Biography
Damion Oranday is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Lucas Lepri as well as a representative of the Alliance team in the sport's international circuit, who is also the co-founder of the Oranday Bros Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Port Neches, TX., a team he started alongside his family (Austin Oranday [brother], Camryn Oranday [sister], Bambi Renee Oranday Martin [mother], and Aaron Martin [stepfather]). Although successful during his colored belt career, Oranday gained worldwide notoriety in the sport during his black belt debut year, when he conquered wins over big names of the sport such as Keven Carrasco, Daniel Maira, Rodrigo Gortari, to name a few. Damion Oranday was born on October 30, 1997, in Port Arthur, Texas, United States, but spent his formative years in Houston, TX. As he grew up during the early growth of mixed martial arts, a time when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was starting to gain notoriety within American culture, Damion picked up a liking for combat sports. By the time he was 11-years-old, Oranday's fascination for fighting had him joining both karate and jiu-jitsu schools, along with his brother Austin, two sports in which he would excel. Coaches Jorden Rivas and Robert Yamashita were Damion's first jiu-jitsu instructors, and it was Robert who graded Oranday with his blue belt. Not long after this promotion in BJJ class, Damion would earn his black belt in goju-ryu karate. In 2015 Damion and his family attended a Lucas Lepri seminar in Houston. Galvanized by that first contact with the legendary lightweight, Oranday would later request to prepare for the 2016 Pan American Championships camp at Lepri's academy in North Carolina, a request that was accepted this way starting a long-standing relationship between Lucas and the Oranday family. 2016 was a fruitful year for the Orandays as it also marked their autonomy in the world of martial arts entrepreneurship. It was that year, more precisely in April, that Damion and his family started their business venture with the Oranday Bros Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Port Neches, TX. After 5 years under the guidance of Lucas Lepri, on April 17, 2021, Damion Oranday was promoted to black belt by the Alliance - Charlotte, NC, team leader. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );