Owen Livesey
Owen Livesey carried his Commonwealth-winning judo into professional grappling, club building and a Polaris light heavyweight title.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Ben Coate, Grappling Insider, Polaris 23 results, 13 March 2023.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey beat Chris Weidman by decision in the Polaris 23 superfight on 11 March 2023.
Where in the source: Superfight account and complete result line.
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The Polaris 23 report describes a final-minute takedown into side control that let Livesey finish the match on top.
Where in the source: Livesey section, closing exchange.
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Glasgow 2014, Official Judo Results Book, July 2014.(opens in a new tab)
Owen Livesey was born in 1991.
Where in the source: PDF page 31, men's entry list; Livesey row shows 3 August 1991.
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Representing England, Livesey won the men's under-81 kg judo gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games; Tom Reed took silver and Jonah Burt and Boas Munyonga shared bronze.
Where in the source: PDF page 34, complete results summary with rank, name, country and medal columns.
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Lucy Wynne, Grappling Insider, Owen Livesey Promoted to BJJ Black Belt, 14 June 2022.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey is British.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph identifies the athlete's nationality.
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Livesey received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Carlson Gracie Jr. in June 2022.
Where in the source: Promotion report, opening two paragraphs.
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Jaguar Media Newsroom, inaugural Academy of Sport bursaries, July 2010.(opens in a new tab)
By July 2010, Livesey had spent five years in the British Judo England programme and was selected among Jaguar's inaugural sporting bursary recipients.
Where in the source: Bursary recipients, named Owen Livesey subsection.
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Danny Williams, 2020.(opens in a new tab)
Danny Williams recalls living and training alongside Livesey at Camberley Judo Club for five years, with three daily sessions and international camps and tournaments.
Where in the source: Opening training-partner recollection.
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At Camberley, Livesey trained under head coach Luke Preston. Williams identifies Livesey, Ashley McKenzie and himself as the club's three England representatives who won judo gold at Glasgow 2014.
Where in the source: Camberley delegation paragraph following the training-camp exchange.
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Williams describes Livesey's Commonwealth preparation as consistently hard-working and professional. He remembers the two sharing a fried breakfast on the morning of competition, then regretting it during warm-up.
Where in the source: Competition-day recollection, breakfast and warm-up passages.
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British Judo Association, Livesey visits York Railway Institute, 6 September 2014.(opens in a new tab)
After his Commonwealth victory, Livesey visited York Railway Institute Judo Club on 29 August 2014 for junior and senior sessions and open sparring.
Where in the source: Dated club celebration report, first two body paragraphs.
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Carlson Gracie Hull, 2021 fundraiser.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey left full-time judo to coach wrestling at Hull Kingston Rovers. Carlson Gracie Hull opened with two weekly warehouse classes in November 2019; growth brought daily children's and adults' training at the Annex in February 2020. Members sustained premises during shutdowns, alongside daily videos and Zoom. Its successful 2021 fundraiser sought affordable full-time multidisciplinary premises after organizers left outside jobs; a proposed lease remained a plan.
Where in the source: History, pandemic, campaign aims and funding banner.
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ADCC, official second European, Middle East & African Trials results, 7 May 2022.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey, representing Carlson Gracie Hull, placed second in the professional men's under-98.9 kg division at the second 2022 ADCC European, Middle East and African Trials in Poland.
Where in the source: Official results, professional male under-98.9 kg ordered list.
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ADCC, official qualified and invited competitors list, 14 September 2022.(opens in a new tab)
ADCC's final 2022 roster lists Livesey as an invited competitor in the men's under-99 kg division.
Where in the source: Male under-99 kg list, sixteenth entry.
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Phil Jones, Jits Magazine, Livesey called up for ADCC, 2 September 2022.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey entered ADCC 2022 as an alternate replacing Luccas Lira Costa, who could not attend because of visa issues.
Where in the source: Call-up report, first two body paragraphs.
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Jits Magazine, ADCC 2022 live results and ringside account, September 2022.(opens in a new tab)
At ADCC 2022, Livesey lost his opening under-99 kg match to eventual champion Kaynan Duarte by 8–0 on points.
Where in the source: Male under-99 kg opening match; division final and podium.
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The ringside account describes Livesey initially containing Duarte with a tight body lock, before Duarte swept and repeatedly passed his guard during the scoring period.
Where in the source: Under-99 kg opening match commentary.
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Ben Coate, Grappling Insider, Livesey discusses the Weidman match, 23 February 2023.(opens in a new tab)
In comments published before Polaris 23, Livesey said his preparation stayed broadly consistent across opponents, with extra conditioning and wrestling rounds for the expected exchanges against Chris Weidman.
Where in the source: Interview report, training answer.
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He described entertaining the audience as a priority even when the result went against him, and welcomed the chance to wrestle Weidman.
Where in the source: Interview report, hoped-for match answer.
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The preview identifies foot sweeps, fireman's carries and upper-body throws as characteristic of Livesey's stand-up grappling.
Where in the source: Opening technical comparison with Weidman's wrestling.
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Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, New Coaches and Sponsored Athletes, 13 September 2024 (page metadata).(opens in a new tab)
In September 2024, Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA announced Livesey's appointment to its Brazilian jiu-jitsu coaching staff in Phuket and identified him as a black belt in both judo and BJJ.
Where in the source: New-coaches announcement, Livesey paragraph.
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Joe Harrington, FloGrappling, Craig Jones Invitational 2024 Results, 21 August 2025.(opens in a new tab)
At the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational in 2024, Livesey beat Mahamed Aly by unanimous decision in the over-80 kg opening round, then lost to Nick Rodriguez by rear-naked choke in the quarterfinals.
Where in the source: Full 2024 bracket: over-80 kg first round and quarterfinals.
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Ben Coate, Grappling Insider, Polaris light heavyweight title announcement, 13 August 2025.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey and Tommy Langaker were matched for the vacant Polaris light heavyweight title at Polaris 33 in September 2025.
Where in the source: Title announcement, first three paragraphs.
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BJJ Heroes, Polaris 33 results, 15 September 2025.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey defeated Tommy Langaker by choke in the 205-pound title match at Polaris 33 in 2025.
Where in the source: 205-pound championship bout after the squad results.
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Owen Livesey Grappling Academy.(opens in a new tab)
Livesey presents his online academy as a way for athletes, recreational grapplers and coaches to build a game around their strongest positions and connected sequences.
Where in the source: Public home page, approach and audience sections.
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His academy describes a progression from identifying strengths through structured drills to using those patterns in live rounds and competition.
Where in the source: Four-stage teaching-system section.
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The online offering combines recorded sessions, seminars and camps with strength-and-conditioning programming, technical questions and match analysis from Livesey.
Where in the source: Curriculum, coaching and About Owen sections.
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Competition results
| Year | Event | Result | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Polaris 33Source: flograppling.comNo-giVerified | Polaris title win vs Tommy Langaker (arm-triangle choke) | No-giVerified |
| 2024 | Craig Jones InvitationalSource: bjjdoc.comNo-giVerified | Quarterfinalist (defeated Mahamed Aly; lost to Nick Rodriguez by rear-naked choke) | No-giVerified |
| 2022 | ADCC World ChampionshipSource: jitsmagazine.comNo-giVerified | Opening-round loss to Kaynan Duarte (late-notice alternate) | No-giVerified |