Ricky Lundell

Ricky Lundell is a martial artist, martial arts coach, and combatives instructor. He is a 5th degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Pedro Sauer. Credited with being one of the youngest North Americans to receive the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 19,^[2] Ricky has competed successfully at various international grappling competitions, and has also made a career in coaching. His adeptness at grappling has earned him the nickname 'The Grappling Chimera'.^[3]

Ricky Lundell
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada
Style	Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo
Teacher(s)	Pedro Sauer, Cael Sanderson, Ronda Rousey
Rank	5th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu   Black Belt Nidan Judo
Other information
Website	http://www.universityofgrappling.com/
Medal record Representing  United States Grappling FILA 2007 Antalya, Turkey -70 kg 2008 Lucerne, Switzerland -70 kg International Pancrase Submission Wrestling World Championships 2010 Colorado, USA -Absolute 2010 Colorado, USA -67 kg 2008 Colorado, USA -67 kg Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gracie Jiu-Jitsu World Championships[1] 2006 Torrance, California, USA Black Belt Absolute

College

Ricky started college at Utah Valley University when he was 15 years old and graduated with a science degree at 18.^[4] He was recruited by Cody and Cael Sanderson as a college senior to wrestle for Iowa State University at the age of 20. He is the first NCAA Division I wrestler to ever be recruited having only jiu-jitsu/submission grappling experience and no folkstyle match experience. Despite the NCAA's refusal to give Ricky any eligibility to start for the team at Iowa State University, Ricky lettered in wrestling and went on to win the USA World Team Trials where he won the Most Outstanding Grappler award. He later won the FILA Grappling World Championship while competing for the Cyclones.^[5]

Competition

Lundell is a two-time gold medalist at the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials, winning the senior division at 149 lbs in both 2007 ^[6] and 2008 ^[7]. Ricky is also a two-time Pancrase (Submission Wrestling) World Champion at 149 lbs and a one-time Absolute Pancrase World Champion. He was the lightest person to win the absolute division of Pancrase by over 20 lbs and submitted 265 lbs two-time FILA heavyweight division silver medalist Brandon Ruiz. He represented the USA as Team Captain for Grappling twice and is a two-time FILA World Championship in Submission Grappling.^[8][9] Ricky holds notable wins over several world champions including Nicolas Renier, Tom Lecuyer, Brandon Ruiz,^[10] Alberto Crane^[11] and Jeff Glover,^[12] both in no-gi submission grappling tournaments. He also defeated John Kavanagh by way of footlock in the finals of the 2007 FILA world championships.

Coaching

Special Operations and Federal Tactical Training

Ricky Lundell has played a pivotal role in the advancement of combatives training across U.S. Special Operations Forces and federal law enforcement agencies. From 2020 to 2024, he served as a lead instructor for the Advanced Training Command within Naval Special Warfare, where he developed and implemented modern wall fighting, ride and pin systems, weapon retention techniques, and multi-opponent control strategies. His training impacted over 500 SEAL operators, emphasizing positional dominance, takedown systems, close-quarters control, and prisoner handling.

Since 2010, Lundell has also served as a tactical combatives consultant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, designing specialized programs for interagency task forces targeting organized crime. His expertise further extends to the corporate sector, where he has developed bespoke training modules for security and investigative personnel at multiple Fortune 100 companies.

From 2010 to 2013, he worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), where he created tactical striking and grappling programs for agents involved in high-risk operations. Lundell’s systems have directly influenced how elite units prepare for and engage in real-world confrontations. ^[13]

Lundell also serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the C4 Foundation, which supports U.S. Navy SEAL families. In this role, he contributes to the development of combatives-based team-building programs aimed at fostering resilience within special operations communities. ^[14]

Mixed Martial Arts

Lundell is a strategy coach and head trainer for MMA at the University of Grappling in Lindon, Utah, a position he has held since 2008.^[15] He is the former coach of current UFC fighters Jon Jones and Julianna Pena, as well as former fighters Dan Hardy, Miesha Tate, Carlos Condit, Travis Browne, and Frank Mir.^[16] In addition to coaching at the professional level, Lundell was the head wrestling coach at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas from 2012 to 2020, where he coached multiple state champions and guided athletes to NCAA Division I wrestling scholarships. ^[17]