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Mark Macqueen

Scottish grappler Mark Macqueen won two ADCC Trials over 99 kilograms and earned bronze at the 2026 ADCC World Championship.

Biography

Mark Macqueen is a Scottish grappler from Glasgow who represented MNBJJ at the 2025 ADCC Trials and is last documented competing at brown belt. He is known for winning ADCC's men's division over 99 kilograms at two European, Middle Eastern and African Trials and earning bronze at the 2026 ADCC World Championship. His route into grappling followed a substantial career in strength sport. In Macqueen's account, his childhood included rugby and football, plus competitive boxing from about ten or eleven; his conditioning often faded after promising opening rounds. In 2017, he topped the junior 120-kilogram totals at the world and European Classic meets, as well as the Commonwealth championships. OpenPowerlifting lists his best raw total as 920 kilograms. Before the 2018 World Classic Championships, another lifter, Josh Greenfield, identified Macqueen as the coach behind a plan built around three weekly bench sessions, two for the squat and one for the deadlift. Macqueen's own account places the turn toward jiu-jitsu in late 2018. He had grown tired of what powerlifting required: at roughly 150 kilograms, he said, maintaining his size meant consuming about 8,000 calories a day, and he wanted a different way to live. His brother's blue belt helped make jiu-jitsu an option. Macqueen began training under Marcos Nardini in April 2019, but the new sport did not immediately make sense to him. Four or five months passed before competing for the first time gave its objectives a practical shape. By the time he recounted the change in 2021, he reported weighing 118 kilograms. Competition soon became part of how he learned. Entered under his full name, Mark Alistair Forbes Macqueen, he took gold among adult white belts in the heaviest men's category at the 2020 IBJJF European Championship for MNBJJ Glasgow. At another competition a fortnight later, he was promoted to blue belt. His debut at that rank came at Grappling Industries in Manchester in August 2021, where he took the absolute title on points over Ross Nicholls. Macqueen did not present that result as simple proof of technical superiority: he praised Nicholls's skill and acknowledged that his own considerable weight advantage had mattered. The same event ended with Nardini promoting him to purple belt. The preparation behind Manchester joined his old training habits to a broader grappling education. Macqueen was doing jiu-jitsu six days a week, alongside three weight sessions and two wrestling sessions, while working with Nardini and Jack Brown. In a testimonial carried on the commercial page for Brown's leg-lock course, Macqueen later said Brown's detailed instruction had clarified the entries, positional control and finishes. In 2024, Macqueen moved onto the ADCC qualifying path. Zagreb hosted the Trials for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where he won the men's division over 99 kilograms by defeating Freddy Vosgroene 3–0 in the final. The victory qualified him for the 2024 World Championship; it was not itself a world title. His first Worlds run ended in the opening round, where Dan Manasoiu beat him 6–0. His brown-belt results later that year included gold in the heaviest men's adult division at the IBJJF No-Gi European Championship and joint third in the same belt and weight category at the No-Gi World Championship. Macqueen spent almost four months of 2025 training at Kingsway in Texas with athletes preparing for the ADCC Trials and the Craig Jones Invitational. He believed those months sped up his progress; once home, he adapted the way that room organized its sessions. On September 6, 2025, in Warsaw, he won the professional men's division over 99 kilograms at the first regional Trials for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, qualifying for the 2026 Worlds. His opening match with Heikki Jussila developed from a takedown into back control and mount. In the final against Abraham Coby Martinez, he advanced from a top body lock to the back and secured a rear-naked choke. Later in 2025, Macqueen captured a second straight IBJJF No-Gi European title at brown belt, in the heaviest adult men's weight class. A Progress report described the same result while spelling his first name "Marc." MNBJJ has also published a short instructional video featuring Macqueen demonstrating a standing throw-by. After his second Trials win, Macqueen said that believing he could win was necessary if he was going to pursue an ADCC world title, while also recognizing how much improvement remained. He described an effort to move past competitive highs and lows, using losses as material for further development. The September 2026 World Championship took place in Krakow. Macqueen opened with a 2–0 win over Pouya Rahmani, then eliminated Manasoiu 3–0 in the quarterfinal. Victor Hugo submitted him 2 minutes 29 seconds into the semifinal. Felipe Pena did not contest the bronze-medal match, recording a forfeit that awarded Macqueen bronze in the division over 99 kilograms. He finished behind champion Hugo and runner-up Josh Saunders.

Sources for this profile

  • Lucy Wynne, Grappling Insider, Ex Powerlifter Mark MacQueen: First Comp at Blue Belt – Wins the Absolute, 20 August 2021.(opens in a new tab)

    • Mark Macqueen, from Glasgow, began Brazilian jiu-jitsu in April 2019 and trained under Marcos Nardini.

      Where in the source: Innledende biografidel — «April 2019».

      Accessed:

    • He recalled tiring of powerlifting by late 2018: at roughly 150 kg, maintaining his size involved eating about 8,000 calories daily. He wanted a different lifestyle. By the 2021 interview he weighed 118 kg.

      Where in the source: Overgangsavsnittene etter biografidelens styrkeløftbakgrunn — «8000 calories».

      Accessed:

    • His brother already held a blue belt, helping prompt Macqueen to try jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Avsnittet om broren — «his brother».

      Accessed:

    • Macqueen initially struggled to understand jiu-jitsu's objectives. He said his first competition, four or five months into training, helped the sport make sense.

      Where in the source: Avsnittet om de første månedene — «4-5 months».

      Accessed:

    • He received his blue belt at a competition two weeks after his white-belt European Championship victory.

      Where in the source: Første biografiavsnitt — «two weeks».

      Accessed:

    • At his first blue-belt tournament in Manchester in August 2021, he won the Grappling Industries absolute, defeating Ross Nicholls on points.

      Where in the source: Konkurranseavsnittet — «Ross Nicholls».

      Accessed:

    • Discussing that final, he praised Nicholls's technical ability and acknowledged that his own substantial weight advantage had helped him win.

      Where in the source: Finaletilbakeblikket — «size difference».

      Accessed:

    • Nardini awarded him a purple belt alongside the Manchester victory.

      Where in the source: Slutten av konkurranseavsnittet — «purple belt».

      Accessed:

    • Preparing for Manchester, he combined six weekly jiu-jitsu days with three weight-training and two wrestling sessions, training with Nardini and Jack Brown.

      Where in the source: Treningsavsnittet — «six days».

      Accessed:

  • British Powerlifting, CEO report to the 2018 AGM, international medal tables for 2017.(opens in a new tab)

    • Macqueen won the junior 120 kg total title at the 2017 World Classic Powerlifting Championships.

      Where in the source: Side 6, VM-tabellen — «Mark MacQueen»; junior 120 kg-raden og TOTAL-kolonnen.

      Accessed:

    • In 2017 he also took junior 120 kg total gold at both the European Classic and Commonwealth powerlifting championships.

      Where in the source: Side 3 og 5, EM- og Commonwealth-tabellene — «Mark MacQueen»; TOTAL-kolonnene.

      Accessed:

  • OpenPowerlifting, Mark Macqueen athlete record, undated database page.(opens in a new tab)

    • OpenPowerlifting records Macqueen's best raw powerlifting total as 920 kg.

      Where in the source: «Personal Bests» — Raw-raden, Total-kolonnen.

      Accessed:

  • Yorkshire and North East Powerlifting Federation, 2018 Classic World Powerlifting Championships preview: Josh Greenfield, 2018.(opens in a new tab)

    • Ahead of the 2018 World Classic Championships, Josh Greenfield named Macqueen as his coach and described a structured weekly programme of three bench sessions, two squat sessions and one deadlift session.

      Where in the source: Side 2, svaret på «What's your training like now?» — «Mark Macqueen».

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2020, final results dated 26 January 2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • Competing as Mark Alistair Forbes Macqueen for MNBJJ Glasgow, he won the men's adult white-belt ultra-heavy division at the 2020 IBJJF Europeans.

      Where in the source: «Male / Adult / White / Ultra Heavy» — «Mark Alistair Forbes Macqueen».

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2024, final results dated 22 October 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • Macqueen won men's adult brown-belt ultra-heavy gold for MNBJJ Glasgow at the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Europeans.

      Where in the source: «Male / Adult / Brown / Ultra Heavy» — «Mark Alistair Forbes Macqueen».

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2024, final results dated 14 December 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds he finished joint third in men's adult brown-belt ultra-heavy, representing MNBJJ Glasgow.

      Where in the source: «Male / Adult / Brown / Ultra Heavy» — «Mark Alistair Forbes Macqueen».

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2025, final results dated 2 November 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Macqueen won the men's adult brown-belt ultra-heavy division for MNBJJ Glasgow at the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi Europeans.

      Where in the source: «Male / Adult / Brown / Ultra Heavy» — «Mark Alistair Forbes Macqueen».

      Accessed:

  • Marc Berman, Progress Jiu Jitsu, Month in Review November, 3 December 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Progress's November 2025 report identifies Macqueen as its brown-belt ultra-heavy gold medallist at the No-Gi Europeans in Rome.

      Where in the source: Avsnittet «IBJJF No-Gi Europeans 2025» — «Marc Macqueen».

      Accessed:

  • Ready State Fitness, Jack Brown Leg Lock Systems & Coaching Pack, undated commercial course page.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a testimonial published with Jack Brown's instructional course, Macqueen credited Brown's detailed coaching with improving his understanding of leg-lock entries, positional control and finishes.

      Where in the source: «Real Grapplers, Real Results» — «Mark MacQueen».

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, ADCC Europe & Africa Trials 2024 Results, 18 February 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2024 ADCC European, African and Middle Eastern Trials in Zagreb, Macqueen won the over-99 kg division, beating Freddy Vosgroene 3–0 in the final and qualifying for Worlds.

      Where in the source: «+99-KILO DIVISION» — «Freddy Vosgroene»; finale og kvalifiseringslisten.

      Accessed:

  • FloGrappling, 2024 ADCC World Championship Finals Results, results for 17–18 August 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2024 ADCC World Championship, Macqueen lost his opening over-99 kg match to Dan Manasoiu, 6–0 on points.

      Where in the source: Førsterundens «Men's +99kg» — «Dan Manasoiu».

      Accessed:

  • James Tighe, Progress Jiu Jitsu, Athlete Spotlight | Mark MacQueen, 16 October 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Macqueen recalled playing rugby and football and boxing competitively from around ten or eleven. He said poor fitness often undermined promising early rounds in boxing.

      Where in the source: Spørsmålet om tidlig idrett — «boxing».

      Accessed:

    • In October 2025 he described spending almost four months training at Kingsway in Texas earlier that year, alongside athletes preparing for ADCC Trials and CJI.

      Where in the source: Første intervjusvar — «almost four months».

      Accessed:

    • He felt his time in that training room had accelerated his development, and said he reproduced its session structure after returning home.

      Where in the source: Texas-svarene — «sessions».

      Accessed:

    • After his second Trials win, he described confidence in winning as necessary to pursuing an ADCC world title, while recognizing that considerable improvement remained.

      Where in the source: Svaret om Trials-seieren — «improvements».

      Accessed:

    • He said he tried not to dwell on competitive highs or lows and regarded defeat as a chance to improve rather than a reason to stop.

      Where in the source: Trials-svaret og siste lange svar — «opportunity».

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, 1st ADCC European, Middle East & African Trials 2025, official results, 6 September 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Macqueen won the men's professional over-99 kg title at the first 2025 ADCC European, Middle Eastern and African Trials in Warsaw on 6 September, qualifying for the 2026 Worlds.

      Where in the source: «MEN PROFESSIONAL / PROFESSIONAL / +99 KG» — «Mark Macqueen».

      Accessed:

    • ADCC's official 2025 Trials results list Macqueen as Scottish and representing MNBJJ.

      Where in the source: «OFFICIAL RESULTS» — +99 kg-kategoriens land- og lagfelt.

      Accessed:

  • Joe Gilpin, FloGrappling, 2025 ADCC European Trials Live Updates, 6 September 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • FloGrappling's 2025 Trials live report describes Macqueen defeating Heikki Jussila in the opening round after a takedown, back control and a later mount.

      Where in the source: Tidlig liveoppdatering — «Heikki and Mark Macqueen».

      Accessed:

    • In the 2025 Trials final against Abraham Coby Martinez, Macqueen passed from a top body lock, took the back and finished with a rear-naked choke.

      Where in the source: Første liveoppdatering — «Final match of the day».

      Accessed:

  • R. R. Ellis, FloGrappling, ADCC 2026 Results: Full Brackets, Champions And Medal Winners, 13 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Macqueen earned over-99 kg bronze at the ADCC World Championship in Krakow in September 2026, behind champion Victor Hugo and runner-up Josh Saunders.

      Where in the source: «ADCC Final Placements» — herrer +99 kg.

      Accessed:

    • In the 2026 ADCC over-99 kg bracket, he beat Pouya Rahmani 2–0 in the opening round and Daniel Manasoiu 3–0 in the quarterfinal.

      Where in the source: +99 kg-rundene — «Pouya Rahmani» og «Daniel Manasoiu».

      Accessed:

    • Victor Hugo submitted Macqueen 2 minutes 29 seconds into their 2026 ADCC over-99 kg semifinal.

      Where in the source: +99 kg-semifinalene — «Victor Hugo».

      Accessed:

    • His 2026 ADCC bronze was awarded after Felipe Pena forfeited the bronze-medal match.

      Where in the source: Bronsekampene — «forfeit».

      Accessed:

  • MNBJJ Glasgow, MNBJJ Instructional Vlog, undated academy page and embedded instructional video.(opens in a new tab)

    • MNBJJ Glasgow features Macqueen in a short instructional video demonstrating the throw-by from a standing grappling position.

      Where in the source: «Learn how to Throw-by like Mark Macqueen» — fjerde videoklipp.

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2025ADCC European, Middle-Eastern & African TrialsSource: flograppling.comNo-giVerifiedGold (qualifying event)No-giVerified
2024ADCC European, Middle-Eastern & African TrialsSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedGold (qualifying event)No-giVerified
2024ADCC World ChampionshipSource: flograppling.comNo-giVerifiedRound 1 loss to Daniel Manasoiu (6–0 on points)No-giVerified

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage