Josh Terao

Josh Terao is a Black Belt in Judo and a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ryan Hall. He is a lifelong martial artist with high-level credentials across multiple grappling disciplines. A 4-time Hawaii state champion in both judo and wrestling (204-1 record), he also won a Greco-Roman national title at Fargo. At American University, he was a 3-time NCAA qualifier, school record holder in technical falls, and a top-10 all-time winner. Josh has been training in grappling martial arts since the age of five, beginning with Judo at Shobukan Judo Club. He started competing in national tournaments at just eight years old, the same age he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As a youth competitor, he competed in the Gracie Worlds in BJJ. At age 12, Josh expanded into wrestling, competing in both wrestling and Judo in Hawaii. He became the first athlete in the state to win four state championships across both sports. He went on to pursue Division I collegiate wrestling at American University in Washington, DC, where he competed from 2014 to 2019. During his collegiate career, he qualified for the NCAA National Championships three times and reached the Round of 16 in 2016.

Following his college wrestling career, Josh continued to compete at a high level in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. In 2021, he won the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship at purple belt. He also earned bronze medals at the USA Judo Senior Nationals in 2023 and 2024, as well as a bronze medal at the U.S. Open in 2023. In February 2025, Josh received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Ryan Hall. He is currently in his third year as a PhD candidate in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program at George Washington University.