BJJ

Oliver Taza - Lebanese Turned Canadian BJJ Black Belt Champion

Oliver Taza - Lebanese Turned Canadian BJJ Black Belt Champion

1. Oliver Taza Details

Oliver Taza Details
Name Oliver Taza
Nickname N/A
Born Beirut, Lebanon
Age 30
Date of Birth 1993
Nationality Lebanese, Canadian
College/University N/A
Early Education N/A
Weight Division  Welterweight (77 kg/169.7 lbs)
Last Weigh-In 83 kg
Height 5 ft 11 in
Fighting Style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Disclosed CareerEarnings N/A
Rank BJJ Black Belt
Awarded By John Danaher
Head Coach John Danaher
Last Fight With Chris Wojcik (Twisted Church Event)
Fighting Out Of  San Juan, Puerto Rico
Favourite Technique Saddle
Lineage Carlos Gracie > Hélio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Renzo Gracie > John Danaher > Oliver Taza
Team Association Renzo Gracie Academy

Facebook Logo  Tweeter Logo  Youtube Logo Instagram Logo

2. Oliver Taza Biography

Oliver Taza is a famous BJJ black belt awarded by John Danaher in 2020. He has represented multiple teams, such as Tristar Gym, Renzo Gracie Academy, and New-Wave Jiu-Jitsu, at various international sports levels. In 2016, Taza made his mark in sports by securing second place at the ADCC East Coach Trials after completing only two years of training. Afterward, he participated in numerous events, such as the ADCC Trials, BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix, ADCC European Trials, and the JitzKing Invitational.

2.1. Early Childhood

Taza was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1993. His family later moved to Saudi Arabia, then settled in Canada at the age of 14Growing up in Canada, Taza took an interest in several sports, with his main interest being soccer. He played soccer and represented Quebec and his school until his late teens.

2.2. Getting into MMA

In 2012, Taza decided to take a break from soccer and started practising BJJ at Firas Zahabi’s Tristar Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Academy in Montreal. After training at Tristar for three months, he began to focus more on boxing. However, after competing in six amateur matches, Taza returned to Zahabi’s academy in February 2014.

2.3. Training as a Purple Belt

During his early years as a purple belt, Taza made several trips to New York to receive training at Renzo Gracie Academy under John Danaher.

2.4. Promotion to Brown Belt

In June 2016, Taza was promoted to the rank of brown belt after training for two years at Renzo Gracie Academy.

2.5. Participating in IBJJF & NoGi Competitions

After becoming a brown belt, Taza competed in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s amateur league and professional No-Gi competitions. While continuing to train at Renzo Gracie Academy, he would eventually join the Danaher Death Squad.

Return to Gi BJJ

After competing in IBJJF competitions, Taza returned to Gi BJJ competitions. At the time, most Gi BJJ athletes returned to No-Gi BJJ; however, No-Gi BJJ fighters rarely ever transitioned to Gi BJJ. According to Taza,

“Slowly but surely, we will see more no gi guys competing in the gi. Some of my teammates have started switching. They do it once or twice and after a while they miss it(..) It’s only a matter of time. Once people understand both and the differences in them, they will make the transition.”

Due to his time competing in both BJJ styles, Taza added,

“When you compete with the gi you are able to go up against the highest level guys out there, plus it helps you prepare for the ADCC. It is a similar ruleset and people employ similar strategies.”

2.6. Pause in Career

Taza’s Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery resulted in him taking time off in 2018. Though he returned in 2019, Taza often had to overcome severe mental and physical challenges.

2.7. Promotion to Black Belt

On November 9, 2020, Danaher, Taza’s head coach, promoted him to the rank of black belt in New York City. Taza thanked his teammates on the Danaher Death Squad by posting the following image and quote on Instagram.

“What an honour to receive my black belt today from @danaherjohn This team has very high standards and I will do everything in power to live up to them! I want to thank all my teammates for pushing me to the limits everyday in the basement. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by those guys, a bunch of true killers with a mindset that is so rare to encounter off the mats! It’s time to double down on everything that will lead me to becoming a world champion and sideline anything that gets in the way.”

3. Oliver Taza’s Historic Fights

3.1. Oliver Taza’s Vs PJ Barch

Taza defeated PJ Barch at the 2020 BJJ Fanatics Event in 2020 via the inside heel hook and saddle technique.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2020 BJJ Fanatics PJ Barch Win Inside Heel Hook 4F 77 kg

3.2. Oliver Taza Vs Lachlan Giles

At Polaris 7 in 2018, Taza dominated Lachlan Giles using ankle and leg movements to take down his opponent.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2018 Polaris 7 Lachlan Giles Win Referee Decision SPF 77 kg

3.3. Oliver Taza Vs Pedro Rocha

At the 2021 Austin NGO, Taza submitted Pedro Rocha via a kneebar.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2021 Austin NGO Pedro Rocha Win Kneebar F 85 kg

3.4. Oliver Taza Vs Ethan Crelinsten

At the 2020 BJJ Fanatics, Taza fought against Ethan Crelinsten in the 77 kg weight division. The match ended with an overtime decision declared in Taza’s favor.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2020 BJJ Fanatics GP Ethan Crelinsten Win EBI/OT F 77 kg

4. Oliver Taza Main Achievements

4.1. Oliver Taza’s Amateur Achievements

Year Gi or No-Gi Event Belt Position
2017 No-Gi IBJJF World Championship Brown 1st Place
2018 Gi ACBJJ European Championship Brown 1st Place
2018 Gi UAEJJF Niagara Falls Pro Brown 1st Place
2017 No-Gi IBJJF Pan Championship Brown 2nd Place
2017 No-Gi IBJJF European Open Brown 2nd Place
2018 Gi IBJJF New York Spring Open Brown 2nd Place
2015 No-Gi IBJJF World Championship Purple 3rd Place
2016 Gi IBJJF European Open Purple 2nd Place
2017 Gi IBJJF Rome Open Brown 3rd Place
2018 Gi UAEJJF Grand Slam, LDN Brown 3rd Place

4.2. Oliver Taza’s Pro Achievements

Year Event Position
2017 ADCC European Trials 1st Place
2020 BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix 1st Place
2017 TUFF Invitational UK 1st Place
2016 Canadian Kumite Grand Prix 1st Place
2016 ADCC US East Coast Trials 2nd Place
2020 Jitz King Invitational 2nd Place
2020 Para Bellum Quintet Invitational 2nd Place
2017 ADCC US West Coast Trials 4th Place

5. Oliver Taza Professional Record Breakdown

5.1. Oliver Taza’s Win/Loss Record

167 Matches 127 Wins 36 Losses 4 Draws
By Points 24 16 0
By Advantages 2 1 0
By Submission 77 2 0
By Decision 16 14 0
By Penalties 5 1 0
By EBI/OT  3 2 0
By Draw 0 0 4

5.2. Methods of Submission

Method of Submission 77 Wins 2 Losses
Inside Heel Hook 29 0
Kneebar 6 0
Reverse Triangle 3 0
RNC 3 1
Triangle Armbar 2 0
Americana 1 0
Aoki Lock 1 0
Armbar 1 0
Outside Heel Lock 17 0
Straight Ankle Lock 4 0
Submission 3 0
Triangle 3 0
Guillotine 2 0
Tarikoplata 1 0
Back Triangle 1 0
Armlock 0 1

6. Oliver Taza’s Fight History

Opponent W/L Method Competition Weight Stage Year
Carsten Carlsen W Pts: 3x0 ADCC US Trials 77 kg R1 2016
Emmanuel Vera W Triangle armbar ADCC US Trials 77 kg R2 2016
Nicholas Manela W Kneebar ADCC US Trials 77 kg 4F 2016
Amy C. Edmondson W Inside heel hook ADCC US Trials 77 kg SF 2016
Mansher Khera L Pts: 3x0 ADCC US Trials 77 kg F 2016
Shane Fishman W Inside heel hook Canadian Kumite ABS R1 2016
Aaron Jollimore W Outside heel hook Canadian Kumite ABS 4F 2016
Jared Revel W Outside heel hook Canadian Kumite ABS SF 2016
C. Franson W Outside heel hook Canadian Kumite ABS F 2016
Bradley Hill W Referee Decision Sub Series CBO 82 kg SPF 2017
Caio Magalhaes W Inside heel hook AMMO ABS SPF 2017
Will Stone W Inside heel hook TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Tom Caughey W Inside heel hook TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Jack Cronin W Outside heel hook TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Kyle Monteith W Outside heel hook TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Ross Nicholls W Outside heel hook TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Daniel Crawford W Submission TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Sean Harper W Submission TUFF Kumite 80 kg RR 2017
Thomas Stoll W RNC Matrix Inv. 80 kg SF 2017
Paul Urbanik W RNC Matrix Inv. 80 kg F 2017
Marcel Goncalves L EBI/OT EBI 11 77 kg R1 2017
James Lynch W Inside heel hook ADCC WC Trials 77 kg R1 2017
Charles Gardner W Outside heel hook ADCC WC Trials 77 kg R2 2017
Carsten Carlsen W Pts: 2x0 ADCC WC Trials 77 kg 8F 2017
Mathew Tesla W Pts: 5x2 ADCC WC Trials 77 kg 4F 2017
AJ Agazarm L Pts: 2x0 ADCC WC Trials 77 kg SF 2017
Jonathan Satava L Pts: 2x0 ADCC WC Trials 77 kg 3RD 2017
Krzysztof Klaczek W Outside heel hook ADCC EU Trials 77 kg R1 2017
Maciej Kałuszewski W Outside heel hook ADCC EU Trials 77 kg 4F 2017
Pedro Bessa W Pts: 2x0 ADCC EU Trials 77 kg SF 2017
Darragh O'Conaill W Inside heel hook ADCC EU Trials 77 kg F 2017
Ross Nicholls W Referee Decision Polaris 5 76 kg SPF 2017
Marcelo Mafra L Pts: 2x0 ADCC 77 kg E1 2017
Lachlan Giles W Referee Decision Polaris 7 77 kg SPF 2018
Renato Canuto L Pts: 2x0 ADCC 77 kg R1 2019
David Garmo W Armbar Para Bellum ABS SF 2020
Mo Hoballah W Triangle armbar Para Bellum ABS SF 2020
Mo Al Hammadi D --- Para Bellum ABS SF 2020
Pedro Veras D --- Para Bellum ABS F 2020
PJ Barch W Inside heel hook BJJ Fanatics GP 77 kg 4F 2020
John Combs W Inside heel hook BJJ Fanatics GP 77 kg SF 2020
Ethan Crelinsten W EBI/OT BJJ Fanatics GP 77 kg F 2020
Gabriel Castro W Kneebar Jitz King 84 kg R1 2020
Benji Silva W Inside heel hook Jitz King 84 kg 4F 2020
Valdir Araujo W Referee Decision Jitz King 84 kg SF 2020
Pedro Marinho L Pts: 2x0 Jitz King 84 kg F 2020
Tye Ruotolo L Pts: 10x0 Kumite V 81 kg 4F 2020
Kyle Meyers W Inside heel hook Subversiv 4 ABS R1 2020
Arnaldo Maidana W Referee Decision Subversiv 4 ABS 4F 2020
Lucas Barbosa L Referee Decision Subversiv 4 ABS SF 2020
G. Mione W Inside heel hook Subversiv 4 ABS 3RD 2020
Felipe Cesar L Pts: 2x0 No Gi Pan Am. 79 kg R1 2020
Pedro Rocha L Referee Decision F2W 164 85 kg SPF 2021
Tyler Scalisi W Guillotine Dallas NGO 79 kg 4F 2021
David Garmo W Inside heel hook Dallas NGO 79 kg F 2021
Rodrigo Tatu W Outside heel hook Dallas NGO ABS R1 2021
Francisco Cuneo W Pts: 6x2 Dallas NGO ABS 4F 2021
Johnny Tama W Referee Decision WNO 7 77 kg SPF 2021
Gabreil Almeida L Referee Decision F2W 169 83 kg SPF 2021
Eduardo Avelar W Inside heel hook Houston NGO 79 kg SF 2021
Joshua Bacallao W Points Houston NGO 79 kg F 2021
Charles McGuire W Inside heel hook Houston NGO ABS 4F 2021
Joshua Bacallao W Triangle Houston NGO ABS SF 2021
Bruno Matias L Pts: 6x0 Houston NGO ABS F 2021
Hugo Marques L Referee Decision F2W 171 77 kg SPF 2021
Gabreil Almeida W Referee Decision SUBVERSIV 5 81 kg 4F 2021
Rodrigo Gortari L DQ No-Gi Pan Am. 79 kg R1 2021
Rodrigo Gortari W Pts: 0x0, Adv No-Gi Pan Am. ABS R1 2021
Lucas Barbosa L Pts: 11x0 No-Gi Pan Am. ABS 8F 2021
Johnatha Alves W Referee Decision WNO 9 77 kg SPF 2021
Jamie Canuto W Referee Decision F2W 172 77 kg SPF 2021
Mica Galvao L Referee Decision WNO 10 83 kg SPF 2021
Gialysson Freitas L Referee Decision F2W 175 77 kg SPF 2021
Rehan Muttalib W Inside heel hook Chicago NGO 79 kg F 2021
MacKenzie Morales W Reverse triangle Chicago NGO ABS 4F 2021
Deigo Ramalho W Kneebar Chicago NGO ABS SF 2021
Bruno Matias L Pts: 6x2 Chicago NGO ABS F 2021
Bruno Matias W Pts: 5x0 Austin NGO 85 kg SF 2021
Pedro Rocha W Kneebar Austin NGO 85 kg F 2021
Celso Ricardo W Reverse triangle Orlando NGO 85 kg RR 2021
Celso Ricardo W Triangle Orlando NGO 85 kg RR 2021
Celso Ricardo W Inside heel hook Orlando NGO ABS 4F 2021
Estevan Martinez W Pts: 22x5 Orlando NGO ABS SF 2021
Helton Jose W Referee Decision Orlando NGO ABS F 2021
Oliver Gotze W Americana ADCC EU Trials 77 kg R1 2021
Gyula Szabo W Referee Decision ADCC EU Trials 77 kg R2 2021
T. Barry W Pts: 0x0, Pen ADCC EU Trials 77 kg 8F 2021
Marcus Phelan W Referee Decision ADCC EU Trials 77 kg 4F 2021
M. Szczecinski W Pts: 0x0, Pen ADCC EU Trials 77 kg SF 2021
M. Dzharbaev W Pts: 2x2, Pen ADCC EU Trials 77 kg F 2021
Tyler Scalisi W Outside heel hook No-Gi World Championship 79 kg R2 2021
PJ Barch L Referee Decision No-Gi World Championship 79 kg 8F 2021
Levi Jones L Referee Decision WNO 10 77 kg SPF 2021
Adrian Nez W Points 3CG Underdogs 84 kg R1 2021
Hunter Newton W Straight ankle lock 3CG Underdogs 84 kg 4F 2021
Jeferson Guaresi L Referee Decision 3CG Underdogs 84 kg SF 2021
Dante Leon L Referee Decision GrappleFest 80 kg SPF 2021
Nick Domgjoni W Outside heel hook Emerald City ABS R1 2021
Jay Rodrigues W Inside heel hook Emerald City ABS 4F 2021
Alan Sanchez W Inside heel hook Emerald City ABS SF 2021
Nick Ronan W EBI/OT Emerald City ABS F 2021
Francisco Cuneo W Pts: 4x0 Dallas NGO 79 kg SF 2022
Saul Viayra W Straight ankle lock Dallas NGO 79 kg F 2022
Mikey Gonzalez W Inside heel hook EBI 19 77 kg R1 2022
David Garmo W Straight ankle lock EBI 19 77 kg 4F 2022
Nick Ronan W EBI/OT EBI 19 77 kg SF 2022
Alan Sanchez L EBI/OT EBI 19 77 kg F 2022
Andy Varela L Referee Decision F2W198 N/A SPF 2022
Johnny Tama L Referee Decision Nashville NGO 79 kg F 2022
Clay Mayfield W Triangle Nashville NGO ABS SF 2022
Austin Oranday W Inside heel hook Nashville NGO ABS F 2022
Francisco Cuneo W Referee Decision Atlanta SPNGO 79 kg SF 2022
Sergio Ardila W Inside heel hook Atlanta SPNGO 79 kg F 2022
Francisco Cuneo L N/A Chicago SPNGO 73 kg SF 2022
Bryan Peterson W RNC Chicago SPNGO ABS SF 2022
Andrea Seaver W Pts: 13x0 Chicago SPNGO ABS F 2022
Tyler Scalisi W Inside heel hook Houston NGO 79 kg SF 2022
Matheus Galvao W Pts: 16x2 Houston NGO 79 kg F 2022
Clay Mayfield W Reverse triangle Houston NGO ABS 4F 2022
Austin Oranday W Outside heel hook Houston NGO ABS SF 2022
Andre Porfirio W Pts: 2x0 Houston NGO ABS F 2022
Ryan Aiken L Referee Decision SUBVERSIV 7 83 kg 4F 2022
Kyle Boehm D --- UFC Inv. 2 ABS RR 2022
Jacob Rodriguez W Straight ankle lock UFC Inv. 2 ABS RR 2022
Bo Nickal D --- UFC Inv. 2 ABS RR 2022
Mica Galvao L Pts: 5x0 ADCC 77 kg R1 2022
Anthony Robinson W Pts: 5x1 Skilled Violence 85 kg SPF 2022
Francisco Lo L Armlock No-Gi Pan 85 kg 8F 2022
M. Szczecinski W Referee Decision Polaris 22 86 kg 4F 2022
Jed Hue L Pts: 1x0 Polaris 22 86 kg SF 2022
Tin Vuksan W Outside heel hook European NG ABS R1 2022
Thomas Bracher W Pts: 2x0 European NG ABS R2 2022
Muslim Patsarigov W Referee Decision European NG ABS 4F 2022
Alexandre Jesus W Pts: 2x0 European NG ABS SF 2022
Adam Wardzinski L Pts: 12x0 European NG ABS F 2022
Ioannis Proios W Inside heel hook European NG 85 kg 8F 2022
Taylor Pearman W Adv European NG 85 kg 4F 2022
Claudio Calasans W Referee Decision European NG 85 kg SF 2022
Alexandre Jesus W Pts: 4x0 European NG 85 kg F 2022
Sebastian Rodriguez L Pts: 0x0, Adv No-Gi World Championship 85 kg 8F 2022
Richie Martinez W Outside heel hook UFC Invitational ABS 4F 2022
Nick Griffith L RNC UFC Invitational ABS SF 2022
Camron Couch W Inside heel hook Black Widow Inv. 85 kg SPF 2022
Anthony Michael W Pts: 10x0 Austin WNGO 85 kg SF 2023
Sean Yadimarco W Pts: 2x0 Austin WNGO 85 kg F 2023
Ben Eddy W Outside heel hook F2W 220 N/A SPF 2023
Shawn Melanson W Tarikoplata Enigma N/A SPF 2023
Jonnatas Gracie L N/A WNO 77 kg SPF 2023
Bobby Malof W Points Twisted Church 88 kg SPF 2023
Mario Shonkwiler W Pts: 0x0, Pen ADCC OC 83 kg R1 2023
Matthew Tejo W Submission ADCC OC 83 kg 8F 2023
Robert Winther L Pts: 0x0, Pen ADCC OC 83 kg 4F 2023
John Combs W Aoki lock ADCC OC 83 kg RPC 2023
Ethan Vistro W Guillotine ADCC OC 83 kg RPC 2023
Joshua Dawson W Inside heel hook ADCC OC 83 kg RPC 2023
Robert Winther L Referee Decision ADCC OC 83 kg 3RD 2023
Oliver Vickery W Inside heel hook ADCC Denver 83 kg R1 2023
Kevin Beuhring W Pts: 11x0 ADCC Denver 83 kg 4F 2023
Mohamed Ibrahim W Kneebar ADCC Denver 83 kg SF 2023
Elijah Carlton W Points ADCC Denver 83 kg F 2023
Andy Varela W Pts: 0x0, Pen Enigma TV 77 kg SPF 2023
Matt Kopra W Inside heel hook ADCC Dallas 83 kg R1 2023
Michael Salazar W Back triangle ADCC Dallas 83 kg R2 2023
Logan Yox W Outside heel hook ADCC Dallas 83 kg 8F 2023
Vitor Peres W Inside heel hook ADCC Dallas 83 kg 4F 2023
Jon Blank W Pts: 2x0 ADCC Dallas 83 kg SF 2023
John Combs W Kneebar ADCC Dallas 83KG F 2023
Chris Wojcik W Points Twisted Church NA SPF 2023

7. Top Fight Links

Bo Nickal vs. Oliver Taza grappling match

Full Match: Mica Galvao vs. Oliver Taza | Who's Number One

Oliver Taza vs Ethan Crelinsten - BJJ Match 2020

Oliver Taza v Pedro Rocha / Austin Open NoGi 2021

Polaris 7: Lachlan Giles vs Oliver Taza


Photo Credit: @tazagarami

Related Readings

Reading next

Brianna Ste-Marie - Canadian BJJ Grappler
Michael Liera Jr. - Owner of Lōgōs Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Leave a comment

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.