SPORTS
MARTIAL ARTS | Jiu Jitsu
Abby can take on
boys, no problem
'
I normally compete against male competitors
in local comps where there are no females in
my division. I have competed against boys in
five different tournaments.
By TITUS FILIO
AT the age of 15 years, she is already
making waves in the Australian
national youth martial arts scene.
Filipino-Australian Arabella Julian
is currently the Australian Brazilian
Jui-jitsu (BJJ) national champion
dominating the fight arenas in her
class.
She is presently ranked No 1 in the
states of Queensland and Victoria.
The sweet-smiling shy girl had even
defeated the top male competitors in
her division.
“I actually got into Brazilian jiu jitsu by
accident,” Arabella says.
“I was practicing and competing in
taekwondo, but when my club closed
down for a second time, I began to
train in a range of different martial arts
at my former coach's garage.
“One day, my dad saw a post on
Facebook of a family friend who
trained in jiu jitsu and she invited my
brother and I to come down to check
it out. From that first class, I was
hooked.
'
“Two years later, I’m still incredibly
passionate about jiu jitsu and owe it all
to my family friend who got me into it.”
Her father Dexter Julian, an
immigrant from Zamboanga City, took
her to her first martial arts class when
she was five years old.
Arabella, or Abby to friends, currently
trains at the Tsar Fight Club, an
affiliate of the Australian Elite Team,
under the watch of coaches Kristoffer
Nini, Jerome Maitland, and Josephine
Elia.
Since starting jiu jitsu, she has
competed in 11 tournaments, winning
eight competitions so far
This year alone she captured the
Victorian, Queensland, and Australian
national championshi belts.
She fights in the female all-belts
15-year-old, 58kg to 60.5kg in Gi
division.
When the circuit has ran out of girls to
compete against her, Arabella is pitted
against boys in her division.
The males proved no match to her.
Her most recent win against male
competitors was in July at the
Grappling Industries Melbourne
Arabella Julian with her gold medal at the Victorian chamionships.
tournament, where she won gold in
the Gi and NoGi divisions.
“I normally compete against male
competitors in local comps where
there are no females in my division.
I have competed against boys in five
different tournaments,” she says.
“I don’t usually find competing
against guys intimidating, as I am
used to training with male grapplers at
my club.
Arabella scored her first major win
last year at the 2017 Pan Pacific Jiu
Jitsu championships where she won
the gold.
The 5ft 6in (171cm), 60kg teenager
is currently a Year 9 student at the
Catholic regional College of St Albans
in Melbourne.
She completes approximately 12
hours per week of training, over 5-6
days.
Abby is a fan of Ronda Rousey, the
American UFC ex-champ famous for
her ‘armbar’ technique.
She admits sthat he is still working
out on her style and trying to
improve her game but she is already
adopting the ‘armbar’ as her favourite
submission technique to finish a fight.
MARTIAL ARTS | Bakbakan
Canberra’s martial arts grand master Rey Galang, third from left in the group picture, at
his installation into the Council Of Elders in the Philippines recently. Galang is founder of
his own fight style called Bakbakan Kali. At right is Rey Galang in Canberra.
www.kalatas.com.au
AK NewsMagazine, Vol 8 No 11 | AUGUST 2018
SEPTEMBER 2018
15