his Amatuer Kickboxing fight by getting a big win. He is also an active fighter in Kickboxing as well. He right now has a (6-3) Amatuer record in Kickboxing, and is also former 2X COMBAT NIGHT CHAMPION.

Ryan Ameral

Coach

Ryan serves as the lead instructor for our youth program and is also a dedicated coach for the adult Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Bang Muay Thai classes. Read more

Ryan started here at Xtreme Gracie at the age of 7 and has been with us ever since. With more than 12 years of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he stands as one of Xtreme Gracie’s respected head black belts with multiple titles in jiu jitsu. He continues to broaden his expertise in the Bang Muay Thai system, where he currently holds a purple belt.

Ryan is a consistent and approachable presence in the gym who is always willing to help with your journey in jiu jitsu as well as mentally and physically in life.

Danny Mauro

Professor

Danny has been active in wrestling for over 16 years through extensive training, competing and coaching in wrestling. Read more

As a coach, Danny strives to teach not only the fundamentals of wrestling, but to bring out the true heart of a person through hard work, self discipline and respect. Wrestling develops a great foundation for all fighting styles and is a great conditioning tool for any sport. Training and competing as a wrestler will raise your self-confidence to the highest levels. Some of the greatest leaders and champions in the world started on the mat.

Danny has 7 years of wrestling coach experience at the high school level, including 3 years experience as a Physical Education teacher. Previous experiences also include Athletic Director, Physical Education Assistant, and Personal Trainer.

Credentials:

Master of Arts Degree: Coaching and Sport Administration (University of Central Florida – 2011)
Bachelor of Science Degree: Sports & Fitness (University of Central Florida – 2008)
Physical Education Teacher (Orange County Public Schools)
Certified Athletic Coach (Orange County Public Schools)

Richard Cruz

Professor

Marine Corps veteran
Defensive Tactics Instructor
Firearms Instructor
Jiujitsu black belt since July 2021

Reggie Nelson

Professor

Reggie is a prior U.S Army Paratrooper with over 17 years of martial arts and fitness training. He is a passionate instructor with a background in professional development. As a father of three, Reggie began training his boys at a young age and works well with adults and children. Read more

His martial arts background includes Military Combatives, Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Kick Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu. He trained for 10 yrs under Sifu George Kee at Wah Lum Kung Fu. He was an assistant instructor under Sifu Kee and performed in numerous demonstrations and competitions, winning several awards at international competitions between 2004 and 2006

Reggie has been training in Jiu Jitsu since 2011 and has been with Professor Recanati since Xtreme Gracie opened. He currently holds a four stripe purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, and focuses on self defense and practical application.

Diogo Costa

Professor

I started training BJJ at Gracie Humaitá in Rio de Janeiro with teachers Manoel Tavares, Royler Gracie and Rodrigo Vieira. Read more

There we always received top athletes in the sport and had the opportunity to learn and improve our technique. I received my black belt in 2012. Today, I’m a third degree and I’m still training, here in the United States at Xtream Gracie, where I feel at home and I’m very happy.

Michael Falato

Professor

Meet Michael “Full Throttle” Falato, the Founder & CEO of Full Throttle Falato Leads. Read more

Graduating from Southern Illinois University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in TV Production, Michael’s story unfolds with a move from Austin to Orlando in 2016, where he instantly connected with Professor Reccanti, sparking a transformative journey. At 55, this Air Force Veteran and devoted father of Faith and Anthony Falato. Beyond his professional success, Michael holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boasting 13 years of training and 5 years of Muay Thai expertise. His love for teaching BJJ, exploring new moves, and engaging in spirited sparring reflects a genuine passion for his craft. Xtreme Gracie isn’t just a martial arts studio; it’s a family, and Michael extends a warm invitation to new students to join their community. When you visit, don’t hesitate to say hi and become a part of this heartening journey with Michael.

Nick Rosado

Professor

Nick started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2003 under Professor Armando Conde of Lotus Club BJJ in Sunrise, FL. Read more

He quickly found a passion for the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and trained and competed for many years in South Florida. Nick trained with Armando Conde up until 2016 at Brown Belt. Nick and his family moved to the Clermont area in 2019 and started training at Xtreme Gracie under Professor Nick Recanati’s instruction. Nick was awarded his Black Belt by professor Nick Recanati in 2020 and continues to bring his years of experience to share with the BJJ classes at Xtreme Gracie BJJ. He brings a very strong traditional Gi focused BJJ style with emphasis on sport BJJ.

Jason Hammond

Professor

Jason “Hulk Smash” Hammond began his Xtreme Gracie Jiu Jitsu journey later in life after achieving all of his personal fitness and strength goals in the gym, yet felt unfulfilled. Read more

So, at the age of 34 in 2005, he and his son, Alec, began training with Nichlas Recanati Sr and his sons Nicholas “Reca” and Brandon “Sunshine”, at a Royce Gracie affiliate school in Orlando, shortly after relocating to Clermont, FL. He has built his knowledge at his Extreme Gracie home and has spent many years using the benefits of traveling for work to train at many other BJJ schools throughout the US and in Europe. In 2013, Jason began competing in IBJJF tournaments where he earned many wins and has been an active coach. As a purple belt, Jason was ranked within the top 50 in the world, in the IBJJF and then competed in the IBJJF World’s as a brown belt in 2017. He achieved his black belt in 2017 and continues to train and help others learn this wonderful and empowering art.