Ben Royle
Ben Royle turned a Phuket teaching opportunity into a lasting coaching career, alongside MMA competition and Phuket Grappling Academy.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Sherdog, Ben Royle MMA fighter84611(opens in a new tab)
He was born on January 6, 1995.
Where in the source: Explicit profile birth date.
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His subsequent MMA record includes a first-round rear-naked-choke win over Jeong Won Wi at Top Brights in January 2024.
Where in the source: Top Brights1 row.
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He lost by second-round TKO to Akbarjon Islomboev at UAE Warriors 55 in October 2024.
Where in the source: UAE Warriors55 row.
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ONE Championship, Ben Royle official athlete biography and results(opens in a new tab)
Purev Otgonjargal knocked him out in the first round of his 2021 ONE return.
Where in the source: Otgonjargal result row.
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Ben Royle is British.
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He won his ONE debut against Quitin Thomas by third-round TKO in 2020.
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ONE currently labels him a former athlete of the promotion.
Where in the source: About status.
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Jay Furness, own Ben Royle life interview, ONE Championship, August19,2021(opens in a new tab)
He grew up in Gorton, Manchester, initially following Manchester City and playing football.
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Friends took him to Hyde MMA despite his initial reluctance to hit or be hit.
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His enthusiasm for grappling led him to Factory BJJ and a period concentrating on jiu-jitsu.
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At nineteen he returned to MMA with ASW Manchester, but struggled to train consistently.
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After injury and a break from regular training, he travelled to Thailand in May 2016 seeking change.
Where in the source: Thailand decision.
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A training scholarship encouraged him to return that September, selling possessions to fund his flights.
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Free training did not cover living costs; at times he stayed on friends’ couches as money ran out.
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An offer to teach BJJ gave him income and the chance to remain in Phuket.
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He recalled the debut win bonus as crucial during the pandemic’s collapse in martial-arts tourism.
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By 2021 he described fighting chiefly as a love of martial arts and testing his development.
Where in the source: Closing motivation.
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HeadStart International School, Ben Royle own introduction, November27,2020(opens in a new tab)
Before full-time martial arts he completed a Social Care degree and worked in learning-disability services alongside study and training.
Where in the source: Own introduction opening.
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He began MMA and BJJ at fifteen and started coaching a few years later.
Where in the source: Own introduction opening.
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In Phuket he first led a children’s programme, later adding adult coaching.
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He described watching students develop as athletes and people as a rewarding way to give back.
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In November 2020 HeadStart introduced him as its new BJJ after-school coach for the coming terms.
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Phuket Grappling Academy, own About / Our Story / classes(opens in a new tab)
Phuket Grappling Academy began in 2021 as a private space for children’s classes and friends during pandemic restrictions.
Where in the source: Our Story opening.
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Growing demand turned that small project into a full-time gym intended to make training affordable for island residents.
Where in the source: Our Story opening.
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The academy cites the Daisy Fresh series as an influence on its original small blue-room training environment.
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It reports winning the team trophy at the first ADCC Thailand event in late 2022.
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Its history dates the move out of the original 60-square-metre room to January 2023.
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The school offers adult no-gi grappling and wrestling alongside children’s gi, no-gi and wrestling classes.
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Its introductory course uses twelve semi-private lessons to prepare beginners for regular group classes.
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Phuket Grappling Academy, own teaching channel on MatSpace(opens in a new tab)
He is head coach at Phuket Grappling Academy.
Where in the source: Public Example class content.
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Phuket Grappling Academy, publicly listed MatSpace class curriculum(opens in a new tab)
His public lesson listings connect front-headlock attacks with escapes, guillotine defence and D’Arce finishes.
Where in the source: September17–19 listings.
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Other listed lessons develop single-leg-X balance and entries, K-guard attacks and defence, and passing positions.
Where in the source: September1–12 and August listings.
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Bear Frazer, ONE Friday Fights40 official results, November10,2023(opens in a new tab)
He returned to ONE in November 2023 and beat Ivan Parshikov by unanimous decision at Friday Fights 40.
Where in the source: Bantamweight MMA result.
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He is a BJJ black belt.
Where in the source: Opening British BJJ black belt identification.
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Lineage
No teaching connections are shown on this page.
Open lineage