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Oliver Taza

Lebanese-Canadian black belt Oliver Taza built his career across gi and no-gi competition after training at Tristar and with John Danaher.

Biography

Oliver Taza is a Lebanese-Canadian Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt whose competitive path has crossed both gi and no-gi competition. Born in Beirut in 1993, he lived in Saudi Arabia before settling in Canada at fourteen. Taza began grappling at Firas Zahabi's Tristar gym. After spending a period focused on boxing, he returned to jiu-jitsu in February 2014 and later traveled to New York to train with John Danaher. Danaher promoted him to black belt there on November 9, 2020. In a 2018 interview, Taza explained why he continued to compete in the gi even as no-gi became central to his career: he believed a black belt should be capable in both, and saw gi competition as useful preparation for the strategy of ADCC. His recorded first-place results include the 2017 ADCC European Trials, the 2020 BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix, the 2022 European No-Gi Open, and the 2023 Pan No-Gi Championship. Most of the biographical and competition detail in this profile comes from BJJ Heroes. The IBJJF athlete record separately supports Taza's black-belt rank and, when accessed in September 2026, listed him with Renzo Gracie International; the available sources do not establish a single unambiguous current team.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, “Oliver Taza,” accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes identifies Oliver Taza as a Lebanese-Canadian athlete born in Beirut in 1993 who lived in Saudi Arabia before settling in Canada at age fourteen.

      Where in the source: Profile introduction and Biography — born in 1993 in Beirut; moved to Canada

      Accessed:

    • Taza began grappling at Firas Zahabi’s Tristar gym, returned to jiu-jitsu in February 2014 after a period focused on boxing, and later traveled to New York to train with John Danaher.

      Where in the source: Biography — Tristar, boxing and trips to Renzo Gracie Academy

      Accessed:

    • John Danaher promoted Taza to black belt in New York on 9 November 2020.

      Where in the source: Biography — black-belt promotion on November 09, 2020

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes records major wins including the 2017 ADCC European Trials, the 2020 BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix, the 2022 European No-Gi Open and the 2023 Pan No-Gi Championship.

      Where in the source: Main Achievements (Pro) — first-place results

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Oliver Taza Interview: The Gi Helps Prepare for The ADCC,” 2018.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a 2018 interview, Taza explained that he continued competing in the gi because he believed a black belt should be capable in both gi and no-gi and that gi competition helped prepare him for ADCC strategy.

      Where in the source: Interview — paragraphs on return to gi and preparation for ADCC

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, athlete results for Oliver Taza, accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • The IBJJF athlete page currently lists Oliver Taza as a black belt representing Renzo Gracie International.

      Where in the source: Athlete Results header — Oliver Taza; Renzo Gracie International; black

      Accessed:

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