Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Yi.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I spent 18 years in a corporate environment building systems, managing processes, and documenting everything. I was good at it. But for most of that time, I was also training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu quietly and consistently, the way a lot of practitioners do.
Jiu-Jitsu has a way of teaching you things most environments cannot. It is one of the few places where you cannot fake your way through. Either your technique works or it does not. The mat gives you immediate feedback.
I have been training for 20 years. I received my black belt in 2015 under Master Marcelo Alonso, a Carlson Gracie coral belt. Training under someone at that level shaped not only my technique, but how I think about the sport, the responsibility of teaching it, and what long-term development should look like.
The decision to open MOMO BJJ came from watching what was available for my son, Noah. He started training young, and as I looked at the youth martial arts landscape around us, I realized I wanted to build something different. A lot of programs are built around short-term results: belts, medals, visible wins. Those things are easy to market to parents. But what I care about is the athlete, the person, and the mindset a child is becoming over years of training.
I built MOMO around that idea. Long-term development over short-term hype. Training loads matched to the age group. Encouraging kids to play multiple sports, especially before age 14. Competition when a student is ready, not just to fill a tournament roster.
The name MOMO stands for Motion and Momentum. To me, those are the things we train every day. Over time, motion and momentum become mastery.
After 18 years in the corporate world, I made the decision to build something of my own. I signed a lease in Frisco this spring, and MOMO BJJ is set to open in August 2026. The space is coming together now, but the philosophy has been forming for years.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been smooth. I do not think it is supposed to be.
The hardest part of the transition has not been operational. It has been psychological. When you spend 18 years in a structured environment with a steady paycheck, a title, and a clear performance framework, you do not realize how much of your identity is tied to that structure until you step away from it. The ambiguity of building something from scratch creates a different kind of pressure than anything I experienced in a corporate setting.
On the practical side, I have been building enrollment before having a physical space. That means asking parents to believe in a gym they cannot walk into yet, taught by a coach they may have only met through a summer training session. You cannot fake that kind of trust. You either earn it or you do not.
We also had all three of our Instagram accounts deactivated at once by a false automated flag. No warning, no appeal response, just gone. Months of content and community building were wiped out overnight. That one stung. We rebuilt from zero on a new account and kept moving.
The permit and construction process has been its own education. There are timelines you plan for and timelines you actually live with. Learning to operate in that uncertainty without letting it affect how I show up for the kids every day has been an ongoing practice.
I think the struggle that does not get talked about enough is that being good at the thing you teach and being good at running a business around it are completely different skills. I have had to learn the second one while still doing the first one. I am still learning.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
MOMO BJJ is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy opening in August 2026 in Frisco, Texas. We teach kids ages 6 through 13, with programs for teens and adults as well.
What sets us apart is the philosophy behind how we train. A lot of youth Jiu-Jitsu programs get pulled toward short term validation: tournament medals, podium photos, team points, constant competition, and the idea that kids just need to grind harder. Those things are easy to recognize and easy to market. What we are building instead is a program designed around the athlete your child becomes over the long term.
That means age appropriate training loads. It means encouraging kids to play other sports rather than pressuring families into year round single sport commitment. It means competition when a student is ready, not just to fill a tournament roster. It means a high ratio of training to competition, so students have time to actually develop.
The mat culture at MOMO is technically demanding and emotionally disciplined. We are not building reactive competitors or kids who mistake toughness for recklessness. We are building students who are capable because of their technique and stable because of their character.
The name MOMO comes from Motion and Momentum. Motion is the daily work. Momentum is what gets built through consistency. Mastery is what those things become over time.
What I am most proud of is the clarity of the model. In a market full of programs chasing trophies, hype, and short-term wins, having a genuine philosophy is a real differentiator. The families who connect with us are usually looking for exactly this kind of program, even if they did not know it existed in their area yet.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
If you’re in the Frisco area and looking for a program for your child, we’d love to connect. You can learn more and sign up at trainmomo.com. Follow us on Instagram at @momobjj.tx. We open in August 2026 and founding member spots are still available.
Pricing:
- Founding Member: $159/month (limited spots)
- Standard membership: $199/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trainmomo.com
- Instagram: @momobjj.tx
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/trainmomo
