Meet Ray Casias of Spring Hill, TN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Casias.

Hi Ray, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
n 1995, I completed my enlistment in the U.S. Army as an 11B, with my last duty station at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. After leaving the military, I enrolled at MTSU and, like many veterans, found it challenging to adjust to civilian life.

A friend introduced me to Sean Pulizzano, another veteran who had recently gotten out of the service. We hit it off, and he invited me to check out a martial arts gym in Smyrna. That introduction changed the course of my life—I’ve never looked back.

In 1999, a partner and I opened The Fighters Guild, which was arguably the first MMA school in Nashville. A couple of years later, in 2001, Ed Clay founded Nashville MMA and brought the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt to Middle Tennessee. Most of us transitioned to that school—it just made sense to learn from someone with that level of experience.

In 2005, my wife and I moved to Colorado to spend time with my mother, who was ill. While there, we started Alamosa Mixed Martial Arts, and I also taught BJJ as an elective at Adams State College.

We moved back to Nashville in 2007—Nashville had become home, and I missed it. I resumed training at NMMA until late 2009, when my wife and I opened Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Spring Hill and relocated our family there. It’s been 15 years in this community, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

In 2010, I also became a combatives instructor at Fort Campbell, where I continue to serve as the head instructor to this day.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know anyone who’s had a completely smooth road. There have definitely been bumps along the way, but I believe those challenges are necessary for growth. If everything is smooth, you don’t build the resilience you’ll need when things inevitably get rough.

Transitioning from military to civilian life was harder than I expected. I always tell people that whether you serve two years or twenty-two, coming back to civilian life brings its own set of challenges. I’m grateful I was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by my friend Sean Pulizzano—it gave me direction at a time when I needed it.

When you’re young, you make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes cost you relationships, and I don’t think anyone is immune to that. Losing friends along the way is something I wish I could go back and handle differently. But the friendships I’ve made over the last 15 years—through the military and through our gym—mean a lot to me. I try to see those earlier relationships as part of a season in my journey.

As for owning a gym—we could talk about that all day. There are always bumps in the road. But each one comes with a lesson that helps us improve what we offer and continue growing as a team and a community.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Most people in the area know me as one of the original members of the local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community—one of the first to really start training here. I think our academy has earned a reputation as a place where people not only train hard but feel like they belong, and I’m very proud of that.

That said, there’s another part of my work that I’ve kept a bit more private since 2010, and honestly, it’s what I’m most proud of. I’ve had the honor of serving as a combatives instructor for the military, spending the last 15 years embedded with the special operations community. I’ve helped develop programs and concepts to support our soldiers before and during combat, and that work means a lot to me.

Now, I’m starting to bring some of that training to the civilian side. It’s all built on years of experience and refinement, and it’s taken shape as the Rhino Combatives System—a real-world approach to self-defense rooted in what works when it matters most

Any big plans?
Honestly, I don’t tend to look too far ahead. I truly enjoy the work I do with the military and the community we’ve built at Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy. My hope is to continue on this path for many years to come.

I love being part of something bigger than myself, and that keeps me motivated. I plan to keep learning, attending classes and seminars, and doing the work to grow as both a leader and an instructor. The goal is simple: keep getting better and keep serving the people who show up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tbjja.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbjja_springhilltn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TBJJA
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tennesseebrazilianjiujitsu4533