About Max H
Hi there, my name is Max Leali.
I'm a personal trainer and professional fighter, with 7 years of teaching/coaching and 15 years of martial arts training/competing experience.
I was raised in Hong Kong and relocated to Vegas in April 2022. I taught, coached, and cornered Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Juijitsu, MMA, Kickfit and HIIT at Versus Performance gym in Hong Kong from May 2016 through March 2022. This included classes of up to around 30 people, small groups and one-on-one sessions. I hold pads, teach technique, fitness and self defense as I tailor sessions to your personal goals!
A few of my accomplishments include:
NASM CPT
AED/CPR
Certified Brown belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu under Quinton Arendse (GFTeam)
1st person to represent Hong Kong at the All Japan Amateur Shooto (Japanese MMA) tournament, attaining the bronze medal in 2016
1st person to represent Hong Kong for professional Shooto in Japan in 2018
Professional Muay Thai fighter
Professional MMA/Shooto fighter
Nominated for Asia MMA rookie of the year in 2018
Awarded Asia MMA Readers' Choice in 2018
My favorite client story
Back in Hong Kong I had a client that had never done any sort of martial arts or padwork before. She was in her 50’s and had only started exercising a year before I was referred to her. She seemed intimidated by the idea of doing padwork and having looked me up say that I was more on the side of coaching athletes. Within a month we had a perfect flow and she quickly became one of my favourite clients. Before leaving I ended up having to refer her to another trainer that held pads as she decided she couldn’t go back to doing pure fitness.
My favorite exercise
Depends on the clients needs! For clients that want fitness I tend to like doing a “Kickfit” style of training. Padwork drills superset with exercises that are tailored to the client (these can be stability based, endurance, strength etc.) and then finish the session with several rounds of pure pad work.
My favorite quote
Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. - Bruce Lee
My training philosophy
Repetition, technique and muscle memory are the building blocks to the skill based fitness I like to teach.
My training experience
I wasn’t much of an athlete when I was little. The first time I truly got into sport was rugby around 13 years old. My love of tackling lead me to martial arts where I met my mentor around the same age and have been training and competing ever since.
Areas of Expertise
- Boxing
- Kickboxing
- Cardiovascular Conditioning
- Wellness
- Stress Reduction
- Functional Training
NCCA Accredited Certifications
Additional Certifications
CPR/AED, Muay Thai Kickboxing Instructor, MMA Instructor, MMA Fighter, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, Brazilian Jujitsu Brown Belt, Padi Certified Rescue Diver
Who I Especially Like Working With
Actors, Beginners, Brides-to-be, Cancer Survivors, Disabled, Law Enforcement, LGBTQIA, Men, Middle-aged, Military, Models, Overweight/ Obese, Post-rehab, Seniors, Student-athletes, Women, Youth
Medical Conditions Experience
ACL tear, Anxiety, Back Pain/Issues, Hamstring Issues, Neck Pain, Stress
Not only did I have a lot of fun having Max as my trainer, I picked up things very quickly and saw a lot of results just in a matter of months. He has a very detailed approach to coaching which allows you to know exactly what you are doing and why you are doing it!
I have been training with and trained by Max Leali for almost 7 years! His classes where fun but intense, he made sure you had the best work out and that you push your limits in order to improve every time. Highly recommend him!
Max is very resourceful and technical in bjj. He breaks down the complicated techniques into mini steps and make sure you can understand and able to do it! He will also motivate you (just in case you are lazy like me :).
Max is a rare find. He is friendly and informative, his rates are reasonable. He is a wealth of knowledge and each session is a positive and fun experience. It’s also hard work. He is patient and talented and pushes me every session as I work on developing skill, style and technique. 10/10
Max is by far the best trainer I have ever had. Extremely knowledgeable, professional, and all around nice guy. He is patient and excellent at motivating you especially on the days when you don’t have any. Max has not only helped me with my weight loss journey but also improved me as a martial artist too. He’s the best.
Max is a great teacher. He explains concepts and moves very well to us when we first started learning Muay Thai. I always felt accomplished and achieved at the end of every session. He is also very encouraging, positive and is patient too for when we’re getting the hang of it! It’s been wonderful attending his sessions.
Max trained me and 5 other girls mainly in Muay Thai, as well as some self defence techniques that he drew from his varied experience. He is extremely patient, and never failed to create a safe and encouraging environment that was a good combination of fun and challenging. He was good at engaging us as a group, but also pushing us to nurture our individual strengths and weaknesses.
Max is a great coach with excellent knowledge and technique for MMA and muay thai. He’s also got great personality and jokes - never boring to train with!
Max was such a good trainer to us. We were all beginners and he adjusted for that and took into account our differing skill levels. Not only were we able to learn Muay Thai he did it in a fun enjoyable way, we all looked forward to our class every week. Max is also a kind and caring person making the classes that much better. If I had the chance again I would want him to be my trainer again. I am really impressed how much he taught us as a group and I felt like I gained a lot of new skills from his class.
Max is considerate and thoughtful, you can tell that he is actually trying to help you get better and not just showing up to the class and letting you punch things, am very lucky to have him as a coach.
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