Dorian Olivarez

Dorian Michael Olivarez is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under John Danaher, competing out of New Wave Jiu-Jitsu and Team Olivarez. Born on December 6, 2005, in Houston, Texas, he grew up in a household built around competitive sport: his mother, Linda, competed in natural bodybuilding, and his father, Mike Olivarez—a jiu-jitsu black belt (2016)—became his primary coach from childhood. As a toddler he watched the UFC with his family; by age six he had announced he wanted to be a cage fighter, prompting Mike to teach him wrestling and jiu-jitsu basics out of their home garage.

Around age ten, two decisions defined his path. He began competing in no-gi jiu-jitsu alongside folkstyle wrestling, and his parents chose to homeschool him so training, diet, and competition could be fully integrated. Linda managed academics, nutrition, and weight; Mike oversaw athletic development and regularly brought in partners and specialist coaches. That dual-sport upbringing produced rare teenage credentials: Super 32 gold (2020), USA Folkstyle Nationals titles (2023 and 2024), TX-USAW state gold (2023), and a #45 ranking on FloWrestling’s 2022 Top 100 High School Wrestling Prospects list—the only Texas athlete on that board. In jiu-jitsu he took IBJJF Pan No-Gi juvenile gold (2022) and multiple No-Gi Worlds juvenile silver medals (2021–2022).

Olivarez broke into mainstream grappling at the 2023 ADCC East Coast (US) Trials at just 17. He beat established adults—including multi-time IBJJF No-Gi World champion Gianni Grippo and ADCC Worlds veteran Ethan Crelinsten—then Dominic Mejia in the final to win the −66 kg bracket and an ADCC Worlds berth. He trained and competed with Austin’s B-Team during that period while still representing Team Olivarez. In 2024 he became the first athlete ever ranked in the Top 10 of both FloWrestling and FloGrappling simultaneously, then delivered a submission-heavy brown-belt gold run at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship. The same year he claimed double gold (weight and absolute) at ADCC Opens in Miami and Austin, won AIGA Brasil, and debuted at the ADCC World Championships at −66 kg, falling in the opening round to Gairbeg Ibragimov.

On January 30, 2025, John Danaher promoted Olivarez to black belt—one of fewer than roughly fifteen black belts Danaher has awarded across three decades of coaching—and Olivarez aligned more fully with New Wave Jiu-Jitsu in Austin while retaining Team Olivarez identity. As a black belt he won the ADCC East Coast Trials again in 2025 (−66 kg), defeated Samuel Nagai by decision at UFC BJJ 4, reached deep into the Craig Jones Invitational 2 absolute, and in 2026 captured the WNO 32 lightweight (155 lb) title over Deandre Corbe after submitting Julian Espinosa in the semis. His game is built on elite folkstyle wrestling, relentless pace, distance/pressure passing, and a high submission rate—especially rear naked chokes—earning the fight nickname “The Problem” from B-Team training-room lore that stuck as a competitive brand.