Morgan Black

Born on February 25, 1994, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Morgan Leigh Black grew up as a multi-sport competitor, testing herself in volleyball, basketball, and track and field throughout her school years. Her introduction to martial arts came during her late teens, when a growing passion for mixed martial arts led her to a local gym with an initial emphasis on striking and cage fighting. A pivotal conversation with her cousin, Nick Smith — an experienced MMA practitioner — shifted her trajectory entirely. His advice was direct: master grappling first, as it forms the essential foundation of the sport.

That guidance proved more transformative than either could have anticipated. Rather than treating grappling as a stepping stone toward MMA, Black found herself drawn deeper into the art for its own sake. Her competitive ambitions gradually moved away from cage fighting altogether, giving way to a focused and deliberate jiu-jitsu career.

Black built her technical foundation under two Brazilian coaches she found in her hometown: Carlos Santos and Marcelo Motta. Together, they guided her through her early belt ranks, with Motta progressively taking on the role of primary head coach from blue belt onward. Under his continued mentorship, Black assembled a competitive résumé that spanned multiple national and international titles at the colored belt level — a testament to the consistency of both her development and her drive.

On October 21, 2022, Motta formally recognized the culmination of that work by promoting her to black belt, capping years of focused competition and technical refinement. Black represents Tabula Rasa JJ and competes in the Peso Leve division at 64 kg / 141.5 lbs.

Throughout her career, Morgan Black has established herself as a dedicated no-gi competitor, building her reputation on the submission grappling circuit well before reaching the black belt level. Her early breakthrough came in 2018 when she claimed the F2W 125 lb no-gi title as a purple belt — an early signal of what was to come on the American no-gi scene.

At brown belt, Black continued to perform at the highest levels of the IBJJF circuit. She earned runner-up finishes at both the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship and the IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship in 2021, then returned to the Pan No-Gi podium again in 2022, demonstrating a sustained ability to compete among the sport's elite across consecutive seasons.

Her black belt career produced her most significant results. In 2023, Black won the ADCC East Coast Trials — one of the most competitive qualification pathways on the road to the ADCC World Championship — establishing herself as a legitimate contender on the global submission grappling stage. That same year, she added the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi International title at the black belt level, further reinforcing her standing as a top-tier no-gi competitor. Her career arc, from early submission grappling events to ADCC qualification, reflects a deliberate and sustained commitment to no-gi performance at every stage of her development.