ABOUT: RAY STARTED HIS TRAINING AT AN EARLY AGE. HE STARTED WRESTLING WHEN HE WAS 5 YRS OLD AND IT HAS BEEN A PART OF HIS LIFE FOR OVER 40 YEARS. RAY JOINED THE MILITARY STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND STAYED IN 4 YRS ACTIVE DUTY AND 6 YEARS IN THE RESERVES. DURING HIS ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY CAREER HE WENT TO SEVERAL LEADERSHIP SCHOOLS AND THE COVETED ARMY RANGER SCHOOL. DURING HIS TIME IN THE MILITARY HE CONTINUED HIS LOVE OF MARTIAL ARTS LEARNING KARATE, AND TAE KWANDO. AFTER LEAVING THE MILITARY RAY ENROLLED AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY WHERE HE STARTED WRESTLING AGAIN ON REGULAR BASES AND FOUND A JIU JITSU ACADEMY.
RAY’S LOVE FOR THE ART ENCOURAGED HIM TO OPEN MIDDLE TENNESSEE’S FIRST MIXED MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL WITH CO-OWNER CHRIS HEFLIN CALLED THE FIGHTERS GUILD. THE FIGHTERS GUILD PRODUCED SOME GREAT INSTRUCTORS WHO CURRENTLY OWN SCHOOLS ACROSS TENNESSEE. TODAY RAY CASIAS RUNS AND OWNS TENNESSEE BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU ACADEMY IN SPRING HILL TN. THE ACADEMY HAS BECOME A HOT SPOT FOR PRODUCING SOME OF THE BEST GRAPPLERS AND MMA FIGHTERS IN THE REGION. RAY IS ONE OF THE MOST DECORATED BJJ PLAYERS IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND IS THE ONLY SCHOOL OWNER THAT IS ALSO A LEVEL 4 COMBATIVES INSTRUCTOR FOR THE UNITED STATES ARMY. COME OUT AND SEE WHY RAY AND HIS INSTRUCTORS ARE SOME OF THE MOST RESPECTED AND DOWN TO EARTH PEOPLE IN THE JIU JITSU COMMUNITY.