Coached Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz & Gilbert Melendez
During the Skrap Pack era — the fighters who put the East Bay on the global fight map. Dan Black was there, coaching in the corner.
Dan Black has spent 20 years in the fight game — not behind a desk, but on the mats, in the ring, and in the corner. He's coached Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and Gilbert Melendez. He built Xavier Vigney from amateur to #3 ranked in Glory Kickboxing and Matt Baker from amateur to #5. He trains regularly with the Skrap Pack at El Niño Training Center in San Francisco. At 48 years old, he flew to Phuket and fought a Thai fighter with over 500 bouts.
That's not a résumé — that's a life in martial arts.
Team Black MMA isn't just a gym. It's a fight team with a global footprint — Pittsburg, San Francisco, and Phuket, Thailand. Whether you're chasing a world ranking or fighting the most important battle of your life against metabolic disease, Dan Black coaches with the same intensity and technical precision that produced professional fighters.
No contracts. No ego. Just real training that changes people.
BJJ Black BeltMuay ThaiMMA20+ Years CoachingThailand CertifiedActive Competitor
Career Timeline
Built Over 20 Years.
Xavier Vigney — Amateur to #3 Glory Kickboxing
Built from his first amateur bout to a world-ranked professional competing at the top of Glory Kickboxing. Dan coached every step.
Matt Baker — Amateur to #5 Glory Kickboxing
Second world-ranked fighter produced through the same technical system. Both Vigney and Baker are a direct result of Dan Black's coaching methodology.
Skrap Pack Training Partnership — El Niño Training Center, SF
Active ongoing training partnership with the Skrap Pack in San Francisco. The technical standard and competition intensity of that room comes back to Pittsburg every session.
2024
Phuket, Thailand — Fought at Age 48
Flew to Thailand and stepped into the ring against a professional Thai fighter with over 500 career bouts. That's not a coach who talks about fighting — that's a coach who fights.
Present — Active Coach & Active Competitor
Head coach at Team Black MMA in Pittsburg. Ongoing partnership with Lions MMA Club in Phuket. Still training. Still competing. Still on the mats.
0+
Years Coaching
#3 + #5
Glory-ranked fighters produced
0+
Opponent's career bouts — Phuket 2024
0
Ego allowed on the mats
SF Training Connection
We Train Where The Pros Train.
Team Black trains regularly at El Niño Training Center in San Francisco with the Skrap Pack — one of the most respected fight teams in Northern California. Coach Dan Black has trained alongside Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and Gilbert Melendez. That access, that level of competition, and that technical standard comes back to Pittsburg every time he steps on our mats.
Location
El Niño Training Center, SF
Team
Skrap Pack
Connection
Active — ongoing
Ready to Train With Dan?
First session is on us. No contract, no pressure. Just come train and see if Team Black is the right fit.