Keith Kirkorian

Keith Krikorian was born on October 14, 1997, in San Diego, California, and discovered a passion for combat sports at an exceptionally young age. At nine years old, he laced up boxing gloves for the first time and began competing on the amateur circuit, building a technical foundation in the Sweet Science that would later inform his approach to grappling.

Driven by a long-term ambition to compete in mixed martial arts, Krikorian expanded his striking arsenal throughout his formative years, adding kickboxing and Muay Thai alongside boxing. This multidisciplinary striking background gave him a well-rounded perspective on combat before he ever stepped onto a jiu-jitsu mat. When high school arrived, he took a decisive step toward his MMA goals by joining his school's wrestling team and simultaneously beginning his jiu-jitsu journey. Competing in the folkstyle ruleset sharpened his scrambling instincts, while early mat time on the jiu-jitsu side introduced him to the submission-oriented game he would come to master. The convergence of striking depth and grappling exposure laid the groundwork for the complete competitor he would become.

Krikorian's jiu-jitsu journey began under the instruction of Shannon Gugerty, whose teaching provided the initial technical framework for his ground game. His development continued under Walel Watson before he found a permanent home with Richie Martinez—known in the community as "Boogeyman"—at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu.

The move to Richie Martinez proved to be the defining turning point in Krikorian's career. Martinez guided his progression through the purple and brown belt ranks, overseeing a competitive evolution that quickly produced results on the national stage. At brown belt in 2018, Krikorian claimed gold at the SJJIF World Championships in the no-gi division, and in 2019 he added a third-place finish at the IBJJF Pan Championships no-gi—results that established his legitimacy as a high-level colored belt competitor. In October 2020, Richie Martinez awarded Krikorian his black belt, formally recognizing a journey built on years of cross-disciplinary athletic development and consistent competitive performance.

Colored Belt Breakthroughs and Early Professional Success

Long before earning his black belt, Krikorian announced himself as a serious threat on the national no-gi circuit through a remarkable run at the ADCC United States Trials. Competing as a colored belt, he reached the final at the ADCC Trials in both 2018 and 2019, earning back-to-back runner-up finishes that captured the attention of the broader grappling community. Those consecutive performances earned him a direct invitation to the 2019 ADCC World Championships—an extraordinary achievement for an athlete who had yet to receive his black belt.

Krikorian reinforced his rising stock on the professional submission-only and EBI circuits during this same stretch, claiming gold at the Onnit Invitational in 2018 and Show the Art Finishers 6 that same year.

Cementing Elite Status

Krikorian carried that momentum into the post-black belt era with sustained excellence on the professional circuit. In 2021, he secured victories at both the High Rollerz 10K and Ultimate Mat Warriors 6, underlining his consistency at the highest level. On the ADCC Trials circuit, after placing second at the East Coast Trials in both 2018 and 2021, he delivered his most decisive result by winning the ADCC West Coast Trials in 2022. That victory secured his place among the elite of no-gi grappling and cemented his standing as one of the premier 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu competitors on the international circuit.