Instructors

Sabir Bagautdinov

CO-founder, Coach

Sabir began his training at age 10 in Dagestan, Russia at the world famous ‘Five Directions of the World’ boarding school, home of many Wushu-Sanda champions and MMA stars.

After a successful amateur career in Russia, he emigrated to Canada for college and continued to compete in Sanda, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing, while learning jiu-jitsu and MMA. He competed as an amateur MMA fighter, capturing various championship belts.

Sabir received his BJJ Black Belt in 2024 and can be found leading the Kids & Adult classes at our Markham location, as well as giving private lessons to his many clients.

Xi Lau

CO-founder, Coach

Xi began his training at age 6 in Tae Kwon Do. After some time off, he returned to martial arts during University when he began to train and compete in Sanda and Jiu-jitsu. During this time, he completed his degree in Kinesiology and also became a Registered Massage Therapist.

He transitioned to MMA in 2014 and had a successful Amateur career, capturing multiple amateur titles. Xi received his BJJ Black Belt in 2024 after his first professional MMA victory by submission. He is a highly sought after coach and personal trainer.

Jim Tran

CO-founder, manager, Coach

Inspired by the kung fu movies of the early 90’s, Jim began his training at age 13, in Chinese Martial Arts, which later led him to pursue Sanda in the late 2000’s when he wanted to pursue combat sports. After meeting Xi and Sabir, the three of them trained, travelled, and competed together in various martial arts disciplines.

Jim obtained his Masters degree in Architecture, but left the office to follow his passion for martial arts, opening what is now known as Trillium MMA in 2014. Jim is the creative mind behind the Trillium brand, managing operations, while leading the Kids, Youth, and Novice programs at the Scarborough location. He obtained his BJJ Black Belt in 2024.

James Cockburn

jiu-jitsu and mma coach

James began his martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do as a young teenager. As a big fan of MMA, he began to branch off into other combat sports including Muay Thai and Wrestling, but with a primary focus on No-gi Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and earned his black belt in 2019 from Professor Marco Costa.

James joined our team in 2020 and has become our main MMA and Grappling coach at the Scarborough location. He has dedicated his life to the study of MMA, jiu-jitsu, and coaching. The many successes of our MMA and jiu-jitsu athletes are a testament to his depth of knowledge and technical expertise, as well as the efficiency of our training methodology.

Milkias Kidane

jiu-jitsu coach

Milkias’ martial arts journey began early, at age nine, with Goju Ryu Karate Do. After seventeen years of committed training and instruction, Milkias achieved the rank of 2nd Degree Black Belt in Karate.

Looking to expand his knowledge, Milkias transitioned to BJJ training under the guidance of Professor Marco Costa in 2011 where he became an active competitor and instructor. This dedication to the art resulted in him earning his Black Belt in BJJ in 2018.

Milkias also holds a Level 1 NCCP certification. He now uses his unique background to provide effective instruction that helps students achieve positive learning outcomes and goals. He leads the jiu-jitsu program at our Markham location.

Kasra Golrokh

Muay Thai & Kickboxing Coach

Kasra started his training in 2009 at Warrior Muay Thai gym in Toronto. During his time there, he was an active Muay Thai and Kickboxing competitor with international competition experience capturing an amateur title in 2016. He is also a highly regarded coach, cornerman, and pad-man.

With Warrior’s closure during the pandemic lockdowns, we invited Kasra to our coaching staff. He has been a welcome addition to our team, sharing his experience and expertise in the Kickboxing classes at our Scarborough location.

Hongda Lin

Co-Owner, Kids coach

As a long time student of the gym, Hongda joined as a co-owner in 2020. He is a BJJ Blue Belt.

He is responsible for operations in our Markham location, as well as leading some of the kids classes.