Like father, like son: Meleke Burdine inspired by dad’s martial arts skills

By Lucy Weber

A10-year veteran of Brazilian jiu jitsu, Meleke Burdine plans to continue learning and training in this martial art for a lifetime.

The 15-year-old sophomore at Biggersville High School starting his training at age five. He’s now a green belt which is the last belt in the kids’ranking. At age 16, he will move to blue belt, which is the first belt promotion in the adult ranks.

“Jiu jitsu is ever changing and ever evolving. You can practice your whole life and never learn everything. That’s the reason I feel I’ll be doing it the rest of my life,” Meleke said. “The more days a week you put in, the sharper you will be and the faster you will progress.”

Meleke is inspired in his martial arts career by his father, Johnathan (Jburd) Burdine, a champion fighter, who began his martial arts training at the age of 10.

“I like learning because I enjoy the competition side of the martial arts and I get to compete a lot. My dad is my main coach and his being a longtime martial arts competitor inspired me to do the same,” Meleke said. “We will travel two to three weekends a month sometimes to compete.”

Meleke is sponsored by American Grappling Federation and his father works as a referee at tournaments so the family will compete at close to 20 events in a year. “We’ve traveled to events as close as Memphis and as far as to Tulsa, Oklahoma, Destin, Florida or Houston, Texas.

“Competition allows you to see how you measure up to others your age and rank from other places. I’ve even competed up in age, weight and rank many times,” he said. “Being able to win even when I move up in divisions means everything because I have goals of being a world champion. Jiu jitsu and MMAare my sports of choice.”

His father got involved in jiu jitsu in 2005 after training in other martial arts growing up. He earned a black belt in Taekwondo at 15 and continued in that art form until he was 21. He stepped away from the sport for about four years and got out of shape.

“When I made up my mind to return to training, mixed martial arts fighting had become very popular. I was interested and knew in order to fight in the cage I had to learn jiu jitsu so that I wouldn’t be lost when it came to ground fighting,” he said.

Jburd began training and fighting in jiu jitsu in Tupelo, the closest academy to Corinth.

Today, he operates Paragon Martial Arts Academy, 1411 Highway 72 East in Corinth where his son trains and teaches younger students.

“I think it’s cool to have my dad as my teacher. It gives us something in common and another reason to spend time together. I’ve already been given the opportunity to teach kids classes and I’m learning more by having to explain the techniques to them. It feels good to show them things and watch their progress,” Meleke said.

“Paragon Martial Arts Academy was once just a club full of misfit boys and men who had the want and desire to fight in a cage. As my fight career started growing closer to its end, the school slowly transformed into a martial arts program that was inviting to the enthusiast, hobbyist and competitor alike,” Jburd said. “We mainly focus on the grappling arts at the moment but I see adding kickboxing back into the mix in the future.

“Seeing my son taking an interest and having a passion for it keeps me motivated to keep climbing and growing in it as well. Living the jiu jitsu lifestyle has given me so much in life and I’ve watched it transform every student into better versions of themselves. From self-esteem issues to weight loss, it’s been the answer for many. Not only do we see people grow in confidence and lose weight, they become stronger individuals both mentally and physically.”

Jiu jitsu has other benefits for those who train, Jburd said. “Jiu jitsu sharpens the mind and is often called human chess. The problem-solving strategies and tactics you learn from the art apply so much to other areas of life. On top of all of that it is the most practical form of self-defense given that the biggest percentage of fights end up on the ground. Jiu jitsu is for everyone of any age or physical ability and I’d love to share this healthy lifestyle with everyone I know.”

Meleke cautions that like in any sport you can’t practice every day. “You need days off. Alot of people burn out when they push too hard because it’s mentally and physically challenging.”

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