Filipino actor Gil Cuerva has only been on the Jiu-jitsu mat for two years, but the lessons he’s gained could last a lifetime.
Gil Cuerva barely slept the night before his first-ever Jiu-jitsu competition.
“The night before a competition is the worst,” he tells The GAME, recalling his first experience competing. “Those are the nights when you only have about an hour or two of sleep, because I’m just thinking about the entire competition…
“Of course, it’s a competition. Nobody wants to lose, right? Everybody wants to win.”
Any athlete can attest to this: nervous anticipation can have that effect. You visualize the day ahead of you, the opponents you’ll face, the outcomes you hope to achieve — and before you know it, you’ve been up for hours, going down a rabbit hole of Jiu-jitsu videos on YouTube.
That was the case for the well-known Filipino actor, at least, who had just gotten into Jiu-jitsu in 2023.
But studying the sport and absorbing knowledge — even when done late at night — is one of the things he loves most about it. As a martial art, Jiu-jitsu may have a rap for being entirely physical, but in reality, Gil explains that it’s more cerebral than one might assume. As a close combat sport, this martial art focuses on using technical movements, such as locks or chokeholds, to force your opponent into submission.
“It became kind of like human chess for me,” he says. “More than just the physical aspect of it, it’s a lot of thinking as well in jujitsu. Understanding positions and concepts. Those were the things that drew me into Jiu-jitsu.”
Jiu-jitsu isn’t the flashiest martial art out there, but it is arguably one of the most equitable. In fact, in this sport, it’s entirely possible for a practitioner to defeat a heavier opponent; power comes from technique rather than brute strength.
This is why Gil was up all night on the eve of his first competition. Despite standing at five-eleven and having a strong build, he knows that when he steps onto the mat, there is nowhere to hide.
As he emphasizes, “Men lie, women lie. But mats don’t lie.”
Taking a leap of faith
Gil Cuerva has always had a keen interest in martial arts. He is a big fan of MMA and the UFC, and has always wanted to try a combat sport like Jiu-jitsu, but it was always something he put on the back burner. So when the GMA Artist Center, his talent agency, offered him the opportunity to take on a three-day Jiu-jitsu workshop, he jumped at the chance.
Gil first entered the showbiz industry in 2017 when he made his acting debut in the Philippine adaptation of My Love from the Star, which ultimately became his breakout role. Since then, he has also appeared in notable TV series such as Super Ma’am, Beautiful Justice, Love You Stranger, and Underage.
The three-day workshop was meant to provide actors like Gil with a basic knowledge of martial arts and self-defense, which could come in handy for shows or projects. But this opportunity would turn out to be much more for the TV personality.
“It kind of inspired me because before that, it was always, ‘Hey, one day, I want to learn Jiu-jitsu.’ So when is ‘one day?’”
A switch had been flicked, and Gil was reminded of something he learned from another famous actor. “I got this from [Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson]: It could always be ‘one day I want to try something new,’ to ‘day one of trying something new.’”
Motivated by this mindset, Gil contacted one of his friends, Luis Hontiveros, who also happened to be a Jiu-jitsu practitioner and was a blue belt at the time, and he led Gil to his first-ever trial class — his day one.
Surprisingly, though, even as a seasoned model and actor, Gil felt quite shy in his first class. He explains that in a beginner class, everyone is welcoming and wants you to have a good experience — but you are also thrown into the fire. Coaches quickly introduce some intense moves, such as an armbar, where you hyperextend an opponent’s elbow by trapping their arms in between your legs. After all, as a close combat sport, you learn by doing.
A naturally inquisitive individual, Gil allowed his curiosity to take the lead, and he opened his mind to the mat.
“I’m all about trying things and experiencing new things,” he shares. “Because of that curiosity, it kind of motivated me to want to show up the following training session where my friend, Luis, he wasn’t there…
“Sometimes, you’ll never know until you try, until you take that leap of faith. I wouldn’t know Jiu-jitsu would be a sport that I’d be drawn into if I didn’t try, if I didn’t show up the next training session even without a friend.”
Gil continued showing up after those first two sessions, and as he continued to do so, his interest only grew, until it developed into a full-blown passion. Now, he wishes he had found Jiu-jitsu earlier.
“That’s something I wish maybe when I was earlier and younger, I could have had because it probably could have helped me be more disciplined, especially with everything in life, even outside the mats. The things you learn here on the Jiu-jitsu mats, they carry on as well outside of Jiu-jitsu.
“I started at 28, but they always say it’s never too late to start.”
Earning one’s belt
As a full-time actor and model, Gil Cuerva’s workload and work schedules are often unpredictable. There are days when he might be taping for up to 18 hours a day, there are days when he finishes work at four in the morning, and there are some days when he has more free time.
So for him, a ‘Jiu-jitsu hobbyist’ as he calls himself, the rule he sets is simple: “I just make sure that if I’m free, I show up.”
On average, Gil gets to show up to the mat around two to three times a week, which he says is “the typical range for a hobbyist, for somebody who trains the sport as an enthusiast.” Comparatively, Jiu-jitsu practitioners who train professionally might show up twice a day.
But one of the reasons why Jiu-jitsu is one of the fastest-growing martial arts in the Philippines is because of its inclusivity. Whether you’re doing this as a hobby, like Gil, or as a profession, you are welcome to the mat.
“We meet people from all walks of life. Not everybody who trains is [a professional athlete], right? So, we have people who are doctors, lawyers. We have teammates who are engineers, people who are businessmen, who work in corporate. So, that’s the great thing about Jiu-Jitsu. It’s almost kind of like a family…It’s welcoming to all.”
For Gil, as well as many of his other teammates who also work full-time jobs, Jiu-jitsu is something that helps take the edge off. It’s a getaway from their busy lives.
“Here, nobody really cares about what show I’m doing or what my next project is,” he says. “Here, people are more concerned about my actual skill, if I’m getting better or not…So when things aren’t going so well, I show up on the mats and kind of empty my mind by just focusing on being here.”
This is reflective of the martial art’s nature. Jiu-jitsu is not one of those sports you can do mindlessly; it demands an intense focus because every roll — a term they use to describe a sparring round — is a constant problem-solving exercise. As Gil says, it’s like human chess. You must read your opponent’s movements in real time and adapt on the fly, all while controlling your own techniques.
“Your skill set will really reflect on the mats,” Gil says. “You can’t cheat your way in Jiu-jitsu because obviously, people are going to see the way you move and the way you play. I think I earned my stripes just like anybody else.
“[Where I train], there was no special treatment given to me…They really threw me into the fire. I take pride in that. I earned it just like everybody else. I earned it by showing up to the mats, by getting beat up, and then wanting to do it again, and then learning just like anybody else. That’s something I take pride in. There was no special treatment here.”
Proving oneself
Competing was never really in the cards for Gil Cuerva — or at least, that’s what he initially thought.
“I really never wanted to compete,” the 29-year-old shares, while admitting that he worried about the nerves and pressure that naturally come with competition. “Of course, it’s a competition. Nobody wants to lose, right? Everybody wants to win.
“Aside from that, when it’s a competition, you also want to make your teammates and coaches proud, right? You want to put on a good performance. You want to win so that you can make your coaches and teammates proud.”
What pushed him to compete? Jiu-jitsu in the Philippines has a growing, yet close-knit community, and Gil feels lucky to be a part of it, with coaches and teammates who support one another. And with some convincing and positive encouragement, he changed his mind.
Gil ultimately signed up for his first-ever Jiu-jitsu competition, just nine months after he started training.
“I joined Jiu-Jitsu through a leap of faith. So, when it came to competing or joining my first competition, it was also a leap of faith. So, again, I’ll go back to saying, you’ll never know if you don’t try.”
He doesn’t sugarcoat it, though. Despite building his confidence and “earning his stripes” in the gym, the nerves still got to him. He barely got any sleep, staying up late the night before his first competition, binge-watching Jiu-jitsu videos on YouTube as extra preparation.
He woke up the next morning and thought to himself, “If I lose, well, no harm, right?”
But Gil didn’t lose. He won all three of his matches in the competition and walked off the mats with a gold medal around his neck. Quite an achievement for someone who didn’t even want to compete in the first place.
Although the GMA star didn’t stop there — he even went on to win gold in another recent tournament, the 2025 Pan Asian Gi & No Gi Jiu Jitsu International Open — he considers this, his first-ever competition, as his proudest moment on the mat.
“It’s my proudest moment because it was the day I decided to conquer that fear. It’s the day I decided to just dive into it, because it’s one thing to just show up on the mats, and it’s another thing to actually test yourself on the competition mats.
“It builds character when you’re able to test yourself and make that sort of leap of faith.”
The pure power of hard work
Gil Cuerva may just be a Jiu-jitsu hobbyist who only gets to train on the weekends or on days off from work — but what he has gained from the sport touches every other facet of his life.
Reflecting on some of the biggest things he’s learned from this journey that started only two years ago, he tells The GAME, “If I’m actually dedicated to something, if I put my mind into it, I can actually achieve things. Sometimes what’s stopping me from achieving something is really myself, right? What is the biggest hindrance or the biggest barrier sometimes is my own personal hesitation to give things a go.
“And what I really learned about myself is if I give myself enough time and enough commitment to studying something or to doing whatever — whether it be Jiu-jitsu or any particular exercise or whether it be acting — if I give myself enough time and commitment to doing it, I can actually achieve something. Like, I can actually reach greater heights. And I know that’s probably a general rule in life, right? But I discovered that actually with Jiu-jitsu, because I started from scratch.”
Gil admits that when he first started Jiu-jitsu at 28, he wasn’t good at it. But what changed boils down to one simple thing: his effort.
“Now that I’m two years down the road, I’m able to look back and see, hey, all right. I’ve reached a certain distance. Obviously, the road is still long, but at least at this point, I’ve realized that really, as cliché as it sounds, nothing beats hard work.”
What’s up next for Gil? Nothing in specific. He proudly shares that he just earned his blue belt recently and is looking forward to challenging himself on this new level, facing bigger challenges — but ultimately, he is taking this journey day by day, roll by roll.
“I’m never chasing a belt,” he says. “I’m chasing a certain set of skills…I want to be able to do them on the mats and apply them, so that’s more what I’m after.”
To get there, Gil knows he can’t beat around the bush. He needs to show up.
“Going back to what I said: men lie, women lie, but mats don’t lie.”
Text ANNIKA CANIZA
Photography LORENZO CORRO assisted by CARLO ESTEBANLAR
Styled by BRYAN LAROZA assisted by SEBASTIAN CASEM
Creative Direction CAS ASEOCHE
Hair and Makeup HANNAH PECHON
Sittings Editor SID VENTURA and ANNIKA CANIZA
Production Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA
Shot on Location AOYAMA DOJO, UP TOWN CENTER
Special Thanks AOYAMA DOJO and MIGUEL ANTONIO S. AGBANLOG