Meet
the Coaches

Casey Halstead is a professional Mixed Martial Arts trainer with over eight years of coaching experience. Originally a mixed martial artist with a boxing foundation, Casey took his Eddie Bravo Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, striking, and wrestling skills onto the teaching platform. He is the owner and head coach of 10th Planet Las Vegas, 10th Planet Costa Mesa, 10th Planet Buena Park, and 10th Planet Orange, while still training under 7th Degree Red and Black Belt Jean Jacques Machado and 10th Planet's founder Eddie Bravo.

In addition to the series of four 10th Planets, he was the head Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Mark Munoz's Reign Training Center. Casey actively works with some of the most experienced and well-respected MMA fighters in the world. He is seen coaching and working alongside Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Winner Tony Ferguson, UFC veteran Mark Munoz, Cain Carrizosa, Diego Rivas, Ashlee Evans-Smith, Carla Esparza, and Anthony Birchak.

Casey was also a guest instructor on The Ultimate Fighter Latin America for Team Werdum, the interim UFC heavyweight champion of the world, and again for Team Gastelum, the #10 ranked welterweight UFC fighter. Along with his close affiliation with the UFC, Bellator, and several other organizations, Casey is the co-founder of the popular jiu-jitsu clothing brand "Newaza Apparel," a unique, creative line of colorful attire seen all around the world.

Casey is also the Event Coordinator and Match Maker for Eddie Bravo Invitational, where he works closely with Eddie Bravo and Victor Davila alongside some of the greatest talent in jiu-jitsu. Casey Halstead takes pride in developing homegrown MMA talents from day one, working closely with everyone from students with no martial arts experience to athletes at the peak of their careers. His reputation for pushing the limits has brought fighters from all around the globe to train under him for their fight camps. He lives a life devoted to inspiring athletes to pursue healthy mental and physical lifestyles and reach their highest personal and professional potential.

Andy Varela was introduced to the world of mixed martial arts through wrestling in his sophomore year of high school. Quickly finding his way around the mats, he accomplished major goals such as winning second place at state in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. This early success fueled his desire to pursue a career in MMA.

At age 19, his father — also a professional fighter — invited him to train jiu-jitsu at 10th Planet El Paso, where he would train MMA and study the art under master Victor Davila (Eddie Bravo black belt) alongside his father. Andy took his first amateur fight after just three months of training. Winning that fight, along with winning Gracie Nationals as a white belt in California, he was hooked. Andy competed year-round in both jiu-jitsu and MMA, winning the Amateur World Title at KOTC at 155 lbs. He also won Ultimate Mat Warriors, Gracie Nationals, NAGA, and multiple super fights across the country. He compiled a 7-0 amateur MMA record with 5 first-round submissions and a 100% finish rate — all while still a purple belt in jiu-jitsu.

In 2018, Andy received his brown belt and decided to fully commit to his professional MMA career. A brief visit to the 10th Planet Las Vegas team convinced him to relocate to Las Vegas to pursue his lifelong dream. His pursuit of excellence led him to be signed with one of the most respected fighting agencies, Iridium Sports. He is now 10-2 as a professional, competing in high-level organizations such as LFA.

On his way to becoming one of the best in the UFC, Andy Varela gives back to the community by running the youth jiu-jitsu program and teaching fundamentals classes at 10th Planet Las Vegas. He has helped transform the team into technical artists on the mat.