Borderlands Grappling at Roll Models 29

The competition was fierce this past weekend as Borderlands Grappling sent two of its dedicated competitors to represent the gym at Roll Models 29. Both Damian Lewis-Colledge and Andrew Lloyd stepped up to the challenge, proving that the hard rounds in the gym translate to podium finishes on the big stage.

Here is a breakdown of how the day unfolded for our athletes.

Damian "Hide Your Arms" Lewis-Colledge

Damian had a busy day across both Gi and No-Gi divisions, finishing with an impressive overall record of 3 wins and 2 losses.

In the Gi division, Damian showed off his technical abilities early on, securing a slick armbar to take his first match. His second bout was a nail-biter that came down to the wire, unfortunately losing by a single sweep point in the final five seconds. However, Damian showcased his resilience by bouncing back in his third match, hunting down yet another armbar to secure the Bronze medal.

The No-Gi division was a "stacked" category. Damian opened with—you guessed it—another armbar finish. While he dropped his second match in a tough battle, his performance throughout the day solidified his reputation as a constant submission threat.

Andrew "Double Podium" Lloyd

Andrew Lloyd also put on a clinical performance, bringing home hardware in both disciplines.

His Gi journey started with a narrow loss by just two points, but he didn't let the setback slow his momentum. In the battle for the podium, Andrew stayed composed and secured the bronze medal via an armbar from guard.

When it came time for No-Gi, Andrew went on a tear:

Match 1: Secured a dominant rear-naked choke.

Match 2: Displayed great positional control, finishing with an armbar from kuzure kesa gatame.

These wins propelled him into the finals. After a hard-fought war, Andrew eventually fell to a foot lock against the No-Gi British champion, earning himself a well-deserved silver medal.

More Than Just Medals

While coming home with three medals between two people is a fantastic result, the real victory is the growth shown on the mats. Taking the "long walk" to the competition mat takes a level of courage that many never find, and both Damian and Andrew represented the Borderlands Grappling ethos perfectly.

Congratulations to both of you and a big shout-out to Mel Davies and Dominik Maciejewski for the coaching and support on the day.