Neil Melanson is an American

submission grappling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...

coach. Melanson specializes in

catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission ...

, while drawing elements from

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

, and focuses his coaching specifically on grappling in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

. He is especially known for his guard work, leg locks and triangle chokes. He is currently the head grappling coach at Jaco Hybrid Training Center. He is the former head grappling coach at both Xtreme Couture Las Vegas and Alliance MMA. Melanson's hybrid grappling style comes from his training under

Gene LeBell Ivan “Judo” Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 – August 9, 2022) was an American martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and professional wrestler. Nicknamed "The Godfather of Grappling", he popularized grappling in professional fighting cir ...

Gokor Chivichyan Gokor Chivichyan ( hy, Գոքոր Չիվիչյան; born May 10, 1963) is an Armenian-born American judo, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts instructor. Chivichyan currently trains professional and amateur fighters at the Hayastan MMA ...

, and

Karo Parisyan Karapet "Karo" Parisyan ( hy, Կարապետ Փարիզյան; born August 28, 1982) is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist, who last competed in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 1999, Parisyan is a ...

(who awarded him his black belt) at the Hayastan MMA Academy. Gene LeBell learned catch wrestling from feared wrestlers

Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 ...

and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, which is mixed with Gokor Chivichyan's expertise in judo and

sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , olym ...

. Melanson considers this unique style a massive influence on his grappling, and has since incorporated techniques from

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were dir ...

and

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

into his own style. Throughout his career, the professional fighters Melanson has trained include:

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became ...

Gray Maynard Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, he competed in a noted rivalry with former UFC Lightweigh ...

, Todd Duffee,

Goran Reljic Goran may refer to: Ethnic groups *Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa *Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East *Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of the southeastern Europe Other uses *Göran, a Swedis ...

Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champions ...

Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyw ...

, Anthony Johnson, Patrick Cummins and also professional wrestler

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fr ...

. Prior to working at Xtreme Couture Las Vegas, Melanson spent seven years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and five years as a Special Agent for the Federal Air Marshals. Melanson's book "Mastering Triangle Chokes: Ground Marshal Submission Grappling" was released by Victory Belt Publishing. The book serves as a complete guide to the physiology and science of triangle submissions.

Personal life

Melanson was born with Behcet’s disease which caused him to go blind at the age of 28. With the help of doctors and Remicade Infusions, he regained sight but only in his right eye. After experiencing trouble with a toe in 2011, Melanson had it removed after it became arthritic due repeated injuries so that he could continue training.

References

External links

neilmelanson.com

xtremecouture.tv

victorybelt.com

Neil Living people
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu">Living people">Neil Living people
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American catch wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male judoka Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainers Judoka trainers Mixed martial arts trainers Year of birth missing (living people)