BJJ babe Morgan Miller returns to the mats this Saturday at the IBJJF Vegas Open followed by the IBJJF World Championships at the end of this month. Representing Cascao Jiu-Jitsu Morgan competes in the Adult white belt Female featherweight division for most tournaments but sometimes competes in the light featherweight class including her upcoming trip to the Worlds. Although she may be a newcomer to the BJJ world she already holds white belt division titles as the Michigan Open Champion, Michigan Open No-Gi Champion, Arnold Classic Champion, second at the IBJJF Miami Open, second at the IBJJF Boca Raton Open, third at the IBJJF Pan Ams and third at the IBJJF Chicago Open. We recently caught up with Morgan prior to her two upcoming tournaments for the interview below to learn a little more about her.
How did you get involved in BJJ and how long have you been training?
-My brother has been training BJJ for awhile now and he actually brought me into the sport. I have been training for about a year.
Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?
-I train with my Coach Andre Garcia at Garcia Jiu-Jitsu which is a Cascao Jiu-Jitsu affiliate. I train BJJ every day; I go to classes but mainly take private lessons with my coach and then do rolling sessions with my teammate Angela Jennings. I also do cardio 6 days a week and strength training 4 times a week.
Tell us about your upcoming tournaments?
-I have a lot of very big tournaments coming up! I will be competing at the IBJJF Vegas Open on May 3rd, and then at the end of May I will be competing at the IBJJF World Championship.
What is your best experience as a BJJ player so far?
-My best experiences so far would be the people that I get to meet in the sport. I have been fortunate enough to be able to meet some of my jiu-jitsu heroes and roll with them. It's an amazing feeling to get the opportunity to roll with a black belt world champion. They are so talented and so technical it’s always a great experience.
What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in BJJ?
-I highly recommend it! It's an amazing sport and it's very addictive. It gives you a great work out along with a great set of self defense skills.
What or who are your inspirations in the martial arts and life?
-There are a lot of female jiu-jitsu athletes that I aspire to be like in the future! People like Mackenzie Dern, Beatriz Mesquita, and Gezary Matuda.
Who is your favorite BJJ player?
-Mackenzie Dern is my favorite female jiu-jitsu athlete. I love watching her videos and watching her compete! I even had the opportunity to participate in one of her seminars and a private lesson with her.
Any plans to cross over and try MMA in the future?
-So far I don't have any plans to. I love traveling and competing in my jiu-jitsu tournaments. I have so many goals that I want to accomplish in my jiu-jitsu career, so that is my main focus.
How do you enjoy your free time when not training or competing?
-I don't have much free time because of all my training. However, when I am not training I'm usually relaxing with friends or spending time with my horses. I'm actually a World Champion with my show horse Big Brown Art.
For those who will inquire we have a couple questions for the male readership as well.
Are you single?
-Yes I am.
What do you look for in a guy?
-Someone that is also an athlete. I would have to find someone that could be supportive of my crazy busy lifestyle and understanding of the time my sport takes. I spend a lot of time training and traveling so my free time can be limited.
What are your turnoffs?
-Someone that is rude. Even if it isn't to me, I don't like being around people that have a bad attitude and can't be polite.
What would you say is your best feature?
-Actually, I would say my best feature is probably the combination of my red hair and blue eyes. My hair color is natural, it makes me stand out and I love it!
Lastly before we let you go we would love to hear about your future plans and let you send some shout outs.
Any future plans or dreams?
-My future right now is focused on getting ready for Worlds in May and I'm hoping to bring home gold! The ultimate dream though is to one day get my black belt and open up a BJJ gym with my brother!
Any shout outs you would like to make?
-Huge shout out to my coach Andre Garcia for always pushing me to reach my full potential and be the best BJJ player I can be! Also to my sponsor Evolution Detroit for the continued support, can't wait to represent you on the IBJJF mats at worlds! But most of all to my family, I wouldn't be where I am today without them! Especially my brother for always being there for me and competing alongside me!
Thank you very much for your time Morgan and good luck this Saturday and at the World’s later this month. Thank you to
Jennings Photography too for some of the great pictures! For more on Morgan Miller give her a follow and shout out on
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