Alvin Aguilar began training martial arts as a child and started Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in 1993 at the Gracie Academy in Los Angeles, where he was awarded his blue belt by Royce Gracie in 1995 and became the first Gracie Training Association representative in Asia. Returning home, he founded DEFTAC Philippines in 1996 as the country's first dedicated BJJ/MMA team, and in 2002 co-founded the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), the first and largest MMA organization in the Philippines and Asia. He was promoted to black belt by Kazeka Muniz in 2006, to 1st degree by Royler Gracie in 2010, and now trains under Saulo Ribeiro. His academy produced the country's first generation of Filipino BJJ world champions, including Maybelline Masuda.