Best BJJ Athletes From Australia

BJJ has exploded in popularity all over the world and the land down under has produced some top grapplers. Every time there is a big BJJ event, there are usually some great Aussie grapplers that put on a show.

Here is a list of three of the best BJJ athletes from Australia, who are among the world’s best grapplers. Check out their stories below and click the following link to a Slotozen no deposit bonus. 

Craig Jones 

When you think of the best BJJ athletes from Australia, one of the first names always mentioned is Craig Jones. Craig is a phenomenal grappler, who had an incredible journey to get to the top of the sport.

Originally, Jones wanted to be an MMA fighter and took up No-Gi grappling to learn how to fight. However, once Craig started his grappling trainer, he was hooked and dedicated his life to becoming a pro grappler.

He moved from his home in Adelaide to Melbourne to train under Lachlan Giles at Absolute MMA. This is where Jones began evolving into the top Jiu-Jitsu athlete we know him as today.

Craig first made his splash on the international grappling scene in 2017. He shocked the world by submitting former world champion Leandro Lo and Murilo Santana.

From then on, Jones became a household name. His skills would only grow as he continued beating countless world champs and displaying his incredible leg lock game.

A few years ago, Craig helped form B-Team Jiu Jitsu, which has become one of the world’s top No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu schools. The Aussie grappler helped grow grappling within Australia and is considered one of the world’s best No-Gi athletes.

Lachlan Giles 

Another name that must be mentioned on the short list of the best BJJ athletes from Australia is Lachlan Giles. Lachlan started learning BJJ under former coach John Simon, who gave him his black belt.

Giles then helped form Absolute MMA, which became one of Melbourne’s best martial arts schools. Not only was Lachlan developing into a great grappling athlete, but also a great coach.

His first appearance on the international grappling stage was at EBI 5. At the event, Giles submitted Nathan Orchard and Rani Yaha before losing to Garry Tonon in the finals.

From there, Giles(along with Craig Jones) became one of the world’s best leg lock practitioners. He put his leg lock skills on full display at the 2019 ADCC Championship.

In the open weight bracket, Giles shocked the world by submitting world champs Mahamed Aly and Kaynan Duarte. The roof of the arena exploded in cheers after Giles was able to submit both bigger opponents and secure 3rd place.

These days, Lachlan is more into the role as coach and considered one of the world’s best BJJ coaches.

John Will

We can’t talk about the best BJJ athletes from Australia without mentioning the Australian pioneer John Will. John was one of the original “Dirty Dozen” which were the first 12 non-Brazilian black belts.

Will was given his BJJ black belt by the legendary Rigan Machado. After getting his black belt, John went to work growing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu within the land down under.

He was responsible for teaching various top Australian grapplers from George Sotiropoulos, Elvis Sinosic, and Anthony Perosh.