Born on November 9, 1990, in Montclair, California, Richard Alarcon grew up in the neighboring city of Lakewood with an unmistakable drive for physical competition. His path into combat sports began at just 7 years old, when his intensity on the football (soccer) pitch prompted coaches to redirect him toward jiu-jitsu — a decision that would shape the rest of his athletic life. Alarcon enrolled at Francisco Bueno's Academy, training for approximately three years and absorbing the foundational principles of grappling before transitioning to wrestling at age 10. That early immersion in both disciplines planted the seeds of a technical versatility that would define his competitive identity for decades to come.

From age 10 onward, Alarcon dedicated 11 consecutive years to competitive wrestling, progressing through the school system and into the collegiate ranks. His development culminated at the Division I NCAA level — one of the most demanding competitive environments in American college sports — where he competed for the Citadel Bulldogs out of Charleston, South Carolina. Representing a program with established wrestling traditions, Alarcon forged the elite athleticism, takedown efficiency, and mental toughness that would later distinguish his grappling across multiple disciplines. The discipline demanded by Division I competition proved instrumental in shaping the high-pressure, wrestling-heavy approach he carries into every match.

At 21, following the conclusion of his NCAA career, Alarcon returned to the art he had first encountered as a child. Training primarily under Givanildo Santana at One Jiu-Jitsu Academy, with significant collaboration from Matt Salinas, he attacked the belt ranks with the same competitive intensity that had defined his wrestling years.

Colored Belt Highlights

Alarcon's ascent through the ranks was punctuated by a series of elite competition results. In 2014, he claimed gold at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship at purple belt — a breakout result that announced him as a serious contender. At brown belt, he earned back-to-back gold medals at the IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi in 2017 and 2018, and capped that chapter with an IBJJF No-Gi World Championship title in 2018. A silver at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in 2017 and a bronze at the UAEJJF Grand Slam in Los Angeles that same year further demonstrated his sustained dominance at the colored belt level.

Black Belt Promotion

In May 2019, Alarcon received his black belt — the culmination of a decorated and methodically built journey through the ranks, and the beginning of a new competitive chapter.

Alarcon built his reputation as a no-gi and submission grappling specialist, accumulating results across a wide range of elite rulesets and professional events. His earliest high-profile appearance came at EBI 2 in 2015, where a third-place finish in the Eddie Bravo Invitational's submission-only format introduced him to the broader submission grappling community.

Professional Event Results

As his career matured, Alarcon's schedule expanded to include some of the sport's most competitive professional platforms. In 2019, he won the KASAI GP Trials in Florida and reached the podium at the KASAI 6 Grand Prix with a third-place finish, affirming his status as a legitimate contender in professional no-gi competition. That same year, he placed third at the ADCC World Championship US Trials — one of the most grueling qualification pathways in submission grappling — competing against a deep field of accomplished grapplers vying for limited spots at the ADCC World Championship. A silver medal at the IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi at black belt in 2019 rounded out a year that demonstrated the seamless continuity of his elite-level output following his promotion.

Parallel to his jiu-jitsu development, Alarcon built a professional mixed martial arts career rooted in his wrestling foundation. Upon returning to grappling after his NCAA career, he added Muay Thai to his training, developing the striking tools necessary to compete effectively in the cage. He made his amateur MMA debut in 2013 and turned professional in 2015, drawing on his takedown proficiency and submission grappling expertise as the technical core of his game.

Combat EBI Championship

Among the professional MMA promotions Alarcon competed in, Combat EBI — the MMA-format offshoot of the Eddie Bravo Invitational series — served as the stage for his most significant achievement in the discipline. In 2019, Alarcon was crowned the Combat EBI Bantamweight Champion, a result that validated how effectively his grappling-first skill set translated into the full-contact environment and stands as the defining achievement of his mixed martial arts career.