Riverina Martial Arts (RMA) put on a dominant display at the Sydney Cup BJJ tournament on March 4 with a self-described garage-trained brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter leading the way for the Griffith group.
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Dean Gorman snared two gold medals at the tournament.
The white belt first took out his 68-kilogram class before stepping up into the open weight class.
And to think, the journey started in a shed back in England.
“I've been doing it [BJJ] on and off for a long time,” Gorman said.
“I started in a garage in England with two of my friends watching it on YouTube.
“I've competed in a lot of judo but I only started competing in jiu jitsu when I came to Australia.
“I think I’ve had four tournaments in jiu jitsu since I've been here but this was the best result I’ve had.”
Gorman was confident heading in despite a slight hiccup.
“I was a bit heavy so I couldn't eat for 24 hours before I stepped on,” he said.
“But I felt good, I was fit, I’d trained hard, I just went out there and did the business.”
After not eating for such a lengthy time, Gorman made sure to make up for the lack of food.
“Once I [finished the tournament], I ate like a pig,” Gorman said.
“Three pies, six donuts, [I was eating] whatever I could.
“We had the six hour drive home from Sydney that night and I said 'stop anywhere you can and I'll eat everything’.”
Gorman wasn’t the only winner from RMA.
James Rossetto also took out a gold medal while Matthew Heffer was next best with a silver and a bronze.
Rounding out the podium finishes were Aiden Rossetto, Taine Moraschi, Elizabeth Heffer and Steven Zambon who all claimed a silver medal each.
It was Taine’s first tournament – for Matthew it was just his second – and the pair were feeling the nerves beforehand.
“That was my first one [tournament] and I was pretty nervous driving over,” Taine said.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Matthew added.
“I’ve been to one before and that was good. I lost but I still enjoyed it.
“I really wanted to win this time and I went out there and [went close].”
While all the members got into BJJ via different routes, they all seem to keep coming back for the same reason.
“It’s the actual dojo, we’re a big family here. I’m a personal trainer myself and, I have felt, you just don’t get that at any other gym,” Elizabeth said.
