John-Olav Einemo (b. 10 December 1975, Oslo) is a retired Norwegian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, widely regarded as the most significant Norwegian grappler in the history of the sport. Standing 198 cm and competing at 115 kg, "The Viking" became the first and only European to win an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship at his weight when he captured gold in the 88-98 kg division at the 2003 tournament in São Paulo, Brazil.
Einemo learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Marcelo "Yogui" Santiago, the Brazilian black belt who arrived in Scandinavia in 1997 and established the Scandinavian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Under Santiago he developed into one of Europe's leading heavyweight grapplers, and in 2003 he co-founded Frontline Academy together with Trond Saksenvik, Thomas Hytten and Joachim Hansen — the merger of SBJJA and Mixed Style Academy at Bogstadveien 27B in Oslo.
At ADCC 2003 Einemo delivered one of the great tournament runs in the event's history. He submitted Brandon Vera with a rear-naked choke in the round of 16, defeated Larry Papadopoulos by choke in the quarterfinals, upset the heavily favoured Roger Gracie 2-0 on points in the semifinal — handing Gracie his only ADCC tournament loss — and submitted Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira with an armbar in the final.
Einemo returned to ADCC competition in 2005, finishing 4th in the same weight class. In 2007 he met Roger Gracie again in an ADCC superfight, losing the rematch.
In MMA Einemo made his pro debut in 2000 and built an undefeated 5-0 record with all finishes in Shooto events across Finland and the Netherlands. He trained with Golden Glory in the Netherlands alongside Alistair Overeem. A serious necrotising bacterial infection following foot surgery sidelined him from 2003 to 2006. On return he faced Fabrício Werdum at PRIDE 31 in February 2006, losing by decision, and later submitted James Thompson at 2H2H in 2008. The UFC signed him in 2011; he lost to Dave Herman at UFC 131 (Fight of the Night honours) and to Mike Russow at UFC on Fox 2 in January 2012. His final MMA record stands at 6 wins and 3 losses. He retired from competition on 3 April 2012.
Einemo's 2003 ADCC victory put Norwegian grappling on the world map and helped lay the foundation for the generation of Frontline competitors that would follow.
Sources: Wikipedia; Tapology; Sherdog; ADCC News; Frontline Academy.