Bret was born and raised in Novato, California, the son of a San Francisco police officer.
As a kid growing up he played Pop Warner Football. In High School
he was encouraged to take up wrestling, and he wrestled his freshman through senior years.
After high school Bret got involved in rodeo bullriding, and participated in
the sport until the age of 26, when a wrist injury forced him to stop.
It was then that Bret started training in jiu-jitsu at the Ralph Gracie academy.
Looking to start his MMA career, in 2002 Bret left Ralph's and started training at the
Cesar Gracie Academy. He got his first MMA fight in August of that same year,
defeating Paul Ano via armbar. Bret has been fighting MMA ever since, competing
in the WEC, Pancrase and Strikeforce organizations, among others. Bret is currently a brown
belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu and fights out of the Cesar Gracie Academy in Pleasant Hill.
He also often trains at Dave Terrell's Nor-Cal
Fighting Alliance in Santa Rosa, Graciefighter Lodi with Nick and Nate Diaz, the El Nino Training Center in San Francisco with Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields and Fairtex in San Francisco.
