VALENTIN FELS CAMILLERI

Bio

Valentin Fels Camilleri is a French Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and passionate Martial Artist. Born in Colmar Alsace, France, Valentin faced bullying from older classmates when he started pre-primary school. In response, his mother enrolled him in judo the age of four, marking a significant turning point in his life and introducing him to the world of martial arts. Throughout his teenage years, he continued to explore various martial arts, with a particular focus on judo and karate.

At 17, he first hears about MMA and discovers the UFC while watching the UFC 98 event featuring Evans vs. Machida. Captivated, he becomes a fan, especially of legends like Fedor Emelianenko and Georges St-Pierre. However, the ban on MMA in France limits his options. At 20, he decides to enhance his martial arts background by exploring the ground game and begins training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Strasbourg while studying sports science at university. As the years pass, he finds himself torn between pursuing an academic career and following his growing passion for martial arts.

After earning his Master's degree, he decided leave university and dedicate himself fully to becoming a better martial artist. Within a year, he achieved two national titles in the purple belt category, but felt constrained by his training environment. Drawing from his experience living abroad during his studies in Australia, he took a leap of faith and moved to Iceland September 2016 to join Mjölnir MMA, where he began teaching regular classes. By early 2017, he became the head coach of the new Vikingatrek CrossFit competition team for a season, but his passion for martial arts led him to take on the role of head coach for the jiu-jitsu competition team in February 2018. He also began coaching fighters at MMA events, including the IMMAF Worlds 2018 MMA Amateur Championships in Bahrain.

Since then, Valentin has achieved notable success, securing third place at the ADCC European Qualifiers in 2019 and winning the national no-gi championships six times. He competed on the main card of 19 against Eoghan O'Flanaghan and headlined the 1st Unbroken Championship, where he defeated Marcin Held. In 2020, he opened his own academy, "Brimir," in Akranes, and has also providing self-defense training to companies. Additionally, in 2021, he became a peer-reviewed author through an article co-written with the University of Brisbane.