Professor Mark Mireles is a personal student under the legendary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Jean Jacques Machado. As with his master, his focus is on self-defense Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Professor Mireles is the author of many self-defense books and articles, to include Black Belt Magazine and Black Rifle Coffee.

He is a senior black belt in the Jean Jacques Machado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association. Professor Mireles entered his training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after earning All-American honors in both wrestling and Judo and has the rare distinction of being promoted to black belt after six years of diligent training.

As a personal student of Jean Jacques Machado, he has extended his Gracie family network to Professor Mireles for private training, including his cousins Renzo Gracie and the legendary Rickson Gracie. Professor Mireles has received extensive private training with Rickson Gracie under the direction and approval of Master Jean Jacques Machado, offering the deepest insights into the roots of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Professor Mark Mireles began his martial arts journey in 1977, first studying Judo and soon after wrestling. As a distinguished wrestler, he earned All American honors in Olympic style Greco-Roman wrestling. At the university level, Professor Mireles earned All American honors in NCAA Club Judo.

After retiring from elite level wrestling, Professor Mireles entered professional law enforcement, but continued to compete at the Master’s level in USA Wrestling and at the World Police and Fire Games competitions. He is a four-time Police and Fire World Games gold medalist and a multiple time national champion at the Master’s level / USA Wrestling, in Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.Before meeting Master Jean Jacques Machado, Professor Mireles was a Black Belt in Kod Kan judo, an All-American in the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling, and a former California State Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.

In 2019, Professor Mireles was one of the rare members of the Jean Jacques Machado Competition Team to become a World Champion at the IBJJF World No Gi Championship in the Black Belt Master’s Division. Professor Mireles is considered in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community as a top-level integration grappling specialist, combining his knowledge of Wrestling, Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Professor Mark Mireles IBJJF 2019 NO GI World Champion Black Belt Masters

As a distinguished authority of Wrestling and Judo and transitional positions, he was ahead of the curve in groundbreaking applications related to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the integration of Judo techniques and Wrestling positions. Moreover, Professor Mireles is known as a teacher that can naturally convey Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques and concepts easily through language and demonstration, making learning enjoyable and effective.

Professor Mireles with Master Rickson Gracie in Torrance for private training in 2024

Professor Mark Mireles believes training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, self-defense, or combat sports should bring positive life changes to its students. The lessons that you learn in martial arts training should be able to be applied to real-life and professional careers. First and foremost, as a professor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a teacher, Professor Mireles considers himself a servant. Moreover, in his public and private professional endeavors, he considers service to others the highest form of humanity. He is recognized internationally as an outliner in combining his numerous talents.

Professor Mireles served in the United States Marine Corp, in the infantry as a rifleman, and received an honorable discharge before entering a 28-year career with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Professor Mireles served the people of Los Angeles as a uniformed patrol officer working in some of the city’s most challenging assignments and localities. In addition to his line police duties, Professor Mireles was a Defensive Tactics / Arrest and Control instructor with the LAPD. He has literally trained thousands of officers in street survival and self-defense. He is a noted author, publishing several books on self-defense and street survival and a contributing author to publications such as Black Belt Magazine and podcast materials regarding his policing career and martial arts background.

Professor Mireles on Joe Saunders Managing Violence Podcast

Professor Mark Mireles is the only three-time recipient of the LAPD’s Medal of Valor, the highest award for personal bravery bestowed on its sworn police officers. He is highlighted for saving six human lives on six separate occasions. For his life saving incidents, he was also awarded LAPD Police Star and the Life Saving Medal, heroism awards. Additionally, he is the recipient of the Carnegie Medal, which is the highest civilian honor for personal bravery in the United States of America. He was also awarded the Public Safety Medal of Valor in Sacramento by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Professor Mireles while an LAPD Officer awarded the State of California’s highest honor, the
Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor in 2006, presented by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the State Capital in Sacramento

Upon retiring from law enforcement, Professor Mireles founded and is the Chief Executive Officer of Critical Solutions Protective Services Group, a private security and investigative firm based in Beverly Hills, CA. He is also a noted scholar, currently pursuing a PhD in Criminal Justice Studies & Research studying violent offenders in society. He previously was awarded a Master’s Degree in Security Management with honors and a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice studies.

Mark Mireles by his black and white to the rear of the Foothill police station during the 1992 LA Riots.
Before meeting Master Jean Jacques Machado, years after this photograph was taken, Professor Mireles was already a black belt in Kodokan judo, a former California State Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, and an All-American in Greco-Roman wrestling

First and foremost, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu must be taught as a method of practical self-defense. This is foundational and must be approached as a cornerstone of self-protection. Today, the sporting side of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, both Gi and NO-Gi, is vastly becoming one of the most popular combat sports in the world. There are many benefits to combat sports, chief among them is developing self-confidence. Professor Mireles himself is a former IBJJF NO-GI World Champion but realizes there is a galactic difference between combat sports and self defense training.

Professor Mireles has taken his numerous years of street policing, dealing with society's worst violent offenders, his warrior ethos training in the military, and thousands of hours of teaching and training, culminating into a unique understanding of practical self-defense. It is the goal of The House of Jean Jacques Machado, Eileen Street Academy, to provide students with self-defense Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training at the highest levels. This is done by curriculum development and almost 50 years of martial arts training accomplished by Professor Mireles. He is a renowned authority in self-defense grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

A samurai maxim says, “Every day you walk outside of your front door, you face 10,000 enemies.” Based on Professor Mireles’ extensive training and knowledge base, he believes he will be remiss to send students out into a potentially dangerous world without being armed with practical knowledge of core Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Any examination of the Machado family or the Gracie family always raises the subject that the primary goal of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is for a person to be able to defend themselves.

Sean Fraser, Tommy Rawlings, and Todd Johnson Black Belt promotion by Professor Mark Mireles with Master Jean Jacques Machado

Jean Jacques Machado /
Mark Mireles
with Officer Todd Johnson and Officer Tommy Rawlings, both Black Belts under Professor Mireles, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, for the Medal of Merit Ceremony, which they both received for hostage rescue where they went above and beyond the call

Mark Mireles with Master Jean Jacques Machado ADDC Induction to the Hall of Fame
in 2024 Las Vegas Nevada

Professor Mireles with 10th Planet founder and
Jean Jacques Machado Blackbelt Eddie Bravo
at the ADDC Tournament
Professor Mireles was the first 10th planet wrestling transition instructor helping Eddie establish his worldwide brand

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