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Jake Buracker

Jake Buracker’s route from BJ Penn to Studio 540 led to coaching fighters alongside Marc Fiore.

Biography

Jake Buracker’s path in jiu-jitsu ran through Virginia, Hawaii and San Diego. In a March 2020 written introduction, Leon Sandoval traced his training with BJ Penn in Hawaii and Clark Gracie in San Diego, describing him as a new Studio 540 co-owner who had been involved since its beginning. A 2022 introduction for The Zen Protocol identified him as a BJ Penn black belt and co-owner of the Solana Beach academy. Studio 540’s own description emphasizes exchanging knowledge across team boundaries: it welcomes practitioners from different schools. Its instructor page lists Jake among the black-belt teachers. In January 2023, detikSport named Buracker and Marc Fiore as Jeka Saragih’s coaches before the Road to UFC final. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was part of the preparation Saragih described. In May 2023, The Independent’s Alex Pattle watched Buracker and Fiore oversee MMA Fight Academy sparring at Studio 540. Twenty selected fighters were spending twelve weeks in San Diego with their expenses covered. Mola funded the project, managed by Graham Boylan. Boylan described a single team whose members would support one another, rather than groups being trained to fight each other. Jimmy Quinn described that shared training in a November 2024 interview with MMA Sucka. He credited two years with Buracker and Fiore for improvements in his wrestling and jiu-jitsu, while stressing the college wrestlers, other strong partners and daily rounds that kept him learning. Saragih’s June 2025 UFC profile gave another view of the work. After his 2024 loss to Westin Wilson, he focused on wrestling and defending submissions. He described repeatedly being taken down and submitted in practice, and learning new techniques from both his coaches and training partners. Saragih described the gym as a second family.

Sources for this profile

  • detikSport, January 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2023, detikSport named Buracker alongside Marc Fiore among Jeka Saragih’s coaches before the Road to UFC final. The report placed Brazilian jiu-jitsu within Saragih’s preparation.

      Where in the source: Preparation and interview.

      Accessed:

  • Sandoval, March 2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • Leon Sandoval’s March 2020 introduction traced Buracker’s route through Virginia and Hawaii, where he trained with BJ Penn, to San Diego and Clark Gracie. It described him as a new Studio 540 co-owner who had been there since its beginning.

      Where in the source: Written guest introduction.

      Accessed:

  • Zen Protocol, 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • A 2022 episode introduction described Buracker as a BJ Penn black belt and Studio 540 co-owner in Solana Beach.

      Where in the source: Written episode introduction.

      Accessed:

  • Studio 540, academy.(opens in a new tab)

    • Studio 540 describes an academy open to practitioners from different teams, with a no-judgment approach to exchanging knowledge.

      Where in the source: Academy philosophy.

      Accessed:

  • Pattle, May 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • Alex Pattle’s May 2023 on-site report placed Buracker and Marc Fiore together coaching MMA Fight Academy, including sparring at Studio 540. Twenty selected fighters joined a twelve-week, expenses-covered San Diego camp. Mola funded the project; Graham Boylan managed it as one mutually supportive team rather than opposing camps.

      Where in the source: Coaches and project structure.

      Accessed:

  • Browne, November 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • In November 2024, Jimmy Quinn described two years of improvement at MMA Fight Academy, including wrestling and jiu-jitsu work with Buracker and Fiore. He emphasized strong coaches and training partners, including college wrestlers, and learning during daily rounds.

      Where in the source: Quinn on training.

      Accessed:

  • Head, June 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • UFC’s June 2025 profile identified Buracker and Fiore as MMA Fight Academy’s coaches. After losing to Westin Wilson in 2024, Saragih described working on wrestling and submission defence, repeatedly being taken down and submitted in practice, and learning from both coaches and partners. He described the gym as a second family.

      Where in the source: Saragih on ground training.

      Accessed:

  • Studio 540, instructors.(opens in a new tab)

    • Studio 540’s instructor page lists Jake among its black-belt teachers.

      Where in the source: Jake instructor card.

      Accessed:

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