Ethan Crelinsten - Canadian BJJ Black Belt Champion

Ethan Crelinsten is a highly skilled Canadian grappler and a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He is also the representative of Montreal’s TriStar Gym and Renzo Gracie Academy.

Ethan Crelinsten was born on 14 May 1994, in Canada. Just like other BJJ athletes, Crelinsten was not involved in jiu-jitsu from his childhood as he started his BJJ journey at the age of 19. Initially, he was not a sporty child but with time, Crelinsten started taking an interest in BJJ and its related techniques. He was greatly influenced by the rising mixed martial arts in Canada.

Ethan Crelinsten first learned the wrestling and striking techniques and then grasped the advanced BJJ techniques by training under Firas Zahabi at TriStar Gym, Montreal. Under the Zahabi, Crelinsten developed a habit of practicing jiu-jitsu regularly. Although in his teenage, Crelinsten was involved in both BJJ and MMA by training under Zahabi, he decided to simply focus on BJJ. Crelinsten spent a productive time at TriStar Gym and secured his all BJJ belts under Zahabi. The learning style at TriStar Gym was more top-game-centric.

Along with Firas Zahabi, Ethan Crelinsten was also trained under another famous grappling instructor, John Danaher at Renzo Gracie Academy in New York. Crelinsten was trained for 5 years under Danaher.

Tom Breese, a renowned BJJ fighter was the main figure in Crelinsten’s life who developed a link between Crelinsten and John Danaher. Breese first introduced Crelinsten to Gordon Ryan, a top BJJ athlete and student of John Danaher. After getting inspired by him, Crelinsten enrolled himself at Renzo Gracie Academy and then became a part of the elite Danaher Death Squad team.

Once Ethan Crelinsten appeared in The Inside Position Podcast and shared a few lines about his learnings under the supervision of John Danaher. Crelinsten said:

At Renzo Gracie Academy, Crelinsten majorly learned the Leg Locks and Guard playing techniques. The intent of teaching at Renzo was to focus more on scoring at top BJJ tournaments.

In July 2021, Danaher announced the Danaher Death Squad termination. This decision was actually due to multiple reasons including personality disputes, conflicting values, and a few more.

In 2022, Ethan Crelinsten announced the development of a "B-Team" in Austin, Texas. Nicky Rodriguez and Craig Jones were also promising parts of the B-team and contributed equally to the flourishing of the team.

Ethan Crelinsten is a true representation of dedication and hard work. He performed exceptionally in the no-gi sports circuit. Ethan Crelinsten holds the most impressive grappling record in BJJ by winning at various tournaments. He secured 1st place at the ADCC West Coast Trials, Jitz King Invitational, and ADCC East Coast Trials. Similarly, Ethan also showcased his phenomenal grappling skills at Onnit Invitational 4, BJJ Fanatics 170lbs GP, and P-Belum Invitational with the 2nd division.

After getting significant learnings from John Danaher and Firas Zahabi, Crelinsten became a highly professional grappler and secured victory in all belt divisions. In November 2020, Crelinsten secured his black belt under John Danaher and marked the BJJ history with his success. Crelinsten’s team fellow, Nicky Ryan also secured the black belt from John on the same day. Danaher gave them a present of hunting knives’s pair for their appreciation. Both Crelinsten and Nicky were so talented that Gordon Ryan also appreciated them by saying, “I finally don’t have to feel so bad”, adding “These guys have transformed over the last few years, from tough kids to legitimate world beaters. ”

In the 2023 ADCC East Coast Trials, Ethan Crelinsten faced Tyler Buechner. The performance of both top grapplers was epic as both attempted the various Choke techniques. However, at the end of the match, Crelinsten turned the tables in a match by applying the Aoki Lock, a surprising and versatile submission technique in grappling. By applying the Aoki Lock technique, Crelinsten was declared the winner.

In 2022, at the Tezos WNO Championship, Ethan Crelinsten competed against Fabricio Andrey. Initially, Andrey had better control over Crelinsten’s body and he also tried to attempt the various BJJ techniques. But the match ended when Crelinsten attempted the Rear Naked Choke technique and secured the victory.

In 2019 Tezos WNO, Ethan Crelinsten, and Dante Leon showcased their grappling skills. Crelinsten attempted various submission techniques but in the last few minutes, Leon won the match by smartly applying the Rear Naked Choke.

WILD Jiu-Jitsu Match! Josh Cisneros vs Ethan Crelinsten | 2022 ADCC World Championships

Beyond The Match: Kade Ruotolo vs. Ethan Crelinsten

F2W 139: Johnny Tama vs Ethan Crelinsten

Ethan Crelinsten vs. Adrian Luna - Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds The Lightweights 2022

Oliver Taza vs Ethan Crelinsten - BJJ Match 2020

Photo Credit: @ethan.crelinsten