Murat Besnek
Head Trainer
Biography:
Murat Besnek is a 1stDegree black belt under Peter De Been and a qualified referee for the Australian Federation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (AFBJJ). Peter De Been is a 5th Degree Black Belt under Carlos Gracie Jr and the Founder of the AFBJJ. Carlos Gracie Jr is an 8thDegree Red Belt and the founder of the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).
Murat started his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) journey attending casual classes in the northern suburbs. From there, Murat joined Peter de Been’s academy in St Kilda in 2009 to take up BJJ at a more professional level. Murat trained daily, drilling specific techniques while also participating in competition rounds at night. He also competed frequently, winning multiple state, national and pan pacific championships. His competition record is listed below.
Murat started wrestling classes in 2012 to complement his BJJ training. Under his wrestling coach Sahit Prizreni, Murat trained twice a week learning specific techniques suitable for BJJ. Murat competed in the Wrestling National Championships in 2014, winning 2 of his 3 fights. Sahit, his wrestling coach, is a three-time Olympian from Albania with a bronze medal at the 2007 FILA Wrestling World Championships.
Currently, Murat is still competing in BJJ internationally chasing that elusive international medal at the same time as teaching out of Viva Fitness in Reservoir. His day time job entails running economics courses at La Trobe and Charles Sturt University. Murat has a Ph.D in Economics which he completed in 2012.
Murat’s competition record is summarised below:
2014
- BOA Super 8 No-Gi 73kgs Super Fight Champion (Black Belt)
2013
- Tasmanian Championships Gi 85kgs Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
- Tasmanian Championships No-Gi 85kgs Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
- Tasmanian Championships Gi Open Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
- Tasmanian Championships No-Gi Open Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup No-Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
- Melbourne International Open No-Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Brown Belt)
2012
- Victorian Championships No-Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Victorian Championships Gi Open Silver Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Pan Pacific Championships No-Gi 73kgs Silver Medallist (Brown Belt)
2011
- Victorian Championships Gi 79kgs Gold Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Victorian Championships No-Gi 79kgs Bronze Medallist (Purple Belt)
- NSW Championships Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Purple Belt)
- NSW Championships No-Gi 73kgs Silver Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup Gi 73kgs Silver Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup No-Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup Open No-Gi Bronze Medallist (Purple Belt)
- Pan Pacific Championships No-Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Purple Belt)
2010
- Victorian Championships No-Gi 79kgs Silver Medallist (Blue Belt)
- NSW Championships Gi 79kgs Silver Medallist (Blue Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup No-Gi 73kgs Gold Medallist (Blue Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup Gi 73kgs Silver Medallist (Blue Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup Open No-Gi Bronze Medallist (Blue Belt)
- Pan Pacific Championships Gi 73kgs Bronze Medallist (Blue Belt)
2008
- Australian Champions Cup Gi 85kgs Silver Medallist (Blue Belt)
- Australian Champions Cup No-Gi 85kgs Silver Medallist (Blue Belt)