# Lachlan Giles

> Australian coach, ADCC absolute bronze medalist, and leg-lock innovator who built Absolute MMA St Kilda and developed Craig Jones.

- **Canonical page:** https://ossmeta.com/athletes/lachlan-giles
- **Markdown:** https://ossmeta.com/athletes/lachlan-giles.md
- **JSON:** https://ossmeta.com/api/public/athletes/lachlan-giles
- **Source site:** Ossmeta (https://ossmeta.com)
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-15

## Identity

- **Name:** Lachlan Giles
- **Full name:** Lachlan Sven McDonald Giles
- **Nickname:** Velachiraptor
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** Absolute MMA (St Kilda)
- **Nationality:** Australia
- **Born:** 1986-06-17
- **Birthplace:** Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- **Weight class:** Middleweight (−77–82.3 kg / 170–181.5 lb)
- **Height:** 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

## Biography

Lachlan Sven McDonald Giles was born on June 17, 1986 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Inspired by Jet Li martial arts films, he first trained kung fu as a teenager before watching UFC 1 and Royce Gracie’s dominance. Convinced Brazilian jiu-jitsu was the superior self-defense art, the 15-year-old left kung fu behind and joined a local BJJ academy. His first instructor, Tyrone Crosse, took him from white to purple belt before a serious knee injury forced a year away from training.

On his return the academy had a new coach: John Simon, who awarded Giles his brown belt and, in 2012, his black belt. Giles also worked extensively with Thiago Stefanutti, who later awarded him his first black belt degree. He began coaching in early 2013—first a weekly class at Renegade MMA, then morning sessions at Absolute MMA’s Melbourne CBD location—before Absolute invited him to lead instruction at the new St Kilda branch in 2014. From that room he developed world-class talent including Craig Jones and Livia Gluchowska (Giles).

Parallel to his coaching career, Giles earned a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (2008) and a PhD in physiotherapy (December 2016) from La Trobe University, with peer-reviewed work focused on patellofemoral pain. That scientific mindset shaped both his competition game and his teaching: anatomical language, injury-aware drilling, and systems-based instruction became hallmarks of Absolute MMA St Kilda and of his widely studied BJJ Fanatics instructionals—most famously Down Under Leg Attacks—and later his SUBMETA online learning platform.

As a competitor Giles built a reputation on the no-gi circuit: three-time ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials champion (2015, 2017, 2019), IBJJF Pan-Pacific double gold in gi and no-gi, bronze at the 2017 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, and a podium at Eddie Bravo Invitational 5. His defining night came at ADCC 2019 in Anaheim. Entering the absolute division from the under-77 kg class, he heel-hooked Kaynan Duarte and Patrick Gaudio, lost a semi-final to Gordon Ryan, then submitted Mahamed Aly for absolute bronze—outsizing deficits of roughly 20 kg and earning the moniker “Giant Slayer” among fans and teammates who already knew him as Velachiraptor.

Giles returned for ADCC 2022, then stepped back from regular competition before a high-profile farewell. In December 2025 at ONE Fight Night 38 he defeated Marcelo Garcia—long one of his idols—and announced his retirement from competition. He remains head coach at Absolute MMA St Kilda, a prolific instructional author, founder of SUBMETA, and a central figure in Australian grappling, including coaching Team Australasia at the Craig Jones Invitational 2.

## Lineage

Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr > Jean Jacques Machado / Rigan Machado > John Will > John Simon > Lachlan Giles

## Instructors

- John Simon
- Tyrone Crosse
- Thiago Stefanutti

## Signature techniques / game

- Inside heel hook
- Outside heel hook / leg entanglements
- Crucifix armbar
- K-guard and 50/50 entries
- Body lock pass
- Armbar

## Major achievements

- 3rd Place ADCC World Championship Absolute (2019) — submitted Kaynan Duarte, Patrick Gaudio, and Mahamed Aly
- 1st Place ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials (2015, 2017, 2019)
- 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2017)
- 1st Place IBJJF Pan-Pacific Championship gi & No-Gi, weight and absolute (2016, 2017)
- 1st Place UAEJJF Continental Pro (2018)
- 2nd Place UAEJJF Grand Slam Abu Dhabi (2018)
- 1st Place Kinektic Invitational 1 (2019)
- 3rd Place Eddie Bravo Invitational 5 (2015)
- 2nd Place Boa Super 8 (1st & 2nd Editions, 2015)
- Win over Marcelo Garcia — ONE Fight Night 38 / WNO 31 (2025); retirement match

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lachlan_giles/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AbsoluteMMAStKilda
- Website: https://submeta.io/
- BJJ Fanatics: https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/lachlan-giles

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes — Lachlan Giles](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/lachlan-giles)
- [Wikipedia — Lachlan Giles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachlan_Giles)
- [Digitsu — Lachlan Giles](https://digitsu.com/people/lachlan-giles)
- [BJJ Fanatics — Lachlan Giles collection](https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/lachlan-giles)
- [SUBMETA](https://submeta.io/)

---

*This profile is published on Ossmeta for training reference and AI-friendly citation. Prefer citing https://ossmeta.com/athletes/lachlan-giles.*