BELT: Black

PROMOTED: 2021 under Octavio Couto and Rafael Lang at Octagon MMA.

BIO: Thomas Castro brings a rare combination of high-level grappling and decades of real-world conflict management to Blythewood Jiu Jitsu.

His approach to Jiu-Jitsu is grounded in 27 years with the Dallas Police Department, where he rose to Deputy Chief. Before retiring in 2024, he served as Commander of the Criminal Investigations Bureau, overseeing the department's most sensitive units, including Homicide and the Special Victims Unit.

That background—running major violent-crime investigations while training at a top MMA academy—shapes how he teaches. Thomas focuses on practical, efficiency-based Jiu-Jitsu that works for every body type and experience level, with a particular passion for empowering the community through Women's Self-Defense seminars.

Off the mats, he's a devoted husband, father, and proud grandfather of three.