“D” is a retired Sergeant Major with 25 years of military service where he spent most of his military career in elite Special Operations. He has been a student, instructor and tactical advisor of the Special Operations Combative Program (SOCP) under Greg Thompson since its inception as a program of record in 2010.
“D” earned his Special Forces Green Beret in 1993 as an (18B) Weapons Sergeant and assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) deploying to numerous countries in Central and South America. He then assessed and was selected for a Tier 1 Special Mission Unit at Ft. Bragg, NC in 1997. This is when he started training in Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA under Royce Gracie and Greg Thompson, thus culminating his last 15 years complementing his elite Tier 1 military service in Assault, Recce, and other aspects of Special Operations in multiple theaters around the world.
As the owner and lead instructor of D3 Defense LLC, “D” is a Gracie Barra Black Belt and a head MMA fighting coach at the world-renowned Jackson Wink Fighting Academy in Albuquerque, NM. “D” continues to train, consult, and advise Department of Defense, government agencies and law enforcement on combatives, weapons, and tactics. His emphasis is training SOCP in Special Operations and Law Enforcement and uses some of these techniques to train elite UFC MMA fighters from World Champions to professional and amateur champions on regional circuits.