Team Vaghi prides itself on quality instruction. From Rodrigo himself, to the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, or MMA coaches, the instruction offered at Team Vaghi is second to none.
Rodrigo Vaghi
Rodrigo Vaghi started his training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the “gentle art”, at age 14 in the original Gracie Academy Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Vaghi’s instructors were none other than Grandmaster Helio Gracie (the creator of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and his sons: Rickson, Royce, Royler and Rolker.
After many years of training with the Gracie Family, Rodrigo has become a family friend and a representative of the Gracie family outside of Brazil. Rodrigo is currently a 6th degree black belt under undisputed champion of the Gracie’s, Rickson Gracie, and is the highest ranked black belt representative of Rickson Gracie outside of Brazil. Rodrigo was recently inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
As a competitor Rodrigo has won several Jiu-Jitsu championships, with the most recent of which being the 2011 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
Rodrigo not only won the black belt division in not only his weight class, but the open division as well. While he still enjoys competing at the highest levels, he lives to pass down his knowledge and expertise to his students of BJJ and MMA alike.
Interview: Rodrigo was interviewed for an online magazine article. If you’re interested in learning more about Rodrigo Vaghi, Click Here.
Todd Fox
Todd Fox is an original Team Vaghi member dating back to 1996. Todd is a third degree black belt under Rodrigo Vaghi. He has been a lifelong martial artist and holds multiple black belts in multiple arts. He has a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) professional record of ten wins and two losses. Mr. Fox is a U.S. National Champion, U.S. Open Champion and Pan American Medalist in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He continues to actively train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.
Todd is the Founder and Managing Director of the Close Protection Corps, a specialized services firm that works with celebrities, dignitaries and C-suite executives in challenging environments. The company was founded in 1999 with their initial services focused on the Latin market.
Mr. Fox’s company became known for a number of successful service operations in challenging environments such as Mexico, Colombia, Haiti, Iraq, Turkey and Russia. The company has performed protective operations across the full spectrum of clients ranging from Madonna and Janet Jackson, to Supreme Court Justices and UN Officials.
Mr. Fox is a former U.S. Marine who served honorably for 12-years. He was assigned duties that spanned the Corps’ broad gamut. Assignments ranged from washing dishes to operating with JTF-6. His access to “B” billets offered insight into unique realms outside the military. Mr. Fox is also a former law enforcement officer. He was responsible for the creation, development and training of a regional law enforcement special response team (SRT). His team participated in the protection of humans and assets during several pivotal national events. He is a graduate of multiple advanced programs at the Counterterrorism Division (CTD) of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
He has authored two books on protective service operations and a number of articles as a protective security subject matter expert (SME). His latest book, Protection for & from Humanity, is available at TourProtection.com, Apple, Amazon, and other purveyors of books.
To Purchase a copy of Protection for & from Humanity Click Here
WEBSITES
TourProtection.com (Business)
PhaselineX.com (Training)
ToddAFox.com (Personal)
@TourTraining (Instagram)
Steven Menke
Started with Professor Vaghi in 1999. Steven has a very extensive Martial Arts background and is a Elite member of Team Vaghi in Fenton and was recently awarded his Black Belt.
Steven is a great asset to the Team Vaghi school as show by his Martial Arts background below:
Rokudan (6th degree black belt) in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu- Rakkasan Martial Arts
Sudan (3rd degree black belt) in Judo- United States Judo Association
Godan (5th degree black belt) in Tae Kwon Do- USMMA
Senior certified rank examiner for the Jiu-Jitsu with the United States Judo Association and United States Martial Arts Association.
Senior certified rank examiner for Judo with the United States Martial Arts Association.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Shodan (1st degree black belt) Vaghi Martial Arts
Steve is a member of Rakkasans Black belt Hall of Fame and currently serves on the Rakkasans Martial Arts Associations Examiner Board.
Patrick Christie
Coach Patrick began his Muay Thai journey in 2006 under Tomer Litvin at Siam Star Muay Thai & MMA in the northern suburbs of Dallas, TX; he relocated to St. Louis in 2008 and began training with Team Vaghi under Fuad Keranovic. Patrick has been a member of Professor Vaghi’s coaching staff since 2012, serving as Head Muay Thai Coach since 2017. He has also trained with Muay Thai legends Jongsanan “The Woodenman” Fairtex, Ganyao “Dr. Knee” Arunleung (aka Ganyao Fairtex), Kongnapa Watcharawrit, and the late Ramon “The Diamond” Dekkers; Patrick has also trained at the famed Fairtex training facility in Pattaya, Thailand under the watchful eye of Ram Fairtex and “Big Yak”.
Coach Patrick’s philosophy is simple: be true to the art of Muay Thai, and coach all athletes equally regardless of their competitive interests. Over the years Patrick has worked with many amateur and professional fighters, encompassing all skill levels and athletic aspirations. Notable among those are UFC veteran Josh “The Gremlin” Sampo (primary Muay Thai coach), RFA veteran Travis Draper (primary Muay Thai coach), Bellator/RFA/Titan veteran EJ “Pretty Boy” Brooks, Friday Nights Fights veteran Joe “The War Chief” Cox, Lion Fights veteran Joe “Peculiar Mueller” Mueller, and Glory Kickboxing veteran and KBCG Muay Thai founder Quinton “Nyquil” O’Brien.
