Josh Hinger (born May 28, 1982) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor as well as former

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA) fighter. Hinger is three-time champion at the

World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship is a no- gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournament hosted annually by the IBJJF commonly held at California State University in Long Beach, California. It was most recently held December 11-14, 2024 in ...

and a Bronze Medalist at the

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship is an international submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). ADCC is considered one of the most prestigious No-Gi submission grappling tournaments in the world ...

Background

Hinger was born on May 28, 1982, in Whittier, California, US and was raised in

La Habra La Habra – archaic spelling of – is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. History Origin of name The name referred to the "Pass Through ...

where he wrestled for

Sonora High School Sonora High School may refer to; * Sonora High School (La Habra, California), La Habra, California * Sonora High School (Texas), Sonora, Texas * Sonora Union High School, Sonora, California {{schooldis ...

. At age 15, he moved to

Temecula Temecula (; , ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a tourist and ...

and continued to wrestle for Chaparral High School where during his senior year in 2000, he was champion in a regional

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...

tournament in the 145 lbs division. However after winning the regional tournament, he was

weight cutting Weight cutting is the practice of fast weight loss prior to a sporting competition. It most frequently happens in order to qualify for a lower weight class or to meet the maximum weight limit in their weight class if one exists (usually in combat ...

for the Masters tournament and noticed he wasn't losing any further weight. Ultimately he decided to withdraw from the tournament which resulted in backlash from his coach and team and lead to him being kicked off the team permanently. After high school, Hinger attended

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

and in 2003 while attending school, an old wrestling teammate brought him to check out a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy which started his journey into BJJ. Hinger would become part of

Chris Brennan Chris "The Westside Strangler" Brennan (born October 12, 1971) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor from 1996 until 2012, he competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Cage Rage, King of ...

's fight team in Lake Forest. Brennan was Hinger's first BJJ coach and raised him from white belt to purple belt. Brennan would also act as Hinger's MMA coach. In November 2003, Hinger made his MMA debut where he submitted Brady Fulton via

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

in the first round. His MMA career lasted from 2003 to 2005 where he compiled a record on the regional circuit of four wins and one loss. Brennan's fight team came to an end in 2006 due to personal issues in the training room and disagreement among team leaders. In 2006, after graduating from UC Irvine, Hinger joined the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

and spent two years in Turkmenistan where he participated in a few wrestling tournaments. In 2008, Hinger came back to the US and moved to Orange County where he trained with

Baret Yoshida Baret Yoshida (born April 26, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. He competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Biography Yoshida was born in Hawaii. He started training Jiu Jitsu in 1994 at Relson Gracie’s academy. In 1 ...

and Jason Bukich to earn his Brown Belt. From 2011 to 2014, Hinger attended

graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

earning degrees in Central Eurasian Studies and Public Affairs with a focus in Finance. While at university, Hinger taught BJJ to attendees. During this period Hinger joined Atos Jiu-Jitsu where he trained under

André Galvão André Luiz Leite Galvão (; born September 29, 1982) is a Brazilian grappler and professional mixed martial artist. A 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Fernando "Tererê" Augusto as well as a judo black belt, Galvão is one of ...

. In December 2013, Hinger earned his Black Belt under Galvão. Hinger was BJJ trainer and

cornerman In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the r ...

of UFC Woman's Strawweight Champion, Zhang Weilli in 2022 and helped her regain her belt at

UFC 281 ''UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 12, 2022, at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. Background A UFC Middle ...

where she defeated

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who most recently competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the fo ...

by rear naked choke.

Professional grappling career

Hinger is a three-time IBJJF no gi World Champion, winning the event in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He won ADCC trials in 2019 to earn a place at the 2019 ADCC World Championships, where he won a bronze medal. In December 2020, Hinger won a gold medal in both his weightclass and the absolute division at the IBJJF Masters World Championships. Hinger competed in the main event of Fight 2 Win 170 on April 19, 2021, facing Rafael Barbosa for the promotion's Masters Middleweight title. Hinger won the match by decision. He then competed against

Vagner Rocha Vagner Rocha (born June 6, 1982) is a Brazilian submission grappler and former professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the featherweight division. He is the 2017 Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds lightweight champion. Mixed martial arts career ...

at Who's Number One on May 28, 2021, and he lost the match by decision. He returned to Fight 2 Win on September 10, 2021, to face Corey Guitard at Fight 2 Win 183, winning the match by decision. At Brazilian jiu-jitsu Stars 7 on November 6, 2021, Hinger defeated Luis Marques on points in the co-main event. Hinger was then invited to compete in the first RAW Grappling Championship grand prix on November 14, 2021. He defeated Bradley Hill in the opening round before losing to Patrick Gaudio in the semi-final. As a result of being a previous medallist, Hinger was invited to compete at the

2022 ADCC World Championship The 2022 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 17–18 September 2022. Background The ADCC World Championship is a sub ...

in the 88kg division. Hinger defeated

Tye Ruotolo Tye Ruotolo (born January 22, 2003) is an American submission grappler. A competitor with his twin brother Kade since the age of 3, Ruotolo is currently the youngest IBJJF World champion at black belt level in the history of the sport. At th ...

in the opening round before losing to eventual silver medallist Lucas 'Hulk' Barbosa. On September 24, 2022, Hinger competed against Owen Livesey at Polaris 21. He lost by split decision. He also competed at the IBJJF Master International - North America Championship on May 31, 2023, and won gold medals in both the Master 3 medium-heavyweight and absolute divisions. Hinger competed at the IBJJF Master World Championship on September 2, 2023, where he won both the master 3 middleweight and absolute divisions. Hinger was invited to compete in the under 88kg division at the

2024 ADCC World Championship The 2024 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in August 2024. Background The ADCC World Championship is a submission grappling tourna ...

. He was submitted by Chris Wojcik in the opening round.

Personal life

Hinger revealed on August 11, 2023, that he had suffered a home invasion and approximately $35-40,000 worth of goods had been stolen.

Competitive grappling summary

Main Achievements: * IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2016, 2017 and 2018) *3rd place ADCC World Championship (2019) *2nd place Eddie Bravo Invitational 3 (2015)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Johnny Sampaio , Decision (Unanimous) , Extreme Wars – X-1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Chris Monso , Submission (Keylock) , KOTC 49 – Soboba , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( , ; ) is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet, California, Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, Beaumont to its north. The mountains ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Frank Sanchez , Submission (Rear Naked Choke) , XCF 4 – Havoc in Havasu 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Arizona, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tim Carey , Submission (Armbar) , OTE – Over the Edge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:51 , Arizona, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brady Fulton , Submission (Rear Naked Choke) , XCF 3 – Xtreme Cage Fighter 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 , Arizona, United States ,

Instructor lineage

Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda →

Carlos Gracie Carlos Gracie (September 14, 1902October 7, 1994) was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França a ...

, Sr. →

Helio Gracie Helio may refer to: * Helio AU-24 Stallion * Helio (wireless carrier), a defunct American wireless communications provider (2005–2010); originally a joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink, purchased by Virgin Mobile USA in 2008 * He ...

→

Rolls Gracie Rolls Gracie (; 1951–1982) was a Brazilian martial artist. He was a prominent member of the Gracie family known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and considered by some the family's best ever fighter. He was teacher of Rickson Gracie, ...

→

Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti Romero Cavalcanti (born October 22, 1952) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master and the founder of Alliance Jiu Jitsu. He is one of the six men who were promoted to black belt by Rolls Gracie prior to his fatal 1982 hang gliding accident.Alexandre Paiva Alexandre "Gigi" Paiva (born March 4, 1967, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a long standing figure, having been involved in Jiu Jitsu since the early 1980s, in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community who has made a number of important contributio ...

→

Fernando "Tererê" Augusto Fernando Augusto da Silva (born 15 November 1979) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, mixed martial arts fighter, and submission grappler. He is a black belt under professor Alexandre Paiva of Team Alliance. Tererê is a two-time World Champ ...

→ André Galvao → Josh Hinger

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinger, Josh 1982 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Indiana University Bloomington alumni Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Whittier, California University of California, Irvine alumni World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists