About Us
Vida Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym located in Mandeville, Louisiana. We have a team of the best instructors in the area to ensure our students receive a well-rounded curriculum incorporating different styles and methods unique to each instructor’s background and skill set. We offer adult, children’s, and women only classes. We are supported by and have a close relationship with our local teammates and Inicio Jiu-Jitsu Association affiliates Raposo BJJ in Slidell, LA; Olympic BJJ in Sulphur, LA; and Gulf Coast Jiu-Jitsu in Biloxi, MS. We also regularly run Guns & Gis, our firearms/BJJ 3-day immersion camp experience.
Vida Jiu-Jitsu means jiu-jitsu life in Portuguese. We believe in jiu-jitsu as not just a self defense art, but a way of life. You will build your second family here.
Meet the Team
Eric Alfonso
Lead Professor
Eric has been involved in Martial Arts since the age of 5. He started his journey doing Traditional Shotokan Karate where he competed at the national and international level, winning several national titles. After hurricane Katrina, Eric moved to Lafayette with his family where he continued to build his striking background training in Muay Thai and boxing. He started his Jiu-Jitsu journey in 2011 when he was pursuing his interest in MMA. From there, his interest and passion shifted to Jiu-Jitsu. He trained in Lafayette through 2019, receiving his brown belt a month before moving to Mandeville for his career, where he started training at Vida under Professor Jeremy Umphries. After a year, Eric began regularly coaching classes. In September of 2022, Eric received his black belt from his Professor and close friend Greg Lapin, becoming Vida and Greg's first black belt. he is an active competitor and has competed at the local to international levels, including IBJJF Master Worlds and PanAms. Eric assumed the role as head professor in September 2023 after being presented the opportunity from Professor Greg and his wife Casey. His goal in this role is to not only maintain, but further build on the already sound foundation of Vida and assist Greg and Casey in continually spreading the welcoming atmosphere and Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle they envisioned. Professor Eric is always willing to help where he can and is committed to the non-stop growth of the place so many call home, Vida Jiu-Jitsu.
Erick Raposo
Professor
Professor Erick Raposo is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 3rd degree black belt and a highly respected instructor and athlete in the martial arts community He has been training and teaching for over 20 years and has earned a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and experienced instructors. He has competed in numerous tournaments and has won several championships, including the Brazilian and American Nationals, Pan American Championship, and World Championship. Professor Erick is also a certified black belt and referee under the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. He is passionate about teaching and sharing his knowledge with his students, and his classes are known for their technical precision and attention to detail. He is committed to helping his students reach their full potential in life and Jiu-Jitsu.
Ryan Woods
Professor
Bio coming soon
Chris Holmes
Professor
Bio Coming Soon.
Derrick Breaux
Professor
Professor Derrick Breaux, or “Coach” by is students, is a 3rd Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Black Belt under the legendary Master Carlson Gracie Jr. & Chad Robichaux. Derrick began practicing BJJ in late 2000 and started competing in early 2001. With over 24 years of BJJ & Kickboxing experience, he has competed in BJJ from 2001 to 2025. Achieving over 48 trips to the podium. Through this time, he also competed in Ammy and professional MMA, winning multiple “Fight of The Night” and “Submission of The Night”. Derrick was awarded his BJJ Black Belt August of 2013 by longtime coach and mentor, “Crazy” Tim Credeur. He has been an Academy owner since 2005 and has taught seminars all over the United States, Building amazing Black Belts and Champions throughout these years.
Stephanie Williamson
Professor
Professor Stephanie is a critical care nurse, wife, and mother of 2. She started Jiu-Jitsu in 2016 with professor Raposo for self-defense and as a way to participate in a hobby that the whole family could enjoy. Since starting she found a love for the competition scene. Some accomplishments include 2x Black Belt World Champion NoGi and an outstanding career on the color belts with 4x IBJJF Master World Champion, 4x Pan American Champion, and 8x American National Champion. Stephanie is a Black belt under professor Raposo as his first female black belt. In addition to competing, Stephanie loves watching students grow and progress beyond what they originally thought they could achieve. “Stronger every day-“
Kennedy Franklin
Professor
Kennedy Franklin has been part of the jiu-jitsu community since 2016. She started in Taekwondo and MMA in Lake Charles, Louisiana, while also competing in powerlifting before fully dedicating herself to jiu-jitsu. She earned a B.S. in Sports Medicine and won No-Gi Worlds as a purple belt. To deepen her training, she moved to Baton Rouge and then Slidell, Louisiana, where she received her black belt under Erick Raposo. Beyond competition, Kennedy is passionate about women’s self-defense and empowering survivors of abuse. She also teaches jiu-jitsu to children, including those with special needs, to help them build confidence and strength.
Esteban Mendez
Coach & Resident Trash Talker
Esteban has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for six years and has spent the past four years teaching kids' classes. A dedicated purple belt, he's passionate about helping young students build confidence, discipline, and a love for the art. Known for his lighthearted sense of humor and ability to connect with kids, Esteban brings both skill and positivity to every class. Outside of Jiu-Jitsu, he's an animal lover who believes in creating a fun, supportive environment where everyone can grow.
Ariel Overstreet
Coach
Bio coming soon
Chris Schiff
Coach
Bio coming soon
Noah Ruby
Coach
Noah started his Jiu-Jitsu journey with MMA in his youth under Rich Clementi's Gladiator Academy from 2009-2011. After an extended time away from the sport, he participated in team sports until graduating college and rejoining the Jiu-Jitsu community in 2021 and has been with Vida since. He has extensive competition experience up to purple belt. He received his brown belt in August of 2025. Noah is a Mechanical Engineer and enjoys riding motocross, golfing and spending time with his wife and 2 huskies in his free time.
Jake Foster
Coach
Jake started martial arts by wrestling in high school in 2008 and had a decorated career. He went on to start MMA after high school and competed at a high level for over 6 years. He coached wrestling for an MMA team during his MMA career. He started Jiu-Jitsu at Vida in 2018 and has been with the school ever since, competing in multiple tournaments and earning his brown belt in August of 2025. Jake is married to a wonderful wife and, in his free time, he spends his time with her and the dogs or traveling the country to another motocross race.
Trevor Manuel
Coach
Bio Coming Soon
Greg Lapin
Owner/Professor
Greg has made a living for the past two decades in law enforcement special operations and Government special operations, deploying to war zones throughout the world. He started his Jiu-Jitsu journey in 2005 when he was a New Orleans Police Officer because he understood what violence was and what skills he needed to have to go home at the end of the day. After leaving the police department and going to work for the U.S. Government, Greg trained on and off for several years in between deployments. He was what is known as a 10-year white belt due to not being able to train at a school consistently. During assignment in the United Arab Emirates, Greg began training seriously under Tiago Bravo where he received his blue belt in 2016. He is currently a black belt under Professor Erick Raposo. Jiu-Jitsu has changed Greg’s life and his main goal is to expose as many people to the art as possible.
Casey Lapin
Owner
Casey keeps the Vida ship afloat by running admin and keeping everyone in check. She started Jiu-Jitsu in 2018 and is now a brown belt and multi-time World Master medalist. She’s a graphic designer by trade (check out www.vidajiujitsu.com for lots of fun Jiu-Jitsu inspired goodies) and creates all the fun merch in the gym. She currently lives in Utah and runs the kids and ladies programs at Vida Jiu-Jitsu Utah. If you have any admin questions, please contact Casey at casey@vidabjj.com
