Lachlan Giles is an Australian Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt best known for his 2019 ADCC bronze medal run and his December 2025 submission win over Marcelo Garcia. He was born June 17, 1986, in Melbourne, making him 40 years old as of September 2026. Giles is also the founder of the online BJJ platform Submeta and a physiotherapist with a PhD. This article covers his verified biography, competition record, and the sourced details behind the questions people search most about him.
Giles built his reputation the hard way: as a lighter-weight competitor who repeatedly finished much bigger opponents with leg locks. His 2019 ADCC absolute-division run, where he heel-hooked three heavyweights to take bronze, is widely considered one of the most remarkable performances in the event’s history. That result is also why Marcelo Garcia later sought him out for a superfight.
Below you’ll find verified facts on his age, height, and weight; his black belt lineage and coaching career at Absolute MMA; the story behind Submeta; and a breakdown of the Marcelo Garcia fight, including what Giles said about it afterward. Where public sources disagree — such as some third-party databases listing inconsistent height figures — that is flagged rather than presented as settled fact.
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Lachlan Giles Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Lachlan Sven McDonald Giles |
| Nickname | Velachiraptor |
| Date of Birth | June 17, 1986 |
| Age | 40 (as of September 2026) |
| Birthplace | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | ~82.3 kg (181 lb); competes as low as 77 kg (170 lb) in no-gi |
| Belt Rank | 3rd-degree BJJ black belt |
| Under | John Simon (also credited to John Will) |
| Team | Absolute MMA, St Kilda, Melbourne |
| Spouse | Livia Gluchowska (BJJ black belt) |
| Known For | K-guard, leg locks, ADCC 2019 bronze, submitting Marcelo Garcia |
| Other Career | Physiotherapist, PhD (La Trobe University) |
| Business | Founder of Submeta (BJJ learning platform) |
| Current Status | Announced retirement from competition after December 2025 |
How Old Is Lachlan Giles?
Giles was born on June 17, 1986, in Melbourne. That makes him 40 years old as of this writing in September 2026.
Some older blog posts list different birth years (1985) or ages, but the figure consistently supported by his Wikipedia entry and multiple independent BJJ databases is 1986. Where a source conflicts with that, it appears to be an error rather than a documented correction.
Lachlan Giles Height and Weight
Giles is most consistently listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and around 82.3 kg (181 lb), competing in the middleweight division under IBJJF rules. In no-gi submission grappling events, including ADCC and ONE Championship, he has competed as low as 77 kg (170 lb).
A few third-party MMA databases show inconsistent height entries for him across different bouts, which looks like a data-mixing issue in those listings rather than a real change in his height. The figure repeated across biography sources and Wikipedia — 5 ft 6 in — is the one treated as reliable here.
| Detail | Information | Status |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | Confirmed (consistent across sources) |
| Walking weight | ~82.3 kg (181 lb) | Confirmed |
| Competition weight (no-gi) | 77 kg (170 lb) | Confirmed |
| Division | Middleweight (gi) / Lightweight (no-gi) | Confirmed |
Lachlan Giles Early Life and Start in Jiu-Jitsu
Giles grew up in Melbourne and first trained in kung fu as a teenager, inspired by martial arts films. After seeing footage of Royce Gracie competing in the early UFC, he switched his focus to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at around age 15.
He began training under Tyrone Crosse before a serious knee injury sidelined him for an extended period. When he returned to the mats, the academy’s BJJ program had transitioned to instructor John Simon, under whom Giles would eventually earn his black belt.
Black Belt, Coaching, and Absolute MMA
Giles received his black belt in 2012 under John Simon, with John Will also credited in his lineage. He also trained extensively under Thiago Stefanutti. He now holds a third-degree black belt and serves as head instructor at Absolute MMA’s St Kilda academy in Melbourne.
As a coach, Giles is best known for developing Craig Jones, whom he personally promoted to black belt, and Livia Gluchowska, his wife. His teaching approach — breaking positions down into layered, principle-based systems — has become his signature both on the mats and in his instructional content.
- Coached Craig Jones from white belt through black belt
- Developed and coaches Livia Gluchowska, his wife
- Head instructor, Absolute MMA St Kilda
- Known for a conceptual, systems-based teaching style rather than isolated technique tutorials
Competition Career and the K-Guard
Giles is widely credited as a pioneer of the modern K-guard, a half-guard-based leg entanglement system, along with related “outside sankaku” concepts. His guard retention and leg lock systems have influenced a generation of competitors, and his BJJ Fanatics releases — including guard retention and half guard anthology instructionals — are among the platform’s best known.
His most famous competitive result came at the 2019 ADCC World Championships. Competing in the openweight absolute division at just 77 kg, he defeated three much heavier opponents — Kaynan Duarte, Mahamed Aly, and Patrick Gaudio — largely with inside heel hooks, to win bronze and become the first Australian to medal in that division.
| Year | Result | Event |
| 2014 | Gold (4-medal sweep) | Pan Pacific Championship (black belt division) |
| 2016 | Gold | Pan Pacific Championship (Gi & No-Gi) |
| 2017 | Bronze, -73.5 kg | IBJJF World No-Gi Championship |
| 2017 | Gold | Pan Pacific Championship |
| 2019 | Bronze, Absolute division | ADCC World Championship |
| 2025 | Win via kneebar | ONE Fight Night 38 vs. Marcelo Garcia |
Career Highlights
- First Australian to medal in the ADCC absolute division (2019)
- Submitted former ADCC champion Rani Yahya at the Eddie Bravo Invitational
- Multiple Pan Pacific and Victorian Jiu-Jitsu titles
- 2016 Australian Freestyle Wrestling Champion
Lachlan Giles vs. Marcelo Garcia: What Happened
On December 5, 2025, Giles faced BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia in a lightweight submission grappling bout at ONE Fight Night 38, held at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. Garcia had specifically requested Giles as an opponent for his comeback run, telling ONE’s grappling leadership he’d been impressed by Giles’s 2019 ADCC absolute-division performance and wanted to test himself against someone his own size with that level of skill.
For most of the fight, Garcia used his trademark top pressure to control the pace, while Giles worked from the K-guard to create off-balances and threaten entries. Around the seven-minute mark, Giles secured a deep leg entry, forced Garcia to sit back, and rotated into a kneebar — a finishing move he calls the “Lachy Lock” — for the tap.
Evidence Check
- Confirmed: Giles defeated Garcia via kneebar submission at ONE Fight Night 38, Dec. 5, 2025.
- Source: ONE Championship official recap and multiple grappling-media reports.
- What it shows: Giles’s leg lock game overcame Garcia’s pressure passing in a fight Garcia himself requested.
- What remains less certain: Some outlets describe the finish loosely as a “decision,” which conflicts with the official submission result; the consistent, primary-sourced account (ONE Championship’s own recap) confirms a submission finish.
Giles is reported to have retired from active competition in the aftermath of that win, closing his in-competition career on its biggest result.
Submeta: Lachlan Giles’s Online BJJ Platform
Giles founded Submeta, an online BJJ learning platform, in April 2022. It’s built around structured, layered courses rather than standalone technique clips, and by 2026 reviewers describe it as having grown to more than 170 courses and roughly 2,000 videos.
The platform later expanded beyond Giles’s own content: Craig Jones’s B Team, including athletes like Nicky Ryan and Nicky Rodriguez, joined Submeta as contributing instructors. Giles also has separate instructional releases through BJJ Fanatics and The Grappler’s Guide.
| Detail | Information |
| Platform Name | Submeta |
| Founded | April 2022 |
| Founder | Lachlan Giles |
| Content | 170+ courses, ~2,000 videos (gi and no-gi) |
| Pricing | Subscription-based, from roughly $19.95/month |
| Notable Contributors | Craig Jones’s B Team (Nicky Ryan, Nicky Rodriguez, and others) |
Lachlan Giles Personal Life and Other Career
Giles is married to Livia Gluchowska, herself a BJJ black belt and one of his students at Absolute MMA. Beyond jiu-jitsu, he holds a PhD in physiotherapy from La Trobe University and has worked as a practicing clinician and researcher alongside his competitive and coaching career — a combination he’s frequently cited as unusual at the elite level of grappling.
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Lachlan Giles Current Status
As of this writing, Giles appears to have stepped back from active competition following his win over Marcelo Garcia in December 2025, while continuing to run Absolute MMA’s coaching program and build out Submeta. No newer verified development beyond the retirement reports found in reliable grappling-media coverage was located during research for this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Lachlan Giles?
He was born June 17, 1986, making him 40 years old as of September 2026.
How tall is Lachlan Giles?
He is listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) across the most consistent sources, though a few third-party fight databases show conflicting figures.
Did Lachlan Giles beat Marcelo Garcia?
Yes. Giles submitted Garcia with a kneebar at ONE Fight Night 38 on December 5, 2025, in Bangkok.
What is Submeta?
Submeta is Lachlan Giles’s subscription-based online BJJ learning platform, founded in 2022, featuring structured courses from Giles and other instructors including members of Craig Jones’s B Team.
What is the K-guard?
The K-guard is a half-guard-based leg entanglement system that Giles is widely credited with popularizing in modern grappling, used to threaten leg locks while controlling distance from the bottom.
Who did Lachlan Giles beat at ADCC 2019?
He defeated Kaynan Duarte, Mahamed Aly, and Patrick Gaudio in the absolute division, mostly via inside heel hooks, to win bronze despite being the lightest competitor in the bracket.
Is Lachlan Giles still competing?
Reports following his December 2025 win over Marcelo Garcia indicate he has retired from active competition, though he remains active as a coach and through Submeta.
Who is Lachlan Giles’s wife?
He is married to Livia Gluchowska, a BJJ black belt he has also coached at Absolute MMA.
Who has Lachlan Giles coached?
His best-known student is Craig Jones, whom he promoted to black belt; he has also coached his wife, Livia Gluchowska.
Conclusion
Lachlan Giles’s career spans elite competition, coaching, and business: a 40-year-old Australian black belt whose 2019 ADCC run and 2025 win over Marcelo Garcia bookend a competitive résumé built on leg locks and the K-guard. Off the mats, he’s balanced that with a physiotherapy PhD, a coaching program that produced Craig Jones, and Submeta, the learning platform he built from the ground up.
Public records are consistent on the core facts — his birth date, black belt lineage, ADCC result, and the Garcia fight — while a handful of secondary databases show minor inconsistencies, mainly around height. Those discrepancies are noted above rather than smoothed over, so readers can weigh the more reliably sourced figures accordingly.
