Erik Paulson

Erik Paulson, born in 1966, is an American mixed martial artist and coach who became the first American to win the World Light Heavyweight Shooto Championship in Japan. He started in judo at eight, later studied taekwondo, boxing, wrestling and jujutsu, and in California learned under Dan Inosanto, Gene LeBell and Benny Urquidez. He began Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1988, trained in Shoot Wrestling and catch wrestling, and had his first Shooto fight in 1993. He retired from fighting soon afterward to teach, returning in 2007 to win by armbar against Jeff Ford. He founded Combat Submission Wrestling and runs the CSW Training Center in Fullerton, California, where he has trained many MMA fighters.