ZOE MARQUEZ

ZOE MARQUEZ

Athlete Profile:

How I Got Started:

I started training jiu-jitsu March 23, 2021, but my path to the mat began long before that. Growing up, I played soccer, baseball, and did kickboxing. I loved sports, but something always felt like it was missing. I enjoyed the movement and competition, but team sports didn’t quite fit who I was. I’ve always been independent, and I wanted something that reflected that. For years, I watched women compete against in MMA. Seeing their strength, control, and confidence lit something in me. I didn’t just admire them, I wanted to be like them. That’s when jiu-jitsu started calling my name.

When my family moved from West Covina to Menifee during the COVID epidemic, life felt uncertain, but one thing became clear I was ready to try something new. That’s when I found Carlson Gracie Temecula. I still remember my first class: it was tough, humbling, and completely addicting. From that day on, I knew jiu-jitsu was what I had been looking for. Jiu-jitsu taught me how to rely on myself, to push through discomfort, and to find strength I didn’t know I had. Unlike other sports I tried, this wasn’t about depending on a team, it was about holding myself accountable and growing every day.

Since then, jiu-jitsu has become my life. I’ve never looked back. The mats are where I’ve built confidence, found purpose, and discovered who I am. This isn’t just a sport for me, it’s a lifestyle, and I’m just getting started.

Training Journey

I still remember the first time I stepped onto the mats at Carlson Gracie Team in Temecula. I was 11 years old, nervous, quiet, unsure if I even belonged there. My heart raced just walking through the doors. I had played sports before, soccer, baseball, even kickboxing, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience. Jiu-jitsu was different. It was raw, personal, and real.

Coach Tom Cronin, calm, focused, and sharp-eyed, welcomed me like I was already part of the family. He was a direct student of Carlson Gracie Jr., and everything about the academy reflected that legacy: discipline, respect, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. I was surrounded by athletes of all ages and levels, and it was intimidating at first. Boys, girls, it didn’t matter who I was up against. I was terrified the first time I was called to spar. Hundreds of eyes could be watching, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle the pressure.

But the mat became my proving ground.

Coach Tom and the entire Carlson Gracie Team pushed me—physically, mentally, emotionally. They didn’t just teach technique; they built me from the ground up. Every grip, every sweep, every submission came with lessons in resilience and trust. They believed in me before I believed in myself.

Within months, I entered my first tournament. I was shaking. But I fought. I lost some, won some, and each match taught me something new. Now, at 15, I’ve competed in dozens of competitions across California and beyond. And I don’t just show up, I show up to win.

Jiu-jitsu has given me a voice, a purpose, and a dream that grows with every match. I no longer fear the mat. I thrive on it. I don’t care if I’m facing a boy or a girl, a white belt or a national champ, when I step on that mat, I know who I am.

My goal now? To be a world champion—every level, every year. I carry the Carlson Gracie Team name and Masuta Kimonos with pride. This is more than a sport to me. It’s my way of life. And I’m just getting started.

Major Accomplishments: 

  • 🥉 JJWL The Worlds 2022
  • 🥉 JJWL California V 2022
  • 🥈 JJWL California VI 2022
  • 🥈 JJWL San Diego XI 2022
  • 🥈 JJWL The Finals 2022
  • 🥉 JJWL California VIII 2023
  • 🏆 JJWL The Worlds 2024
  • 🥈 JJWL Pan Americans 2024
  • 🏆 JJWL The Finals SoCal 2024
  • 🥈 JJWL California X 2025
  • 🏆 JJWL California X 2025
  • 🥈 IBJJF American Nationals 2023
  • 🥉 IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con Kids 2023
  • 🏆 IBJJF Orange County 2023
  • 🥈 IBJJF Los Angeles 2024
  • 🏆 IBJJF Orange County 2024
  • 🥈 IBJJF American Nationals 2024
  • 🥉 IBJJF Pan Kids 2024
  • 🏆 IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con Kids 2024
  • 🏆 IBJJF Orange County 2025
  • 🏆 IBJJF Pan Kids Champion 2025

“What’s Next: The Rise of Zoe Jolene Marquez”

The journey is far from over—in fact, it’s only just beginning.

At 15, I’ve already walked onto dozens of competition mats with the Carlson Gracie and Masuta Kimonos banner on my back, but 2025 is the year I make a statement. This is the year I take it to the next level. No more just learning, now, I’m hunting for titles.

Next stop: American Nationals 2025 in Las Vegas, where I’ll face the best of the best and show the world what the Carlson Gracie system built inside me. After that, it’s Pans 2025 in Florida, and you can bet I’ll be chasing gold in both Gi and no-Gi brackets. Then comes the legendary Jiu-Jitsu Con 2025 in Las Vegas—where the lights are bright, the energy’s electric, and every match is a war. I’ll be ready

I’m turning 16 on January 31, 2026, and that means I’m stepping into a new class—Juvenile Division. A new battlefield, a new legacy to build. I’ll be representing Carlson Gracie Team and Masuta Kimonos with even more fire, pushing through every division in the IBJJF Juvenile circuit, collecting points, experience, and podium finishes with every match.

But I’m not stopping there.

2025 will also be my year to dive deeper into No-Gi competition. I’m aiming for the ADCC Juvenile or Adult Division, where explosiveness and strategy meet under the toughest ruleset in the sport. I want to prove I can thrive in any format, against any opponent.

This isn’t just about medals. This is about becoming the kind of athlete and warrior I’ve always imagined. Focused. Technical. Fearless.

The dream is clear: World Champion. Year after year. Gi and No-Gi. Juvenile and beyond. And every time I bow onto the mat, I’ll be carrying the name Zoe Jolene Marquez, proud representative of Carlson Gracie Team and Masuta Kimonos, ready for whatever comes next.

Let’s go. Oss.

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