Kraken Submission Grappling

19/08/2026

14/08/2026

Promoting Ryan to Blue 💙

Ryan’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. Like a lot of people, he didn’t walk into jiu-jitsu and immediately find everything came naturally to him. The first few years were difficult, and there were plenty of points where it would have been easy to get frustrated or walk away.

But he didn’t.

He kept showing up, kept working, kept learning, and kept chipping away at it.

I have a huge amount of respect for people who are willing to struggle at something for years and still refuse to quit. When progress comes slowly, you don’t get to rely on talent or early success to keep you motivated — you have to rely on discipline, determination and character.

Ryan has shown all three.

He’s worked incredibly hard for this, and the difference between the grappler he was when he started and the one he is now is massive.

Really proud of how far you’ve come mate. Thoroughly deserved. 💙

07/07/2026

18 years ago I started training jiu jitsu as a skinny, pimply kid with no confidence. This week I was awarded my brown belt at Thrive by Rob and Mark.

I knew it was coming, but it still hit me harder than I expected. Watching the rest of the club get promoted first, seeing how happy everyone was, and feeling the energy in the room made it a really special night to be part of.

My blue and purple belt promotions were honestly quite disappointing experiences at the time, so receiving my brown belt from two people I genuinely admire and respect meant a lot. Rob and Mark have created something really special at Thrive, and I feel very lucky to be welcomed into it.

Big thank you to Rob and Mark, and to everyone at Thrive for making it such a positive night.
The belt got darker, but the imposter syndrome remains undefeated.

04/04/2026

Welcome to Ely MMA 2.0!

30/03/2026

Part 6. The high wrist arm in guillotine