I’m Brian, the founder and editor of GrapplerHQ. Based in Vancouver, Canada and originally from Ireland, I’m a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt. I earned my early belts under Marcus Soares and now train under Rafa de la Porta at GFTeam Canada. I’ve been training for around eleven years and still consider myself a lifelong student of the art.

I started GrapplerHQ to contribute to the BJJ community — a place to share news, tips, techniques and conversation. It caters to the novice and hobbyist grappler (a category I put myself in): there are no topics too basic and no stupid questions.

Away from the mats, I’ve spent 15+ years in digital marketing and SEO, including in-house work at Best Buy and Aritzia. That’s why GrapplerHQ is built the way it is: researched, plainly written, and sourced — including original data studies like 8,591 UFC fights and BJJ in the UFC.

• Rank: BJJ brown belt (GFTeam Canada)
• Instructors: Rafa de la Porta (current); Marcus Soares (white–purple)
• Training: ~11 years
• Professional: 15+ years in SEO & digital marketing
• Elsewhere: boconnor.me · LinkedIn · X