5/JIU-JITSU
LIFESTYLE CHANGE
MICHAEL SERGI
THOUGHT HE WAS A TOUGH
GUY UNTIL MARTIAL ARTS
HUMBLED HIM. PICKING
UP BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU
17 YEARS AGO PROVIDED
EQUAL DOSES OF THE CON-
FIDENCE AND HUMILITY
SERGI NEEDED TO BECOME A
BETTER MAN, AND NOW HE’S
SHARING HIS LOVE FOR THE
SPORT WITH OTHERS.
TRAIN WITH
MICHAEL SERGI
SERG BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
HHHH
912-695-8421
SERGBJJ.COM
44
S OUT H MAGA ZI NE.C OM
INSTAGRAM
@SERGBJJANDFITNESS
The day Michael Sergi got whipped by a 63-year-old
man and a 14-year-old boy changed his life.
Sergi was in his early 20s, a self-described
“meathead” who thought he was in peak physical
fitness when a friend invited him to a Muay Thai class.
“These guys beat the crap out of me,” Sergi recalls.
“I was so exhausted and tired. I thought I was fit, and
these guys just destroyed me.”
A few years later Sergi was introduced to Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu and was instantly hooked, even though he
was “just absolutely awful.” Because no one was
teaching Jiu Jitsu in the area at the time, Sergi often
had to drive several hours to find organized training
sessions. He helped organize a club in 2008 which
blossomed into his own Serg Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school
three years ago.
Now Sergi is the only American to receive his black
belt from Jiu Jitsu legend Marcio “Pe De Pano” Cruz
and he competes regularly and trains world-class
fighters.
“Jiu Jitsu absolutely changed my life,” Sergi says.
“It provided me with confidence in areas I needed
confidence, and it’s provided me humility in areas
where I needed humility. … I needed a big dose of that
humility and confidence.”
Those are qualities that suit people from any walk
of life, and Sergi says his students land all across
the spectrum ranging from college professors and
students to plastic surgeons and auto mechanics. It’s a
great way to get in shape for men, women, or children,
he says – anyone who wants to learn the confidence to
defend themselves or needs the learn the humility of
getting whipped.
“My first go at it was getting my butt kicked by a
63-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy,” Sergi says.
“When you’re young and tough, you think you can
beat up everybody. That was a big eye-opener for me.”