Elijah Dorsey

Elijah Dorsey was born on September 9, 2001, in Annapolis, MD, USA, but grew up in neighboring Upper Marlboro.

During his formative years, Dorsey was incredibly active in the local competitive sports scene, playing football, baseball, basketball, and track racing throughout his scholastic career. It was also during his early age that Elijah began his martial arts career with his first steps being taken at a Summer camp at the age of 6.

At the Summer camp mentioned above, Dorsey was introduced to Muay Thai and a few self-defense concepts. This first experience with combat disciplines led the young Maryland native to continue his martial arts training at Team Lloyd Irvin’s training center, where he worked through the academy’s kids program, finally joining Donald Achnick‘s jiu-jitsu class at the age of 7.

After his first taste of jiu-jitsu, young Elijah became hooked on the sport, gradually becoming one of the top colored belt athletes in jiu-jitsu under Achnick’s and Lloyd Irvin‘s tutelage.

Interestingly, when addressing his choice to follow the professional path at the age of 19 for BJJ Heroes, Elijah said of the reasoning behind his career option: “the COVID pandemic was probably the main thing that propelled me to want to become a pro. It gave me time to reflect on what I want to do for my life and helped me realize what I absolutely love to do”. His performances on the mat led Dorsey’s coaches to promote him to black belt in June 2022.

Dorsey became widely recognized as one of grappling’s hottest prospects during his career when he conquered numerous titles in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s (IBJJF) league, including World and Pan American gold medals. He recently won the ADCC East Coast Trials, punching his ticket to the 2024 ADCC World Championships.

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