Zachary Maslany

Zachary Maslany was born on June 8, 1983, in Pennsylvania, growing up in the cities of Northampton and Bethlehem. His father enrolled him and his brothers in karate from an early age, instilling a discipline that would underpin his entire combat sports career. Training under Master Tiger Schulmann, Maslany earned a black belt in karate, building a striking foundation defined by precision, timing, and competitive drive.

Rather than remain within a single discipline, Maslany used karate as a launching pad into broader striking arts. He transitioned into kickboxing, compiling an unbeaten record of 4-0-1, before stepping into boxing and competing in the nationally recognized Golden Gloves event. That cross-disciplinary striking background gave him the well-rounded stand-up game and competitive instincts that would eventually carry him into mixed martial arts — and, ultimately, into the world of submission grappling.

Maslany's entry into mixed martial arts was more accident than design. In 2002, a training partner withdrew from a scheduled cage fight due to injury, and Maslany stepped in to fill the spot. His debut at Reality Fighting 2 ended in victory, setting him on the path of professional MMA competition. He continued building his record and later captured a title in the USMMA promotion, validating his credentials as a well-rounded fighter.

The defining turning point came in February 2003 at Reality Fighting 3, where Maslany suffered a submission loss via Triangle Choke. The defeat exposed critical gaps in his grappling game and forced an honest reassessment of his development as a competitor. Though he carried some familiarity with jiu-jitsu at the time, the loss made clear that grappling had to become a far greater priority. That triangle choke did not simply end a fight — it redirected the entire trajectory of his martial arts life.

Determined to address his grappling weaknesses decisively, Maslany committed fully to jiu-jitsu by joining Eddie Bravo's 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu academy in California. He immersed himself entirely in the no-gi, rubber guard-centric system Eddie Bravo had developed — an approach that aligned naturally with his background as a striker accustomed to pressure, structure, and positional control.

Maslany split his training between California and Pennsylvania, where he also worked alongside Robert Villafane, absorbing influences from multiple high-level grappling coaches. That dual-coast commitment to development paid off as he earned his BJJ black belt and grew into an instructor within the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu organization. With his grappling identity firmly established, his focus shifted away from MMA competition entirely, channeling his energy toward building a lasting presence in the submission grappling world.

Returning to his roots in Pennsylvania, Maslany co-founded a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu affiliate gym in Bethlehem alongside close friend and training partner JM Holland. The two established themselves as among the top no-gi coaches in the United States, cultivating a competitive team rooted in the principles of the 10th Planet system.

As practitioners deeply embedded in the EBI ruleset designed by Eddie Bravo, Maslany and Holland identified a significant gap in the competitive landscape: submission-only athletes in the Tri-State area had few opportunities to compete in that format. Motivated by that absence, they launched the Finishers Only jiu-jitsu event in November 2015. What began as a platform to showcase East Coast talent rapidly outgrew its regional origins, evolving into a nationally recognized promotion that expanded submission-only competition to a broader audience and helped define the no-gi scene on the East Coast.

Maslany's influence in the grappling world extends well beyond his gym in Bethlehem. His competitive credentials include a third-place finish at the IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi in 2016 at the brown belt level — a result that demonstrated his technical standing as a competitor before earning his black belt. That combination of competitive experience, coaching depth, and event promotion positioned him as a recognized authority within high-level submission grappling circles.

Maslany serves as a judge for the Craig Jones Invitational, a role that reflects the trust placed in his understanding of elite submission grappling. Through the Finishers organization, he continues to promote the submission-only format and provide competitive platforms for grapplers at every level. As both a product of and a contributor to the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu ecosystem, Maslany occupies a distinctive place in the no-gi jiu-jitsu community — one shaped by decades of cross-disciplinary combat sports experience and an unwavering commitment to finishing-based grappling.