The beginnings in judo

Miha Perhavec was born in Kranj, Slovenia where he started training judo at the age of ten. It was the first sport that truly interested him and he pursued it all the way to black belt. During this part of his grappling journey, he participated in several high-level judo camps as Slovenia is a European judo powerhouse. He admits that he never truly excelled at judo with his best results being 2nd and 3rd place in the National Championship at the junior and cadet levels respectively. 

In 2010 Miha made the difficult decision to quit judo. The reason could be found in the increasingly restrictive rule changes, which made him question how he would do in a fight.

Miha competing in Slovenia in 2012

Miha in his 6th amateur MMA fight, securing the RNC 

MMA and the transition 

From 2015 to 2017 Miha lived in Dublin, Ireland training at East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy where he earned his brown belt under Darragh O’Conaill, as well as a Master’s degree from Dublin City University, but the brown belt meant 10x more. 

By this time opportunities to compete in professional events like Polaris Pro were starting to materialize, as well as the chance to train abroad, specifically in the United States, which were previously out of reach.

Leaving Slovenia in search of tougher training 

One of the reasons why Miha Perhavec decided to pursue jiu-jitsu to the fullest was the fact that he was still in school finishing his Bachelor's in International Relations, which meant he needed and wanted to use his mind to achieve things. That meant that a sport where getting a shin to the head is an accident and not a highlight reel finish was the safer choice.

In 2013, Miha used a European student exchange program to relocate to Warsaw, Poland, for a year, where he got to train with higher-level training partners under the guidance of ADCC World Championship veterans. By this point, competitive training partners in Slovenia were hard to come by. After a brief return to Slovenia and a stint training in Oslo, Norway, it was time to relocate again.

Miha submitting his opponent with a heel hook at Polaris

Miha winning a 500 euro tournament with coach Darragh

The Emerald Isle, followed by the world trip 

From 2015 to 2017 Miha lived in Dublin, Ireland training at East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy where he earned his brown belt under Darragh O’Conaill, as well as a Master’s degree from Dublin City University, but the brown belt meant 10x more. 

By this time opportunities to compete in professional events like Polaris Pro were starting to materialize, as well as the chance to train abroad, specifically in the United States, which were previously out of reach.

Creating Legion American Jiu-Jitsu

Miha's long-time business partner and American jiu-jitsu superstar Keenan Cornelius called on Miha to settle in San Diego and help him launch a disruptive professional academy in the middle of the most jiu-jitsu-saturated city in the Northern Hemisphere. Not shying away from a challenge Miha accepted and in November of 2019 the first class was held.

Nothing bad would happen in the next few months and no one was stressed about having a 10,000sqf social closening facility unable to operate during a global pandemic. 

After the first two tomoltous years the academy experienced rapid growth with the introduction of the 5-Week Beginner Program, which is a departure from how most jiu-jitsu academies approach beginners. 

Keenan awards Miha his black belt