Coach Ricky Melendez is a retired United States Marine who has pursued martial arts the majority of his life. As a Martial Arts Instructor for the Marine Corps, Ricky pursued a new facet of his combat arts journey in the form of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2016 under Professor Moriniere in Okinawa, Japan, a member of the Caveirinha Family.
Since July 2021, Coach Ricky has owned and operated CJJF North Carolina as a brown belt under Professor Moriniere. When he retired from the military, Coach Ricky sensed he had lost the family and community he had come to rely on over his 20-year career. In his search for a substitute, he decided to create this gym. He now shares and fosters that community sentiment with all of his CJJF North Carolina family.