Joel Gingery

Joel Gingery was born on August 18, 1965, in Long Beach, California, and raised in Millington, Tennessee. He began competing in judo at the age of eight and continued through his twenty-first birthday, building a competitive foundation that would define his athletic identity for decades.

His teenage years on the judo mat forged a level of technical precision and competitive discipline that followed him through every chapter of his martial arts career. What made his judo story particularly remarkable, however, was what came much later: after years away from competition, he returned to elite-level judo in his mid-thirties and earned a place on the weight-class United States national roster. Achieving national recognition in any combat sport demands exceptional commitment; doing so past thirty, in a discipline as physically rigorous as judo, speaks to an uncommon combination of natural ability, conditioning, and dedication.

Following his early judo career, Gingery entered military service, spending five years with Team One of the Navy SEALs. The discipline, physical conditioning, and mental fortitude demanded by SEAL service reinforced the same qualities that had shaped him as a competitive judoka — qualities that would later fuel his success in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Gingery returned to martial arts in 1995 after completing his military service. His reentry into competitive judo was not a casual return to a familiar hobby but a serious recommitment to high-level training. Earning a spot on the US national team roster in his mid-thirties reflects the lasting impact of his early judo foundation and the physical culture instilled during his years with the SEALs.

The moment that redirected Gingery's martial arts trajectory came in 2001 at a national judo tournament, where he observed Dave Camarillo — a judo and BJJ black belt — using jiu-jitsu techniques to dismantle opponents on the ground. What he witnessed was not simply a different approach to newaza; it was a demonstration of groundwork so conceptually distinct and effective that it immediately captured his attention.

Soon after that tournament, Gingery began training BJJ under David Ferguson and Mike Pyle in Memphis, Tennessee. His interest in the art grew rapidly, and BJJ eventually took over his training schedule entirely. He set judo aside, committed fully to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and began traveling extensively to access the highest level of instruction available.

His early belt progressions reflected that drive. Gingery received his blue belt at a workshop led by Renzo Gracie and his purple belt at a workshop led by Royce Gracie — gradings that connected him directly to the Gracie lineage during a formative period in his development. He later affiliated with the Brazilian Top Team Academy, training under Adriano Lúcio and Adriano Nasal Pereira. It was Adriano Nasal Pereira who guided Gingery through his final belt progressions, awarding him the black belt in May 2008.

Even before earning his black belt, Gingery had begun shaping the jiu-jitsu landscape in Memphis. As a purple belt, he started coaching BJJ at his own gym, laying the groundwork for a more formal institutional presence for the art in the region.

In October 2003, Gingery joined forces with David Ferguson and Mike Ostrowski to co-found the Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu Academy, a unified martial arts school in Memphis, Tennessee. The academy brought together the complementary expertise of its three founders, establishing a serious training environment rooted in their collective background in both judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The academy underwent an affiliation change in 2009, when Adriano Nasal Pereira relocated to Southern California, bringing their partnership to a natural close. A longtime admirer of Marcelo Garcia's technical approach and coaching philosophy, Gingery pursued and secured an affiliation with Garcia that same year. The Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu Academy operated under the Marcelo Garcia affiliation from 2009 onward.

Gingery's competitive career in BJJ reached its highest expression on the IBJJF Masters circuit, where he established himself as one of the most dominant figures in the Master 4 middleweight division (82.30 kg / 181.5 lbs). His results across multiple years and formats revealed not only refined technical skill but the sustained consistency that separates elite competitors from one-time champions.

Rise to the Top

His emergence as a top-level masters competitor was signaled in 2012, when he won the IBJJF Pan American Championship and finished as runner-up at the IBJJF World Masters Championship — a pairing of results that announced his arrival at the front of his division.

Four Consecutive World Masters Titles

Gingery converted that early promise into one of the most impressive runs in IBJJF Masters history, capturing four consecutive IBJJF World Masters Championship gi titles from 2014 through 2017. Sustaining that level of performance across four straight World Masters championships, competing well into his forties, reflects both the depth of his technical development and his exceptional physical conditioning.

No-Gi Excellence

Gingery's success extended beyond the gi format. He won back-to-back IBJJF World No-Gi Championship titles in 2014 and 2015, confirming that his skill set translated effectively across both rulesets. A runner-up finish at the 2016 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship further demonstrated his continued presence among the elite of masters no-gi competition.

On August 22, 2022, Gingery was arrested by Ormond Beach Police and booked into jail on charges of sexual battery and false imprisonment. The incident occurred at Halifax Health Medical Center — also known as Halifax Hospital — in Volusia County, Florida, where Gingery was employed as a nurse anesthetist.

Prosecutors alleged that Gingery trapped an 18-year-old female student from his jiu-jitsu academy in one of the hospital's on-call rooms and sexually assaulted her. Gingery testified at trial that the encounter had been consensual. After approximately two and a half hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict finding Gingery guilty on two counts of sexual battery and not guilty on the false imprisonment charge. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn sentenced Gingery to 20 years in prison.