Frank Rosenthal - The Eight-Year BJJ Veteran!

Rosenthal discovered jiu-jitsu through a true friend. His genuine interest in the sport is reflected in his achievements. Larger than life, his dreams and goals for jiu-jitsu, his students, and himself are coming true!

The New City, New York, United States of America, welcomed a would-be BJJ champion into the world on October 12, 1990. The young champion was named Frank Rosenthal.

Rosenthal discovered wrestling and grappling in high school. After graduating from high school, he decided to study physical education at the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Frank Rosenthal’s love for martial arts compelled him to join the university’s wrestling team.

Frank Rosenthal’s friend, Eric Sherman, who was a blue belt at that time, introduced him to the armbar technique. This exposure to the submission method piqued Rosenthal’s curiosity, leading him to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In 2013, Rosenthal moved back to New York after acquiring his degree in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg University. He enrolled in a jiu-jitsu class led by Coach Carl Massaro - an affiliate of Renzo Gracie Academy. Rosenthal was 18 when he first started jiu-jitsu training. From white to brown belt, Massaro stayed with Rosenthal every step of the journey.

The young white belt trained arduously to develop his fighting style and rise to the next belt level. As a blue belt, Rosenthal won a bronze medal at the IBJJF Pans No-Gi Championship and secured second place at the IBJJF New York Open. Slowly but surely, he left his mark on every no-gi lower belt platform. Now, Rosenthal wanted to enter the mainstream jiu-jitsu circuit. The RGA helped him to realize this dream.

Being a part of the Renzo Gracie Academy (RGA) had its perks. Rosenthal got a golden opportunity to train with many different coaches. Therefore, to become an internationally acclaimed grappler, he sought the mentorship of Doug Pelinkovic and John Danaher. 

Danaher was blessed with the ability to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of his athletes. He was also known to impart his knowledge systematically. Rosenthal took advantage of flawless coaching and polished his jiu-jitsu skills.

Focused on his game, Rosenthal was oblivious to the watchful eyes of his shrewd instructors, who could see a potential coach in him. Pelinkovic and Danaher waited for the right time to bring out the outstanding coach in Rosenthal, encouraging him to fight and train his way to the brown belt.

An exceptional grappler and now an excellent coach, nothing could stop Frank Rosenthal from receiving the greatest accolade. His outstanding performances in both roles fueled his speedy promotion to the black belt level.

In September 2018, the 27-year-old Frank Rosenthal received his black belt in an auspicious ceremony that was attended by the legendary Renzo Gracie, John Danaher, and Doug Pelinkov.

Now a black belt, Frank Rosenthal restricted himself to the No-Gi submission-only tournaments and conquered prestigious events, including the RISE and the ONNIT Invitational. His spectacular win at the SUG Tournament gave him a confidence boost. More than encouraged, Rosenthal set his sights on the World Championship. He aimed to win the ADCC Trials to enter and conquer the ADCC World.

The RISE Invitational Tournament held in 2018 saw the rise of Frank Rosenthal. He was representing the Renzo Gracie Academy and his coach John Danaher for the event.

Rosenthal competed against Nick Manela in the first round and then fought Julien Banner in the semifinals.

In the final round, he confronted Mike Davila of Marcelo Garcia Academy. The two athletes entangled themselves in a leg lock position for quite some time. When the technique didn’t work in anyone’s favor, they resorted to more aggressive moves. Then opportunity struck for Rosenthal in the first overtime round. He quickly attempted a rear-naked choke and successfully escaped Davila’s back mount position to win the match.

In 2018, Frank Rosenthal utilized back and leg techniques, showcasing impressive progression in the RISE Invitational 4 Multi-Fight Tournament.

He won both his matches via heel hook and landed himself a spot in the finals. He seized the final victory by applying his favorite heel hook and devastating cross ashi garami technique against Rey Rey. The 10th Planet representative could not counter Frank Rosenthal’s aggressive moves and lost the gold medal to him.

Within the same year, Frank Rosenthal faced Zach Maslany at the Kasai Pro super-fight event. The action-packed epic fight featuring the two highly admired grapplers saw a heel hook submission victory for Rosenthal, who was a brown belt at the time.

Over the years Rosenthal gained experience in the Emerald City Rule format. Relying on his extensive experience, he managed to defeat David Weintraub vi triangle in the first round of the 2021 tournament. A glorious win was followed by an upset against Rosenthal when Kenndey Marciel defeated him via rear-naked choke in the quarterfinals. Consequently, he didn’t bring back any medals home, but this epic fight was etched into the memory of all spectators.

In 2018, Rosenthal participated in the Onnit Invitational 10. He found himself up against Marvin Castille of 10th Planet Headquarters in a super-fight. Under EBI rules, Rosenthal utilized the back system to his advantage when the match went into overtime. He forced Castille into a submission and won the match.

In 2019, Frank Rosenthal made his debut at the Battle Grapple 4. In a super-fight, he faced Jay Butler and won the fight via rear-naked choke.

Rosenthal’s passion and commendable progress at the brown belt level opened new doors for him. He began teaching at the Renzo Gracie Bayside, one of the many affiliate programs of the principal institution (Renzo Gracie Academy). In 2017, he began to head the training sessions and taught all belt levels in Gi and No-Gi. He became an admired instructor before receiving his black belt.

In October 2021, Rosenthal joined the 50/50 Martial Arts to sharpen his teaching and martial arts skills. Ryan Hall and Adam Benayoun provided much-needed support to help Frank Rosenthal grow. The institution and its students benefited from Rosenthal’s knowledge, analytical instruction, and devotion to jiu-jitsu.

With his acumen and depth of perception, Frank Rosenthal figured out ways that No-Gi jiu-jitsu can evolve. Therefore, Rosenthal continued to hone his No-Gi grappling skills and encouraged his students to do the same.

• ADCC Nationals

• IBJJF Pans No-Gi Championship
• IBJJF New York Open
• UWW Asia Open
• ONNIT Invitational 8
• RISE Invitational 3
• RISE Invitational 4
• Honor Submission Only Championship
• KASAI Superfight Championship
• Finishers Submission Only Championship
• SUG Submission Superfight Championship

• ADCC Nationals
• IBJJF Pans No-Gi Champion
• IBJJF New York Open
• UWW Asia Open
• ONNIT Invitational 8
• RISE Invitational 3
• RISE Invitational 4
• Honor Submission Only Champion
• KASAI Superfight Champion
• Finishers Submission Only Champion
• SUG Submission Superfight Champion

Year	Event	Medal
2018	ONNIT Invitational 8	1 Gold Medal
2018	RISE Invitational 4	1 Gold Medal
2018	RISE Invitational 3	1 Gold Medal
2018	UWW Asia Open	1 Silver Medal
2014	ADCC Nationals	1 Gold Medal
2012	IBJJF Pans No-Gi	1 Silver Medal
2011	IBJJF Pans No-Gi	1 Bronze Medal
2011	IBJJF New York Open	1 Silver Medal

• ONNIT Invitational Champion.

• One-time RISE Invitational 4 Champion.

• One-time RISE Invitational 3 Champion.

• One-time Honor Submission Only Champion

• One-time ADCC Nationals Champion.

• One-time SUG Super fight Winner

Joao Miyao vs Frank Rosenthal

Frank Rosenthal vs Brandon Gutierrez

Frank Rosenthal vs Sop Huh

Jay Butler vs Frank Rosenthal

Photo credit: @frankrosenthal11