Saeed Magomed Dunkaev
Once dividing his time between trucking and training, Saeed Dunkaev became a matchmaker, Masters champion and founder of Neezam Jiu-Jitsu.
Biography
Sources for this profile
BJJ Heroes, Saeed Dunkaev profile.(opens in a new tab)
Saeed Magomed Dunkaev was born in Grozny in 1988.
Where in the source: Biography opening sentence; full-name row
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He trained several martial arts before committing to jiu-jitsu, including boxing, wrestling and combat sambo.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph about late teens
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His early BJJ training was with Scott Carr at Gracie Barra Costa Mesa; Rafael and Guilherme Mendes later awarded him blue belt at Art of Jiu Jitsu.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph after the account of starting MMA
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After a friend encouraged him to try Checkmat headquarters, he joined Leonardo Vieira’s team.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph introducing Max Ruvinsky
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Vieira awarded him purple, brown and then black belt, the last in January 2020.
Where in the source: Biography, promotion paragraph before the school opening
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He opened Neezam Jiu-Jitsu in 2020.
Where in the source: Biography final paragraph before the matchmaking section
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BJJ Heroes identifies fluid guard passing as his preferred technical approach.
Where in the source: Technique field above the biography
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BJJ Heroes, interview conducted in March 2019.(opens in a new tab)
After university he moved to the United States in 2010; work eventually took him into long-distance trucking before jiu-jitsu became his focus.
Where in the source: Middle of interview, university and trucking passages
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He recalled that a shared interest in grappling with Zaurbek Khasiev led to a small Berkut event, followed by a larger Moscow card.
Where in the source: Interview section beginning with involvement in ACBJJ
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He said working in matchmaking let him train full time and learn from experienced competitors appearing on the cards.
Where in the source: Interview answer following the account of the first Berkut events
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Moya Brand, Saeed Dunkaev athlete feature, 3 November 2016.(opens in a new tab)
In a 2016 sponsor interview he dated his BJJ start to March 2013 and described alternating a month of training with a month driving trucks.
Where in the source: First biographical paragraph after migration; training and work rhythm
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His wish to train with elite competitors led him from Scott Carr’s academy to the Mendes brothers at Art of Jiu Jitsu.
Where in the source: First biographical paragraph, academy progression
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By November 2016 he was already working as a Berkut BJJ matchmaker while competing as a blue belt.
Where in the source: Title and final sentence of the competition paragraph
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Pasando Guardia, interview with Saeed Dunkaev, 28 May 2018.(opens in a new tab)
In a May 2018 interview he dated the start of the Berkut superfight project to 2015, while he trained with the Mendes brothers.
Where in the source: First question and answer about how the promotion began
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He explained that matchmaking balanced competitive rankings with the prospect of submissions, and described local challengers facing established champions as especially compelling.
Where in the source: Question about the process of selecting matches
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He described the promotion’s aim as building a sustainable professional jiu-jitsu product while recognising the cost of production and athlete pay.
Where in the source: Question about ACB’s future vision
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Neezam Jiu-Jitsu, About page, read September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Dunkaev is a black belt under Leo Vieira and teaches at Neezam Jiu-Jitsu in Anaheim.
Where in the source: Coach biography and gym introduction
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Neezam is the Checkmat affiliate in Anaheim, also known as Checkmat Anaheim.
Where in the source: Gym introduction, paragraph explaining affiliation
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The school says its name means discipline and describes that quality as central to its teaching for children and adults.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs of About our Gym
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Neezam Jiu-Jitsu, Classes page, read September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Neezam offers gi and no-gi training, children’s classes, individual instruction and competition programmes.
Where in the source: Classes page, complete list of programme headings
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IBJJF, World Master Championship 2018, official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2018 IBJJF World Master Championship he won the Master 1 purple-belt open class and took silver at medium heavyweight.
Where in the source: Male, Master 1, Purple: Medium Heavy (195 lb), second; Open Class, first
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IBJJF, World No-Gi Championship 2018, official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship he won Master 1 brown-belt medium heavyweight and took silver in the open class.
Where in the source: Male, Master 1, Brown: Medium Heavy (188.6 lb), first; Open Class, second
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IBJJF, World Master Championship 2019, official results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2019 IBJJF World Master Championship he won both medium heavyweight and open class in Master 1 brown belt.
Where in the source: Male, Master 1, Brown: Medium Heavy (195 lb) and Open Class, first in each
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IBJJF, Pan No-Gi Championship 2019, official results.(opens in a new tab)
He also won Master 1 brown-belt medium heavyweight and open class at the 2019 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship.
Where in the source: Male, Master 1, Brown: Medium Heavy (188.6 lb) and Open Class, first in each
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