Gokor Chivichyan

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Gokor Chivichyan (born 1963 in Yerevan, Armenia) is an Armenian-American Judo, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts instructor. Gokor currently trains professional and amateur fighters at the Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood, CA.

Gokor began his training as a young child in Soviet Armenia, winning many national and international junior titles in Judo, Sambo, and wrestling. At the age of 17, Gokor relocated to Los Angeles, where he began his training in no-gi submission grappling under Gene LeBell ^[1]. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Gokor actively participated in NHB/MMA, sport Judo, and Sambo grappling competitions in Europe, Japan, the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With the opening of the Hayastan Academy in 1991, Gokor retired from professional fighting, undefeated, and focused his time on teaching.

In 1997, Gokor came out of retirement to win a superfight organized by the World Fighting Federation. In 1998, he was named by Black Belt Magazine “Judo Instructor of the Year” and received the prestigious “Hall of Fame” spot. Since then he has produced in his school a new generation of fighters, such as Manvel Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan, who have competed in the arena of the UFC, King of the Cage, Olympic and all National Judo Championships.