Estum Jiu-Jitsu Academy / Defensive BJJ (formerly SBG)
Biography
Priit Mihkelson was born in 1977 in Estonia and earned his BJJ black belt from Straight Blast Gym founder Matt Thornton in 2012, placing him among the first generation of Estonian black belts alongside Martin Aedma. He built an international reputation as an innovator of defensive jiu-jitsu — systematising concepts such as the 'Grilled Chicken' and 'Panda' defensive postures and turtle survival — that were initially met with skepticism for advocating turning away from opponents but became widely influential. He founded the Estum Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Tartu, promoted Liisi Vaht to become Estonia's first female black belt in 2021, and is a regular BJJ Globetrotters camp instructor. In June 2018 he left SBG to pursue an independent, ecological-dynamics coaching approach. His lineage runs through Matt Thornton, Chris Haueter, Rigan Machado and Carlos Gracie Jr.