John William Kelly
Instructor and ranked competitor representing Ireland Beyond Jiu-Jitsu Academy and John Kelly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Ireland.
Reported team or academy
Ireland Beyond Jiu-Jitsu Academy
This source affiliation may refer to a wider team. A specific gym location has not been confirmed by this label alone.
No major titles recorded yet for this athlete.
John Kelly is the black belt behind John Kelly Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Ballymount, Dublin 12, a beginner-friendly team that was Irish Open team champion in 2025 and 2026. He came to jiu-jitsu late, after 25 years in Shotokan and Kenpo karate, Chinese boxing, kickboxing, sprinting and weight training; he describes being handled in his first class by someone half his weight, signing up immediately and later opening his own club to train his daughter and help others find the art. An IBJJF black belt, Kelly is a masters European No-Gi middleweight champion and Irish Open No-Gi Master 1 absolute champion. As of February 2026 he had won 59 IBJJF medals, 23 of them gold, including ten at the European Championships, and he is a two-time European No-Gi champion.