Date of Birth
August 25, 1998
Birthplace
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Team / Academy
Trained under Leo Arruda (Arruda BJJ), John Danaher, and Craig Jones; formerly of B-Team (Austin, TX). Became an independent competitor in early 2023. Later trained with Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu until his expulsion in December 2025 (see Current Status below).
Belt
Brown Belt (awarded November 2022 by Craig Jones)
Belt Progression
White to purple belt under Leo Arruda; brown belt awarded by Craig Jones in November 2022, ahead of the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.
Athletic Background
Competed as a child in surfing and skateboarding, and won two silver medals in gymnastics at an Australian national tournament (ages 8–11). Also played Australian Football (AFL). Began training at Arruda BJJ in 2016, initially focused on Muay Thai before transitioning fully to BJJ.
Full Bio
Izaak Michell began training at Arruda BJJ in Adelaide in 2016, initially cross-training in Muay Thai before committing fully to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu around the one-year mark. He progressed from white to purple belt under coach Leo Arruda, whose mentorship and Michell’s athletic background contributed to a fast, movement-based competitive style.
In mid-2019, Michell relocated to New York City to train under John Danaher, joining a training group that included fellow Australian Craig Jones. When Jones and several other students left Danaher’s group to form B-Team, Michell went with them, training out of Austin, Texas. In November 2022, Jones awarded Michell his brown belt shortly before the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, which Michell won that year as a brown belt.
Michell built a reputation as one of the top no-gi competitors of his generation, highlighted by a Match of the Tournament performance at ADCC 2022. He also won the ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials in 2022 and the ADCC Asia Trials in Bangkok in 2025, competing in the 77kg division. In early 2023 he parted ways with B-Team to compete independently.
Achievements
- IBJJF World No-Gi Championship gold medalist (2022, brown belt)
- ADCC 2022 World Championship — Match of the Tournament
- ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials Champion (2022)
- ADCC Asia Trials Champion, Bangkok (2025)
- FloGrappling “Who’s Next” Season 1 Champion
- 2019 GrappleFest 4 Super Fight winner
Current Status (as of most recent reporting, July 2026)
Michell’s competitive standing has been significantly affected by recent off-the-mat developments. In mid-December 2025, he was expelled from Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu and removed from training environments associated with John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, and Craig Jones following public statements from BJJ community figures raising safety concerns. On January 6, 2026, Hays County, Texas authorities named Michell a fugitive and issued an active warrant for his arrest on a second-degree felony charge, after multiple women reportedly filed police complaints; U.S. and Australian authorities were reported to be coordinating on locating him, with his last known location reported in Queensland, Australia. Michell was subsequently stripped of the Subversion Jiu-Jitsu Light Heavyweight Championship. As of the most recent reporting, no charges had been officially confirmed and the matter remained under investigation.