INSTRUCTORS
About Us
Carlson Gracie Vilonia is the culmination of a 17-year-old dream that started at a 50's themed diner in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009. At the time, Professor Jason and Coach Blaise were both white belts headed to a West Coast National No-Gi Tournament known as Grappler's Quest. Upon finishing the tournament, in which they both medaled, they went to dinner and while eating made a daring claim that one day they would both win the Pan American Championships, and eventually would both have their own Carlson Gracie schools! Since then, both Professor Jason and Coach Blaise have won the Pan American Championships in their respective categories, with Professor Jason eventually opening Carlson Gracie Irvine in 2014 and now Coach Blaise opening Carlson Gracie Vilonia in 2024. This gym represents a pact made near 20 years ago between two friends and teammates that have competed together in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Dallas, and everywhere in between!
Coach Blaise Casado is the Owner of Carlson Gracie Vilonia. He is a long-time student of renowned Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Jason Youseph under the lineage of Master Carlson Gracie Jr. and the Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Team. Coach Blaise is a member of the United States Air Force which has allowed him the privilege of broadening his Jiu-Jitsu knowledge by having the opportunity to learn under world-class Black Belts around the country throughout his military career. His journey has included training under Black Belt Ben Lozano of Red River BJJ, Lindsey Clyburn of Alliance Jiu-Jitsu and most recently, numerous years under Judo and Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and Champion Garrett Andrews of Combat Concepts Academy.
Coach Blaise has a background that includes a 5-0 Professional MMA record, L.A. Boxing Lightweight MMA title, collegiate wrestling experience, along with numerous IBJJF, NABJJF, WSOJJ, NAGA and JJWL Jiu-Jitsu competitions to include time on the professional Jiu-Jitsu circuit competing on the Submission Hunter Pro and World Series of Jiu-Jitsu Stage!
Coach Blaise believes in jiu-jitsu being an avenue for building one's physical and mental health and uses his extensive background as a mental health instructor and military resilience trainer to apply these principles to his training and teaching. He aims to help each and every student become a better version of themselves on the mats each and every day while sharpening their skills and developing their physical and mental strength.
Competition Experience
4x Submission Hunter Pro Veteran
WSOJJ No-Gi Tournament Champion
IBJJF M1 Pan American Champion
3x IBJJF M1 National Champion
2019 Evolve Open M1 1st Place
2018 Temecula Shootout Champion
2018 IBJJF San Diego 1st Place
2018 Jiu Jitsu-In-the-Park Champion
2018 NABJJF North American's 1st Place
2018 Grappling-X No-Gi 1st Place
2018 NABJJ Grand Canyon State 1st Place
2018 NABJJF Inland Empire Gi/No-Gi 1st Place
2017 JJWL San Francisco 1st Place
2017 NAGA Gi/No-Gi 1st Place
2017 NABJJF National Champion
2017 JJWL San Diego 1st Place
2008 L.A. Boxing Tournament Champion
5-0 Pro MMA Record
Professor Jason Youseph is the Owner of Carlson Gracie Irvine and the lineal Black Belt of Carlson Gracie Vilonia. He is a 2nd-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under the legendary Master Allan Goes from the world-famous Carlson Gracie Team. Jason has been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2005.
Jason Youseph is a highly decorated active competitor on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu scene and has multiple world-class accomplishments including a Pan American Gold medal and various super-fight wins to his credit along with an impressive MMA record as well.
His primary mission is to help everyone who comes to our school reach their martial arts goals whether it is learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for self-defense, or instilling the skills and mental capability to be a World Champion BJJ practitioner and everything else in between.
We are also proud of the fact that Jason Youseph is the 3rd documented Assyrian ancestry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt.
Competition Experience
IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi (2023)
IBJJF Pan American Champion (2015)
IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi 1st (2018) (2017)
IBJJF No-Gi World Championship 3rd (2019)
10x Fight To Win Pro Veteran
8x Submission Hunter Pro Veteran
IBJJF San Jose Open No-Gi 1st (2019)
IBJJF San Diego Open GI 1st (2018)
IBJJF Long Beach Open 3rd Place (2016)
Jiu Jitsu World League #1 Ranked Black Belt (2016) season
Jiu Jitsu World League World Champion 1st place (2016)
Jiu Jitsu World League OC 1st place (2016)
Abu Dhabi National Pro 3rd place (2016)
IBJJF American Nationals 2nd place (2016)
IBJJF Irvine Open Champion (2015)
IBJJF Las Vegas Open 2nd place(2015)
IBJJF Las Vegas Open Champion (2015)
IBJJF American Nationals 3rd place (2014)
IBJJF Long Beach Open 2nd place (2014)
IBJJF San Francisco Open 3rd place (2013)
IBJJF Las Vegas Open 3rd place (2013)
IBJJF Las Vegas Open 2nd place (2013)
Abu Dhabi Trials 3rd place (2014)
SJJIF Worlds Champion (2015) (2016)(2017) (2018)
8x NABJJF Champion (2013) (2014) (2015)
"I am Scott Smith, a 50-year-old mechanic with 28 years of experience at Union Pacific Railroad. I have been happily married to my wife, Reba, for 26 years, and we have two wonderful children: Cody, 23, who has autism and special needs, and Hannah, 20, a dedicated nursing student who holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Our family has lived in Vilonia since 1998, and we are active members of the First Assembly of God.
My journey in martial arts began in 2005 with Krav Maga, followed by several years of Muay Thai Kickboxing under Mark Barber. I currently hold a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which I have been training in for 5 years. I take pride in sharing this passion with my family; both Cody and Hannah have excelled in martial arts, with Cody earning his blue belt.
In addition to my work and martial arts, I cherish spending quality time with my family and our dogs. My experiences with Cody have inspired my commitment to supporting children with special needs in our community!"
Muay Thai, sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "Art of eight limbs", as it is characterised by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees and shins.
Drew started Judo in college back in 2010 and has been doing it ever since! He also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aikido, and has had several MMA fights as well!
He is proud of the beautiful family and life he has built, which includes his wonderful and kind-hearted wife, his two kids (15 and 12 years old), and a whole lot of family fun! He's an avid board gamer of games like Space Base, Root, and Ark Nova! He also enjoys movies including The King's Speech, Se7en, No Country for Old Men, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and many others. His other hobbies include wood whittling and performing music with his band! Two of his favorite pastimes are cheering on his son at Ultimate Frisbee games and cheering on his daughter at softball and basketball!
Judo is known as "Gentle Way" and is a Japanese martial art that was born hundreds of years ago. Judokas (those who practice Judo) utilize techniques to off-balance their opponents and throw them to the ground with "maximum efficiency and minimum effort." Drew believes that while having superior strength or speed is nice, Judo fundamentals center on the principle that anyone can throw their opponent with the proper technique, even if they lack size, strength, or speed advantages. Drew loves working with new students and opening their eyes to the beauty and power of Judo!
