I’m devastated to report the passing of legendary UK black belt (under Roger Gracie), and my good friend, Oli Geddes.
Oli shared the news of his cancer only very recently and, in true Oli fashion, he was candid about the speed of the disease and his prognosis.
I first met Oli back in the early 2000s, when I was running my Japanese jujitsu class at Imperial College. I had seen a poster in the hallway advertising Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sessions. I called the number, and it was Oli who answered, so I invited him over to our jujitsu club to show us a few things. It was a fun session and Oli was, as you expect, so kind and knowledgeable about BJJ.
Not long after, I started training in BJJ myself, and Oli has been a constant presence throughout my journey. Our paths crossed frequently, and I would often chat to him in person or online. He spent some time teaching at Mill Hill BJJ, where I trained, and I loved his classes, especially as they focused on the half guard, a position he specialised in and that I wanted to get better at.
I once arrived at class early and found Oli fast asleep in the corner of the mat. He sure loved to sleep! But once all the students had arrived, he sprang into life, whipped off his hoodie (which acted as a blanket over his gi jacket) and began the class as if nothing had happened!
I took private lessons with Oli because I wanted to understand his secrets to being such a skilled half guard player. He warned me that if I made it my go-to position, I’d end up with cauliflower ears like his. We laughed, but those lessons were important to me and shaped my entire game from then on. To this day, I still prefer to play half guard – all thanks to Oli, who inspired me.
At one point, Oli was the most prolific British competitor – at blue and purple belt he would compete every single weekend, all over the world. He continued to compete at brown and black belt and racked up an impressive record. In spite of his extensive résumé, he remained humble, always willing to post his defeats as well as his victories and share any techniques he thought were interesting to talk about. Oli was an open book.
One time, just before I was due to compete in a match, Oli happened to be the referee. As we were milling around waiting to get started, he walked over, shook my hand and then very discreetly—almost imperceptibly—whispered, “Watch out, he’s a judoka.” He gave me a cheeky wink, then walked us both to the centre to begin the match. I don’t think I’ve ever pulled guard faster! But that was Oli—always the student of the rules, always finding ways to bend them.
In 2009, I interviewed Oli, which was published on The FightWorks Podcast, a hugely popular BJJ media platform at the time. You can read the interview here:
https://meerkat69.blogspot.com/2009/04/meerkatsu-interviews-oliver-geddes-half.html
I also reviewed many of Oli’s instructionals. We would have long conversations online about the techniques, the filming process, and his behind-the-scenes anecdotes. I also often sought his advice on all sorts of BJJ matters. He became a mentor to me, although he was far too modest to think of himself that way. He was just a super helpful and friendly guy.
Oli was an absolute hoot. I remember one car journey, after a bunch of us had been to a tournament—we ended up getting a bit lost in North London, and Oli kept us laughing the entire time with his stories and anecdotes.
Even up until a few weeks ago, I had been exchanging messages with Oli. He was keen to help me improve my handstand technique of all things!!
I’ll never forget Oli. He shaped my jiu-jitsu game, but more than that, he was an utter gentleman and a true friend.
