Antonio Estepanian, BJJ brown belt and other spurious claims.

**Rock Ape** · Posted On: 1/15/2013 9:52am

I've just thinned this thread out and moved the bullshit to:

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=119563

This is a warning to all. This is in MABS not YMAS so conduct yourselves accordingly. If you ****-post here expect infractions and possibly temp bans to follow (especially to those who've been here a while and should know better)

If you have no clue what "MABS" or "YMAS" means I suggest you educate yourselves together with reading this:

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=57547

...Which set out the policy for this particular sub forum.

**DeuceDroppin** · Posted On: 1/15/2013 10:07am

Hello gents!

Came over from the UG to share some things that don't seem to have been posted yet. Something I uncovered is that this guy has no less than 5 aliases.

Antonio Taroestepanian, Antonio Emae, Antonio Emay, Antonio Estepanian, Anthony Rogers

Also, he fought in KOTC 3 under the alias "Antonio Emae" and tapped when he was mounted. Ginger has confirmed that it is the same guy, and this can also be confirmed by his FB pics. He claimed to be a "2nd degree Gracie Black Belt" (in 2000), 18-0 NHB, and 70-0 TKD.

^^^ Thanks to "DosMetros" for uploading the video.

Enjoy!

EDIT...I posted links to the KOTC video, as well as the people search for his aliases but it wouldn't let me post because I don't have "5 posts". Someone else please share!

**GingerNinja** · Posted On: 1/15/2013 10:17am

OK it looks like we're just meant to keep things factual. No worries.

Antonio Estepanian has also gone by many different names, one of which is Antonio Emae.

Antonio Emae aka Antonio Estepanian has been found fighting in KOTC3. In this video he says he has an 18 - 0 record which (like his Rickson Brown belt) can not be verified. He also says that he is a second degree Gracie black belt in BJJ. So in 13 years he's gone backwards?

Unlike Respect72, I am happy to present video evidence (rather damming at that) to back up these claims.

Here is the video of the fight: (apparently I don't have enough posts to post it but if you search: 'Antonio Emae' on Youtube, you will see him in a fight vs Javier Vazquez)

I can confirm that this is the man that I rolled with in Guildford.

I hope this constitutes as factual evidence to the extent that Antonio Estepanian is a fraud on so many levels.

Now I'm going to concentrate all my efforts on getting to the bottom of why a man moves around so often, while changing his names, something is not right here. One thing is for sure, until we can confirm and trace all of his past(s), he SHOULD NOT be allowed to teach kids classes IMO, just to be on the safe side.

Kind regards

Ginger.

**Cake of Doom** · Posted On: 1/15/2013 10:49am

Is this the page where you found the AKA's?

www.veromi.com

I did a quick search of the other names on there and it seems "Anthony Rogers" has a recorded fight too, although I couldn't find a pic so I can't verify if this is the same person. Did anyone on the UG come across this?

**jeffphansen77** · Posted On: 1/15/2013 5:03pm

Here's the KOTC video. He's divested himself of a few rankings since then:

**The Cap** · Posted On: 1/15/2013 7:37pm

Originally Posted by DeuceDroppin

EDIT...I posted links to the KOTC video, as well as the people search for his aliases but it wouldn't let me post because I don't have "5 posts". Someone else please share!

On it.

Here's the people search of his name:

http://www.advancedbackgroundchecks....gers/304019152

And the video's been linked in the post above this one.

**-TANK-** · Posted On: 1/16/2013 12:10am

This is serious - To fight in KOTC doesn't one need a Federal ID?

**jeffphansen77** · Posted On: 1/16/2013 6:39am

Someone on the UG ran some sort of background check on this guy:

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma....112938&page=32

He was born in 1972. Respect72, I'm just curious... in what year were you born?

**Cephelapoid** · Posted On: 1/16/2013 7:19am

I dont understand, you guys have got what you wanted, cant you not just leave Antonio alone now?. You got the man fired, brilliant, congratulations. But not only that, youve deprived his students, myself included, of a teacher they respected and will greatly miss.

Weather or not the accusations may be true, it makes absolutly no difference to me, and I guarentee that the vast majority of my fellow students would feel the same. It only matters to the guys who started this so they can satisfy their own "witchhunt".

I get the moral of the story here, beleive me I do, but at the end of the day what does it actualy matter to you.

On a side note, Gingerninja if you realy are going to fight, God help you sir.

**Mr.Miyagi** · Posted On: 1/16/2013 7:34am

Originally Posted by Cephelapoid

I dont understand, you guys have got what you wanted, cant you not just leave Antonio alone now?. You got the man fired, brilliant, congratulations. But not only that, youve deprived his students, myself included, of a teacher they respected and will greatly miss.

Weather or not the accusations may be true, it makes absolutly no difference to me, and I guarentee that the vast majority of my fellow students would feel the same. It only matters to the guys who started this so they can satisfy their own "witchhunt".

I get the moral of the story here, beleive me I do, but at the end of the day what does it actualy matter to you.

On a side note, Gingerninja if you realy are going to fight, God help you sir.

I don't really know what others are following up on now, it could be his other claims for his TKD belt level as 4th dan, otherwise it appears as though the BJJ side of things is done?

According to the other posts you now have a legitimate instructor at the same gym...so what's the problem, you just miss the guy?

The issue with Antonio wasn't "is he a good teacher" it is "he lied about holding a rank he did not legitimately have". He could always go open a "submission grappling, I have no rank and no experience school" and you could go pay good money to learn from a guy you respected but lied about his rank, sure, that's your right as a consumer; however, he needs to STATE that so people can make an informed decision!

In my opinion, it matters because he's lying and disrespecting an amazing martial art in which if he DID hold the rank of BJJ Brown he could have stated whom awarded it and when, and this wouldn't be an issue and everyone would go "cool" and go on their way.

This is a fight to keep the quality of martial arts instruction high and of a legitimate nature, it's strange you don't understand that and the raison d'être of this entire sub-forum.

Would you rather learn from someone that lied or from someone that is honest, a legitimate instructor, put in the long hard hours to earn a very high level belt ranking in a style, it appears, that you care for?