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Ethan Crelinsten

Canadian black belt Ethan Crelinsten won the 2017 and 2018 ADCC Trials and now competes and teaches at Simple Man Martial Arts in Austin.

Biography

Ethan Crelinsten entered combat sports at nineteen with plans to compete in mixed martial arts. After adding Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Montreal’s TriStar Gym under Firas Zahabi, he changed direction. Crelinsten has said that he abandoned the idea of an MMA fight and chose to focus on submission grappling instead. His development soon stretched between Montreal and New York. A visit from Gordon Ryan to TriStar led Crelinsten to begin training with John Danaher’s group at Renzo Gracie Academy, while Zahabi’s room remained part of his growth through the colored belts. That shared foundation produced early results. Crelinsten won the professional men’s under-66-kilogram division at the 2017 ADCC West Coast Trials in Los Angeles, submitting Ricky Lule in the final and qualifying for that year’s World Championship. In 2018, representing TriStar/Renzo Gracie, he won the North American first qualifier at under 65.9 kilograms and earned a place at the 2019 Worlds. Danaher promoted Crelinsten to black belt in November 2020. When Danaher dissolved the Danaher Death Squad in July 2021, Crelinsten joined Craig Jones and Nicky Rodriguez in announcing B-Team in Austin. His later ADCC record included third place at the 2023 East Coast qualifier and an invitation to the under-66-kilogram division at the 2024 World Championship. In 2025, Crelinsten contributed to his squad’s victory in the million-dollar team competition at Craig Jones Invitational 2 in Las Vegas. Simple Man Martial Arts now identifies him as a founding member, instructor and athlete at its Austin academy. Its description of his classes emphasizes pattern recognition, leverage and decision-making under pressure. Crelinsten remained active in competition in 2026: in his UFC BJJ debut on 21 May, he submitted Danilo Moreira with a rear-naked choke 2:11 into the first round of their lightweight match.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, “Ethan Crelinsten”(opens in a new tab)

    • Ethan Crelinsten is a Canadian submission grappler, born in Montreal on 14 May 1994.

      Where in the source: Profile introduction and Biography opening — nationality, Montreal and birth date

      Accessed:

    • John Danaher promoted Crelinsten to black belt in November 2020, on the same day as Nicky Ryan.

      Where in the source: Biography — November 2020 black-belt promotion

      Accessed:

    • After John Danaher dissolved the Danaher Death Squad in July 2021, Crelinsten joined Craig Jones and Nicky Rodriguez in announcing B-Team, based in Austin, Texas.

      Where in the source: The End of DDS and Start of B-Team — July 2021 split and Austin team formation

      Accessed:

    • Crelinsten was nineteen when he began training in combat sports.

      Where in the source: Biography early training section - combat-sports start age

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Ethan Crelinsten: The World’s Toughest Brown Belt,” January 2020(opens in a new tab)

    • Crelinsten entered combat sports through mixed martial arts in Montreal; after adding jiu-jitsu at TriStar under Firas Zahabi, he abandoned plans for an MMA fight and focused on submission grappling.

      Where in the source: Interview background section — Montreal MMA start, TriStar jiu-jitsu and change of focus

      Accessed:

    • A training visit by Gordon Ryan at TriStar prompted Crelinsten to begin visiting John Danaher’s group in New York, after which he divided his development between Zahabi’s TriStar room and Danaher’s Renzo Gracie Academy group.

      Where in the source: Interview training-history section — Gordon Ryan visit and split Montreal/New York training

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, “ADCC West Coast Trials Results,” 16 April 2017(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2017 ADCC West Coast Trials in Los Angeles, Crelinsten won the professional men’s under-66-kilogram division by submitting Ricky Lule with a rear-naked choke and qualified for the 2017 ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: Official results — event details, U66 KG winner and qualification note

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, “1st ADCC North-American Trial 2018”(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2018 ADCC North American first qualifier, Crelinsten represented TriStar/Renzo Gracie and Canada, won the professional men’s under-65.9-kilogram division ahead of Keith Krikorian, Salvatore Guerriero and Tye Ruotolo, and qualified for the 2019 ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: Official results — Professional Male -65.9 kg and 2019 Worlds qualifiers

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, “ADCC East Coast Trials 2023 (1st Qualifier)”(opens in a new tab)

    • Crelinsten placed third in the professional men’s under-66-kilogram division at the 2023 ADCC East Coast first qualifier in Atlantic City.

      Where in the source: Official results — PRO MEN -66KG places 1–3

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, “Official List of Qualified and Invited Names for ADCC Worlds 2024,” 4 August 2024(opens in a new tab)

    • ADCC invited Crelinsten to the men’s under-66-kilogram division of the 2024 ADCC World Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

      Where in the source: Official invited-athlete list — 2024 Worlds details and Male -66 kg entry

      Accessed:

  • Simple Man Martial Arts, “About Our Team”(opens in a new tab)

    • In 2025, Crelinsten contributed to his team’s Craig Jones Invitational 2 victory in Las Vegas, where the squad won the million-dollar team title.

      Where in the source: Ethan Crelinsten section — 2025 CJI 2 team victory

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    • Simple Man Martial Arts identifies Crelinsten as a founding member and as a current instructor and athlete at its Austin academy.

      Where in the source: Ethan Crelinsten section — Instructor + Athlete and founding-member description

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    • At Simple Man Martial Arts, Crelinsten teaches classes organized around pattern recognition, leverage and decision-making under pressure.

      Where in the source: Ethan Crelinsten section — current class focus

      Accessed:

  • UFC, “UFC BJJ 8: Musumeci vs Dantzler Results,” 22 May 2026(opens in a new tab)

    • In his UFC BJJ debut at UFC BJJ 8 in Las Vegas on 21 May 2026, Crelinsten submitted Danilo Moreira with a rear-naked choke 2:11 into the first round of their lightweight match.

      Where in the source: Official results — event details and Lightweight Ethan Crelinsten vs Danilo Moreira recap

      Accessed:

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