Australia is known for an ever-changing environment that is responsible for some of the most exotic peoples, cultures, flora, and fauna. It is this adaptability that makes it the perfect home for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And while the martial art is not as established in the country as rugby and other mainstream sports, it is catching on, especially among younger grapplers. Estimates show that there were about 15,000 BJJ practitioners in Australia in 2020. Here is a look at some of the most notable names in the sport and their contributions to BJJ in the country.
Craig Jones
Craig Jones is one of the most popular Australian grapplers. The BJJ black belt is an active competitor and coach who has won silver in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship twice and named champion in the Polaris Pro Grappling thrice. As a purple belt, he won the IBJJF world No-Gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition, making him the first male Australian grappler to win the championship. Jones currently heads the B-Team and trains out of Austin. He was trained by fellow Australian BJJ artist, Lachlan Giles, who promoted him to black belt in 2016.
Lachlan Giles
Speaking of which, Lachlan Giles embodies the spirit of Jiu Jitsu in Australia. Giles is a black belt competitor who has won bronze in the World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. Like his student, Craig Jones, he is also a coach. In 2019, Giles went up against Mahamed Aly in the ADCC World Championship. His performance broke all Australian mobile casinos and betting site predictions when he won several matches against opponents who were up to 20 kgs heavier than him. This earned him the bronze medal and global recognition.
Anton Minenko
Anton Minenko was born in Australia and is the only competitor from the country to ever win a medal at the Abu Dhabi Professional World Championship. Five months after a knee reconstruction, the resilient BJJ artist competed at the Adult Black Belt level in 2019 and took home bronze. The Abu Dhabi World Pro is one of Jiu Jitsu’s most prestigious competitions, usually drawing competitors from across 140 countries. In 2018, he was the highest ranked grappler in Oceania and won the bronze in the 110kg Adult Brown Belt division. Minenko currently trains in Kelvin Grove at Garra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy.
John Will
John Will is one of the earliest BJJ practitioners in Australia. In 1981, he traveled to Jakarta for the first World Silat Championships, where he was named the Best Exponent. He trained under Jean Jacques and Rigan Machado of the Machado family in the 90s where he earned his black belt in 1998. This made him one of the first few foreign nationals to earn a BJJ black belt. After this accomplishment, he was named national director of Australia’s Machado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This is the largest BJJ organization in the region, featuring more than 70 member schools.
Final Thoughts
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Australia is regulated and represented by the Australian Federation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or the AFBJJ. The federation is responsible for ensuring competitions and players within the country meet international standards. And from the performance of these and other BJJ practitioners from Australia, it seems that the AFBJJ is doing its job.
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