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Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
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Bryan Gorman

Bryan Gorman teaches BJJ in Donegal Town, drawing on years with Brian Coyle and repeated training visits to Miami.

Biography

Bryan Gorman grew up in Donegal Town, moving from karate and boxing into grappling. In a 2011 Herculean Sport interview, he dated his mixed martial arts (MMA) start to 2008 and described the appeal of continuous learning. A seminar with wrestler Mohammad Ali in Derry prompted weekly wrestling practice. At a Manchester camp, extended coaching and practice with accomplished athletes helped him develop. Training in Miami the previous summer had shown him the standard he needed to reach. Rilion Gracie Donegal Town's account dates his Miami visit to 2010, after almost a decade learning from Brian Coyle. There, he trained with Rilion Gracie and Romulo Reis Pereira, returning regularly. The academy, established in 2013, identifies him as head coach. Its beginners study basic Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) positions and principles before advancing. Mixed-level sessions combine fundamentals and advanced ideas with practice against differently experienced partners. By November 2016, Donegal Live was reporting his brown-belt gold at the Madrid Open in no-gi competition, fought without the traditional jacket. It also identified the gym he ran with his brother Eddie: DT Fitness in Donegal Town. In August 2017, the gym was also where Gorman proposed to his partner, Emer Martin. He called her forward after a class, seemingly for a grading, before asking her to marry him. She said yes. In January 2025, Donegal Live reported him awarding Philip Doherty a BJJ black belt after twelve years of training under him at Rilion Gracie Donegal Town.

Sources for this profile

  • Donegal Live, January 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2025, Donegal Live reported Gorman awarding Philip Doherty a BJJ black belt after twelve years of training under him at Rilion Gracie Donegal Town.

      Where in the source: The named award and training relationship paragraphs.

      Accessed:

  • Rilion Gracie Donegal Town, academy website.(opens in a new tab)

    • His academy’s website traces Gorman’s development through almost a decade with Brian Coyle, a 2010 Miami visit to train with Rilion Gracie and Romulo Reis Pereira, and repeated returns to learn. It identifies him as head coach at Rilion Gracie Donegal Town, an academy established in 2013. Its beginners’ programme teaches foundational positions and principles before progression, while mixed-level classes combine fundamentals, advanced ideas and practice with differently experienced partners.

      Where in the source: Who are we, full head-coach biography and class descriptions.

      Accessed:

  • Herculean Sport, May 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • In Herculean Sport’s 2011 interview, Gorman recalled growing up in Donegal Town, starting with karate and boxing, and moving into grappling; he dated his MMA start to 2008. He valued continuous learning. A Derry seminar with wrestler Mohammad Ali led him to practise wrestling weekly, and the Manchester camp provided extended coaching and practice with accomplished athletes. Training with Rilion Gracie’s Miami team the previous summer had sharpened his sense of the standard required to progress.

      Where in the source: Complete Gorman interview, after the camp report.

      Accessed:

  • Donegal Live, November 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • Donegal Live reported Gorman’s brown-belt no-gi gold at the 2016 Madrid Open. It identified him as running DT Fitness in Donegal Town with his brother Eddie, separately from Brian Coyle’s Letterkenny academy.

      Where in the source: Whole competition and gym report.

      Accessed:

  • Donegal Live, August 2017.(opens in a new tab)

    • In August 2017, Donegal Live described Gorman calling his partner Emer Martin forward after a class at DT Fitness, apparently for a grading, before proposing marriage. She accepted; the article identified the gym as run by Gorman and his brother Eddie.

      Where in the source: The proposal account and gym paragraph.

      Accessed:

Lineage

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