By Ian Ewing
Brandon “Jacaré” McGourty has risen quickly in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The 25-year-old won gold in his division at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) world championships last month in Long Beach, CA.
The Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts product who had no previous martial arts experience has only been doing BJJ for three years. A long-time fan of the UFC and mixed martial arts, he decided he wanted to pursue the sport and followed his older brother into BJJ.
In fact, McGourty laughs, “I started doing jiu-jitsu, fell in love with it, and MMA went out the window.”
Despite injuring his back only two weeks before the world championship tournament, Jacaré (who earned his nickname because of a resemblance to another BJJ practitioner, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza) was able to fight his five matches, including the championship bout.
He defeated Michael Colfax of Phoenix-based Megaton BJJ Academy in the final to win the Men’s White Belt Middleweight division.
McGourty hopes to continue his BJJ career by repeating as world champion in every belt. It’s a goal that requires total dedication.
“I work at OAMA, I train, and I compete. Outside of jiu-jitsu, I sleep,” Jacaré avows. “There’s no time to go out and party and drink. It’s just holding me back from my goals.”