Coach Tim Dawson is an enthusiastic competitor who teaches structured, high-intensity classes to students interested in improving their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). His high-energy coaching arms students with a powerful and fluid style that melds both offensive and defensive techniques for sport BJJ. A lifelong competitor, Coach Tim has decades of experience preparing himself and his athletes by focusing intently on technical development in addition to building the strength, speed, flexibility, and mental toughness needed for success in high level competition. Coach Tim is an IBJJF certified 2nd Degree Black Belt in BJJ under the late Dave “The Rock” Jacobs, an east-coast BJJ legend, and has competed frequently and successfully since 2010. Coach Tim is also a strong believer in wrestling as a powerful tool to attain positional dominance in sport BJJ and his classes always include wrestling to ensure High Noon students are able to fight effectively from any position.
Abbreviated Credentials
2x IBJJF World Master Champion
2x IBJJF Nogi Pan Medalist
2x IBJJF World Nogi Medalist
5x IBJJF NY Open Champion
2x IBJJF DC Open Champion
F2W Pro Winner
WKA Amateur MMA National Champion (2014)
Maia Matalon
Black Belt – Kids Program Director
Maia Matalon
With a background in high school wrestling, Coach Maia started training BJJ in California in 2009. In 2013 Maia moved to train under Ryan and Jen Hall at Fifty/50 Martial Arts, earning her black belt in 2017. An avid competitor at the colored belts, Coach Maia ran into a series of injuries that benched her from the competition mats and became an opportunity to grow as a BJJ coach. Coach Maia enjoys teaching all levels of BJJ, but you’ll find her most often teaching the High Noon Kids; her passion has always been encouraging the smallest grapplers to learn confidence and resilience through BJJ.
Competition Highlights:
Black Belt
IBJJF Virginia Open Absolute Champion (7/21/24)
Brown Belt IBJJF World Absolute 3rd Place (5/30/15) IBJJF World Heavyweight Champion (5/30/15)
Purple Belt: IBJJF No-Gi World Heavyweight Champion (10/4/14) IBJJF No-Gi Pan American Absolute Champion (9/27/14) IBJJF Pan American Championship Absolute Champion (3/14/14) IBJJF Pan American Championship Heavyweight Champion (3/14/14)
Blue Belt IBJJF World Championship Heavyweight Champion 2010 IBJJF World Championship Absolute Champion 2010
Coach Leah
Black Belt – Senior Instructor
Coach Leah
Coach Leah has been training BJJ in the DC area since 2010, earning her purple and brown belts from David “The Rock” Jacobs. In October 2020, Leah received her black belt from High Noon’s head coaches, Tim Dawson and Matt Miller. During that time frame, she has competed at all of the colored belt levels, medaling at multiple tournaments, including IBJJF Masters Worlds, IBJJF DC Open, IBJJF New York Open, and many local U.S. Grappling tournaments. Leah especially enjoys teaching and coaching newer grapplers, helping them to learn how to train and aiding them in starting their own competitive journeys.
Tyler Murphy
Black Belt – Senior Instructor
Tyler Murphy
Our resident leg locker, Coach Tyler began training in December of 2013 after dropping into a class at Kaizen MMA. He received his purple belt from Coach Kyle Dalton in 2017, who shortly after retired from coaching due to injury concerns. As he searched for a new gym to call home, Coach Tim reached out about the opening of High Noon and he has been here ever since. In 2023, he received his black belt from Coaches Tim and Matt in recognition of his toughness, skill, dedication, and hard work, and currently teaches a submission grappling class focused on leg locks on Monday nights.
An avid competitor, Coach Tyler can frequently be seen competing in local events and super fights, and has racked up multiple medals over his years of competition. He is constantly working to refine his game and evolve the use of leg locks in the sport, and can be found at the gym training with his peers almost daily.
Graham Smith
Black Belt – Instructor
Graham Smith
Coach Graham started training in January 2014, spending four years training under the late David “The Rock” Jacobs, a BJJ legend on the east coast. After The Rock passed in 2018, Graham continued under his lineage with Coaches Tim and Matt – both David Jacobs black belts – at High Noon BJJ.
He earned his brown belt in April 2021, followed by his black belt in 2023, and focuses on improving in all facets of grappling while assisting with the development of the High Noon team. Coach Graham has also competed in many local and IBJJF tournaments, most notably the IBJJF DC and Atlanta Opens.
Caleb Knepley
Brown Belt – Instructor
Caleb Knepley
Caleb is a dedicated martial artist with a passion for training and coaching. He embarked on his martial arts journey in 2016, initially as an MMA fighter, where he honed his skills and gained invaluable experience in the cage. In January 2022, Caleb earned his brown belt. With a deep understanding of various disciplines and a keen desire to help others succeed, Caleb is now sharing his knowledge and experience as a coach to empower aspiring martial artists on their own journeys.
In addition to his BJJ and MMA knowledge, Coach Caleb is also a credentialed strength and conditioning coach and regularly provides high level services to his clients. If you’re interested in having Coach Caleb help you improve your mobility, strength, and overall cardio and conditioning, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Nate Marsh
Brown Belt – Head Wrestling Instructor
Nate Marsh
Coach Nate is a former college wrestler, brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and currently coaches wrestling at Fairfax High School. Nate is a dedicated BJJ student and an excellent wrestling instructor for the High Noon community. You can find Coach Nate on the mats assisting Coach Tim with wrestling instruction during our Tuesday/Thursday no gi classes, at Saturday open mat, and teaching his fantastic wrestling class on Sunday mornings.
Brandon Ramos
Blue Belt – Wrestling Instructor
Brandon Ramos
Coach Brandon began his wrestling journey at just seven years old in Chicago, Illinois. As captain of Lockport Township High School’s nationally ranked state championship team, he dominated in freestyle, folkstyle, and Greco-Roman, competing at elite tournaments nationwide.
His accolades include:
2x Preseason Nationals Placewinner
4x State Qualifier
Round of 12 at Freestyle Nationals
After high school, he continued his career as a Division 1 wrestler at Old Dominion University until the program’s discontinuation in 2020. Now, Brandon channels his wrestling expertise into no-gi jiu-jitsu, regularly competing in ADCC and IBJJF tournaments across the country. His relentless competitive drive fuels his passion for coaching the next generation of grapplers and wrestlers.
Christian Bergara
Brown Belt – Instructor
Christian Bergara
Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, Christian has been honing his craft in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2014. His dedication to the art led him to join High Noon in 2022, where he continued to refine his skills and, in 2023, earned his Brown Belt under the guidance of Tim and Matt.
A true globetrotter, Christian embraces travel as an opportunity to train with diverse practitioners across the world, expanding his knowledge and sharpening his techniques. His competitive spirit has earned him podium finishes in multiple IBJJF Opens as well as numerous local tournaments.
Beyond competition, Christian is passionate about teaching. He thrives on breaking down fundamental concepts to express advanced techniques, making Jiu-Jitsu accessible and intuitive for students of all levels.
