OUR CREW
James Connor
OWNER/HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Carlos Machado > Tim Burrill > James Connor
OSSBJJ Head Instructor and Third Degree BJJ Black Belt James Connor received his training at the Tim Burrill BJJ Academy under Tim Burrill, Seth Price & Daymon Smith.
A full time BJJ instructor at the Tim Burrill Academy since 2006, James embraced this position with intense dedication.
James is recognized for his enthusiastic teaching methods, numerous technical innovations, and his abiding love for strangling his closest friends.
He has guided the competitive games of several BJJ champions & has served as head instructor for the RI Army Rangers Combatives Team at Camp Fogarty in East Greenwich, RI.
James has finished his Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with aspirations to combine mental health counseling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu into a unified therapeutic modality.
He’s also a pretty solid dog dad.
Dion Beliveau
Instructor / Thickulous / Ridiculous
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Carlos Machado > Tim Burrill > James Connor > Dion Beliveau
A URI graduate with a B.S in health and kinesiology, he is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, a licensed massage therapist enabling his ability to untangle you from the very knots he ties you in!
Job security, baby.
Possessing a background in gymnastics and athletics, Dion eventually found Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 21. Once he looked in the academy door, he never looked back.
His Jiu Jitsu style is recognizable for its relaxed smoothness and boundless creativity. His aim as an instructor and practitioner is to inspire people to find their inner artist and most authentic self; to take what’s in their heart and turn it into art.
Matt Cav
INSTRUCTOR
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Carlos Machado > Tim Burrill > James Connor > Matt Cavanagh
Matt Cavanagh is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, firefighter, and first responder.
Matt believes in Jiu Jitsu for the betterment of all human beings. Striving to always lead by example, he encourages students to strategize with deliberation and to strike with precision. There is a bold simplicity to Matt’s instruction; his words are direct, his guidance digestible, and his investment devotional.
In Summation:
Matt’s basically a bionic barbarian, touched by the Fist of God. He’s super-funny, really chill, incredibly patient. Matt is also a masterful grappler whose serious business is collecting necks like skateboard decks.
Dr. Otto Liebmann
Instructor
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Carlos Machado > Tim Burrill > James Connor > Otto Liebmann
Otto Liebmann is an Emergency Physician with Brown University Health who has been doing the lifesaving, chaos-managing thing since 2007. When he’s not running the ER, he’s running practical personal safety programs he designed for healthcare workers, because real life doesn’t come with a pause button.
He’s a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and an Aikido black belt with three decades of teaching self-defense under his belt (literally). Otto’s classes are rooted in real experience, blending solid technique with situational awareness that works for clinicians, caregivers, and anyone who’d like to walk through life with a little more confidence and a lot fewer surprises.
In short: he’s serious about safety, easy to train with, and has spent enough time in the real world to know what actually matters.
AMANDA MOLINA
INSTRUCTOR
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Carlos Machado > Tim Burrill > James Connor > Amanda Molina
Amanda Molina is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu purple belt known on the mats as Mother Superior. A mother of four and a force to be reckoned with, Amanda balances family life with high-level training, proving that consistency and heart go a long way.
Her jiu jitsu is built on technique and smart movement, blending control with her unique pace. As a coach, she brings patience, clarity, and real-world experience to every class, helping students build confidence while sharpening their skills.
Amanda’s journey is a reminder that strength comes in many forms, and that discipline, resilience, and community are at the core of everything we do at Ocean State Studios.
