Thomas Halpin is an Irish submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt competitor.[a] Halpin is a Combat Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, an ADCC European Champion and a black belt European No-Gi medallist, as well as a European No-Gi Open Champion in brown belt.[1]

Tom Halpin
Born (1993-11-09) 9 November 1993 (age 31)
Limerick, Ireland
DivisionFeather weight
-70 kg (154.3 lb)
TeamFight Sports
Rankblack belt in BJJ[a]
Medal record
Representing  IRL
Submission Grappling
ADCC European Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Luboń, Poland -66kg
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
European No-Gi Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Rome, Italy − 67.5 kg

Biography

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Thomas Halpin was born on 9 November 1993 in Limerick, Ireland.[1] He started Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2011 under Rodrigo Medeiros black belt, Fergal Quinlan, while studying sports and exercise science at University. From 2014 Halpin started going to Miami to train under Robert 'Cyborg' Abreu at Fight Sport from whom he received his brown and black belt in 2017.[1]

Halpin became the first Irishman to qualify and compete at the ADCC World Championship after winning the ADCC European Trials in 2019.[2][3] In 2020 after submitting all his opponents, including MMA fighter Masakazu Imanari,[4] Halpin became featherweight Combat Jiu-Jitsu World Champion.[5][6]

He currently competes in the featherweight division for Polaris Pro Grappling, being the number one featherweight contender.[7] During the first Polaris 14 Squads event in September 2020, he defeated Dino Bucalet (from Team EU) via reverse triangle, securing the winning point for Team British Isles.[8] At Polaris 21 Halpin defeated Alessio Sacchetti via unanimous decision.[9]

Halpin competed against Keith Krikorian at Polaris 24 on June 3, 2023 and lost the match by unanimous decision.[10]

Championships and accomplishments

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Main Achievements (black belt level):[1]

Main Achievements (coloured belts):[1]

  • IBJJF European No-Gi Open Champion (2016 brown)
  • Grappling Pro Champion (2016 brown)

Instructor lineage

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Carlos Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Francisco Toco > Roberto Abreu > Thomas Halpin[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b under Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Thomas Halpin". BJJ Heroes – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team History, Fighter Stats, Biographies and News. 14 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Thomas Halpin | FloGrappling | Grappling". www.flograppling.com.
  3. ^ Guckian, Peter (4 December 2022). "Halpin hopeful for World Championship win after stateside victory". Limerick Post Newspaper. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Get to Know – Tom Halpin – Scramble Brand". Scramble Brand. 7 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds: The Featherweights | Grappling Event". Tapology.
  6. ^ Fathi, Arman (9 March 2020). "Combat Jiu-Jitsu Finishes With 100% Submission Rate, Tom Halpin Wins Featherweight Title". Jiu-Jitsu Times.
  7. ^ Lindsey, Alex (17 May 2021). "Tom Halpin and William Tackett join Polaris Squads 3!". Polaris Pro Grappling.
  8. ^ "Polaris Squads Results, Team United Kingdom And Ireland Wins By Tight Margin". BJJ Heroes. 28 September 2020.
  9. ^ Coate, Ben (26 September 2022). "Weekend grappling recap: Polaris 21 and IBJJF Atlanta Open results". Grappling Insider.
  10. ^ "Polaris 24 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.