Meet the Team
David Marinakis
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Coach (Black Belt 3rd Degree)
“I got introduced to BJJ back in 2003 after watching the early UFC’s and Gracie in Action tapes (you can still find some of these on YouTube). Basically these tapes showed these smaller statued Jiu Jitsu guys defeating all these larger opponents from other martial arts backgrounds. I felt like I had stumbled upon the holy grail of martial arts! I was looking for something to train in and wasn’t interested in doing Kata’s or ‘Forms’. I wanted something more real, practical, challenging, and Jiu Jitsu met that need for me. In 2005 when I found the right training environment, I fell in love with Jiu Jitsu and never looked back.”
BJJ Accomplishments:
“My proudest accomplishments to date have been representing Australia twice at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships in both Barcelona, Spain and Nottingham, UK where I got to compete with 2 of my idols, Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles and Leo Vieira.
I have also qualified twice to represent Australia at the World Pro Jiu Jitsu Championships held in Abu Dhabi, bringing home a bronze medal in 2011, Brown & Black belt division.
In 2015, I completed a 10 year goal of winning a State and Pan Pacific gold medal at every belt level when I won the Victorian and Pan Pacific Championships at Black Belt. I won this again in 2018 along with a Silver medal at the 2019 Asian Open in Tokyo, Japan.
I’d love to have you join us so we can share our Jiu Jitsu with you.”
Lineage:
Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlos Gracie Junior > Rigan & Jean Jacques Machado > John Will > David Hart & Cam Rowe > David Marinakis
James Fitzgerald
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Coach (Black Belt)
Like many, I was introduced to BJJ in the early 2000’s thanks to the UFC. It was an eye-opening and much welcomed change after having spent 15+ years of stand up training, competing and teaching Taekwondo. It wasn’t long after I had been training both disciplines , that, in 2004, I was completely hooked and decided to focus solely on BJJ. After training at a few different academies, I made the move to Immersion MMA in 2013 and, I found my home. It was then, in 2019, I was awarded my blackbelt by David Marinakis and Lee Ting. Since then, being able to balance a young family and train BJJ, has allowed me to explore my passion for teaching and helping people improve their skills. Which, in turn, has proven to be a significant step forward in my own betterment.
Sam Chew
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Coach (Brown Belt)
Martial arts entered my life during early childhood as a tool for improvement in the self-confidence and self-defense departments. Two fundamental attributes for both mental and physical wellbeing after a few bullying episodes. Following multiple years of competing in judo and MMA, I developed a new interest in
BJJ. The art came naturally and fit very well with my near obsessive drive to perfect technique over athleticism. Every day, I strive to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be, and cultivate that same attitude among our BJJ students, through conveying high-quality training.
Notable Competition Accomplishments:
2019 – Asian Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship – 2nd Place
2019 – Australian National Championship – 1st Place
2018 – IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship – 3rd Place
2018 – Pan Pacific Championship – 1st Place
Lee Ting
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Coach (Black Belt 3rd Degree)
Lee started his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training in 2005, after extensively training in many other forms of martial arts such as Karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Kick Boxing and Muay Thai.
Lee was awarded his Black Belt after 8 years of training and has competed and won nearly all major events with in Australia.
Lee has also travelled overseas to train with the worlds best competitors and is always looking at ways to improve his techniques and find new innovative ways to defeat opponents. Which can then be passed on to our students.
‘Competition to me is pure, you can’t fake your skill or talk it up. It is what it is. It also teaches you how to handle pressure and how to deal with defeat and success, it will make you stronger’. Lee Ting
Lee has a dynamic teaching style bringing serious training with a bit of play and laughter. Lee is always trying to bring out the best in his students, both mentally and physically. This also transcends through other facets of their lives also.
‘Jiu Jitsu can only change people for the better, Jiu Jitsu changes peoples lives’. ~ Lee Ting
BJJ Accomplishments:
Black Belt:
2015 PAN Pacific Championships – 1st Place
2015 BOA Super 8 Invitational – 3rd Place
2015 BOA Super Fight Winner – 1st Place
2014 PAN Pacific Championships – 2nd Place
2014 BOA Super 8 Competitor
Lineage:
Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlos Gracie Junior > Rigan & Jean Jacques Machado > John Will > David Hart & Cam Rowe > Lee Ting
Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Coach (Black Belt)
Nikki has made waves in the sport with successful runs in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC), and Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) leagues where she earned important trophies such as the ADCC Trials and World Masters.
Notable competition achievements:
1st Place ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials (2022)
1st Place IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con (2023)
1st Place IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship (2022)
1st Place Boa Super 8 Grand Prix (2022)
Keith Grant
Muaythai Coach
Keith has been involved in Muay Thai for over 20 years now. Originally from Scotland, he begun training when he travelled to Thailand for the first time and has been hooked since. Over the years he has fought in both Scotland and England and proudly represented his country twice on the world stage. During this time he was ranked #6 in the U.K.
Drawing from his large amount of experience Keith also holds his judging licence in the U.K. and Australia and you’ll see him judging on many of the countries biggest shows.
Kahow Lee
Muaythai Coach
I was always into martial art movies when I was younger. As I was finishing high school, I wanted to get into a sport, but didn’t enjoy having to work with teammates (who I would always let down). Combat Sports stood out as it felt like the purest form of competition. The sport always brings something new to
the table. There’s always ways to innovate your style, and test it against others. It stays interesting. I want to help give students the tools they need to experience the sport. Training, regardless of contact and level, is fun, and I want people to experience that.
Jenny Ngo
Muaythai Coach
I started Muay Thai in 2015 just graduating from high school looking to get fit and live a healthier lifestyle with a bit of fun with some self-defence which led me to come across Immersion Mixed Martial Arts, where I decided to give Muay Thai a chance. After the first class I took, I signed up straight
away. I loved it so much that I dedicated myself to it, attending every class. Since then, I have competed at all levels from interclub to amateur and pro. I am currently coaching and competing professionally in Muaythai. My goal is to keep competing and strive to achieve my full potential in my weight class, where I can be pushed and challenged in this sport.
Benjamin Tran
Kids BJJ Coach
Ben started training at Immersion in 2012 with the goal of losing some weight, quitting smoking and making healthier lifestyle choices. He has done all 3! Since then he has actively represented Immersion in competition at home and abroad (IBJJF Worlds 2014). Benjamin believes that there are many skills in Jiu Jitsu that can be translated to everyday life and are beneficial for self-development; focus, patience, discipline, and respect. Benjamin loves being pushed by his coaches and teammates, and also loves teaching kids Jiu Jitsu. As a Myotherapist who specialises in treating athletes, when Ben’s not on the mat he’s treating our fighters, helping them recover from hard training and preparing them for competition.
Competition Accomplishments:
3rd Place Blue Belt 76 Kg Pan Pacific Championships 2018
3rd place – Blue Belt 76kg African Open 2017
Lisa Nguyen
Kids BJJ Coach
I started BJJ with the same goals as most people: get fit and have fun doing it. I gained so much more. Not only did I manage to become fitter than I have ever been, but I was able to massively improve my discipline, and develop a far more open-minded and effective approach to learning. BJJ is a very
dynamic sport, so there’s always something new to keep me coming back! My goal as a kids coach is, of course, to help the kids learn BJJ, but also to pass on the valuable life lessons I have learned through my own training, and empower the kids through facilitating an environment in which they can learn to
overcome adversity.
Notable Competition Accomplishments:
2023 – Pan Pacific BJJ Championships Purple Belt – 2nd Place
Ashkan Agahi
Kids BJJ Coach
I grew up playing soccer as a teenager and did some weight lifting as an adult, and although I enjoyed them, I had not yet found a sport and passion that resonated with me on a deeper level until I decided to try BJJ at Immersion in 2018, and I haven’t looked back since. Competitive BJJ and training came with a
healthy lifestyle change, and a new found sense of purpose and community at Immersion. The technical nature of the sport stimulates me mentally and continues to show me new things everyday. Being involved in our kids program as a coach gives me the opportunity to help cultivate critical skills that are
often neglected and that I wish I had growing up, such as discipline, self esteem, and resilience. I believe that through the practice of BJJ, they will be better prepared to achieve success and overcome challenges in their life, both on and off the mats.
Notable Competition Accomplishments:
2022 – Grappling Industries – 185 pounds 1st Place Blue Belt
2021 – AFBJJ Victorian State Championships – 82.5kg 1st Place White Belt
2021 – AFBJJ Victorian State Championships – Open Weight 2nd Place White Belt
2021 – Dominance Sub Only No-gi – 1st Place White Belt
Mateja Milosevic
Kids BJJ Coach
I started brazilian jiu jitsu because I wanted to participate in something more active than other sports I’ve done such as soccer. What’s kept me going through these years is the amazing culture in the gym and also the desire to do something I could constantly improve on. I decided to start teaching the kids classes at Immersion because I actually started training at Immersion MMA’s kids classes myself when I was 12, so I wanted to teach with the advantage of being in the kids’ shoes and it has worked extremely well.
Notable Competition Accomplishments:
1st place – Blue Belt 82kg Victorian State Championships 2021
Ben Hailey
Kids BJJ Coach & Front of House
Chris Triantopolous
BJJ Coach (Brown Belt) & Front of House
Ben Street
Front of House
Growing up in the UK I spent most of my childhood training and competing in Karate, and so have always been surrounded by martial arts. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was always something that seemed like the perfect mix of everything I was after in a combat sport, so – after making the move to Melbourne – I joined
up at Immersion and was instantly hooked. The feeling of being part of such a caring, welcoming community of martial artists over the last couple of years is something that does wonders for both physical and mental health, and has introduced me to training partners that I would now consider close
friends. Now that I’m fortunate enough to work at the gym I am proud to help foster that culture of kindness, respect and self-improvement that Immersion is known for.