Darragh O'Conaill: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

Who is Darragh O'Conaill?

Darragh O’Conaill is an Irish-born Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under a pair of living jiu jitsu legends, Saulo and Alexandre Ribeiro. He is one of the top middleweights in the European grappling circuit. O'Conaill was one of the original competitors in the famous ‘Lloyd Irvin jiu jitsu Kumite’ tournament in 2013. He is also an EBI veteran, American and European No-Gi champion, and runs the East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy, one of the most successful Jiu-Jitsu gyms in Dublin, Ireland.

Who is Darragh O'Conaill?

Darragh O’Conaill is an Irish-born Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under a pair of living jiu jitsu legends, Saulo and Alexandre Ribeiro. He is one of the top middleweights in the European grappling circuit. O'Conaill was one of the original competitors in the famous ‘Lloyd Irvin jiu jitsu Kumite’ tournament in 2013. He is also an EBI veteran, American and European No-Gi champion, and runs the East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy, one of the most successful Jiu-Jitsu gyms in Dublin, Ireland.

What this article covers:

• Who is Darragh O'Conaill?
• How Old is Darragh O'Conaill?
• How Much Does Darragh O'Conaill Weigh?
• Darragh O'Conaill Fight List
• Darragh O'Conaill's Best Fight of All Time
• Darragh O'Conaill Record
• Is Darragh O'Conaill Retired? 

O’Connaill was born on January 22, 1983, in Cork, Ireland, and at first found judo and rugby. He enjoyed the physical nature of these Darragh was first introduced to Jiu-Jitsu by his physical education teacher, who was also one of his rugby coaches and a blue belt in BJJ at the time. In December 2005, Darragh was taken to his teacher's academy, where he was introduced to grappling for the first time.

Unlocking The X-Guard by Darragh O'Conaill

David Jones, a student of former UFC fighter Chris Brennan at Next Generation Academy, was Darragh's initial Jiu-Jitsu coach. Jones awarded Darragh his blue and purple belts.

In 2010, when Darragh was a purple belt, David Jones decided to retire from Jiu-Jitsu due to injuries. Disenchanted with the martial art, he offered to have Darragh take over the 20-25 student class that he had been leading. Darragh accepted the offer primarily because there were no other academies nearby for him to train with.

Darragh O'Conaill began his jiu jitsu journey almost 20 years ago, officially under the tutelage of SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh. He quickly showed an aptitude for the art and began competing at a high level, earning his black belt in 2011. O'Conaill has a reputation as one of the most technical jiu jitsu competitors in Ireland, with a focus on pressure passing and top control.

O'Conaill has also competed extensively in jiu jitsu, both nationally and internationally. He has won numerous titles in Ireland, including the Irish National jiu jitsu Championships, the Irish Open, and the Irish Submission Only Grappling Championship. He has also competed at a high level internationally, winning the European IBJJF Championship in 2013 and 2015, as well as the IBJJF Pan American Championship in 2016.

In addition to his competition success, O'Conaill is a highly respected coach and has trained many of Ireland's top jiu jitsu competitors. He is the head coach of East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Wicklow, Ireland, which he founded in 2011. O'Conaill's coaching style is focused on developing a strong fundamental base and he is known for his attention to detail and ability to break down complex techniques into simple, easy-to-understand concepts.

O'Conaill is known for his relentless work ethic and dedication to the sport of jiu jitsu. He is highly respected by his peers in the Irish jiu jitsu community and is considered a role model for aspiring competitors and coaches. Despite his success, O'Conaill remains humble and continues to push himself to improve both as a competitor and as a coach.

Guard Retention: BJJ Fundamentals - Go Further Faster by John Danaher

How Old is Darragh O'Conaill? 

At the time of writing in 2023, Darragh has just turned the odometer into his 40s. He was born in January of 1983 in his home country of Ireland.

Darragh O'Conaill Family

Not much has been published about Darragh O'Conaill’s family in the media. He prefers to talk sport whenever he has the opportunity to do so, and rarely discusses personal details of his life off the mat to the public.

How Much is Darragh O'Conaill Worth?

Darragh O'Conaill made quite a name for himself on the European circuit in his prime, and continued to compete heavily from 2011 to about 2018. He’s an affiliate of East Coast Jiu Jitsu and is a well known and respected figure, particularly in Ireland.

How Tall is Darragh O'Conaill?

Darragh O'Conaill’s height isn’t known. Height is not typically disclosed in public for grappling tournaments. The focus is more on an athlete's weight class and belt level.

How Much Does Darragh O'Conaill Weigh? 

Darragh O'Conaill walks around somewhere south of 200 pounds on a regular basis but he cuts down to 181 pounds, or 82kg, in order to meet the requirements for Middleweight in the IBJJF.

Darragh O'Conaill Fight List

Since a young age, Darragh O'Conaill has competed in numerous gi and no-gi competitions, and while there is no comprehensive list of every match he has fought, we can examine his performance in jiu jitsu tournaments instead of providing a detailed breakdown of each individual match.

Brown Belt:

• 2011 IBJJF London Open Champion (brown)
• 2012 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Champion (brown)
• 2012 IBJJF London Open Champion (brown)
• 2012 IBJJF London Open Championship Runner-up (brown absolute)
• 2012 IBJJF European Open Championship 3rd Place (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Champion (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF London Open Champion (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF London Open No-Gi Champion (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF Rome Open Champion (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Championship 3rd Place (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF European Open Championship 3rd Place (brown)
• 2013 IBJJF Pan American Championship 3rd Place (brown)
• 2014 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Championship Runner-up (brown)

Black Belt:

• 2014 IBJJF London Open Champion
• 2014 IBJJF London Open No-Gi Champion
• 2015 IBJJF American National No-Gi Champion
• 2015 IBJJF American National Championship Runner-up
• 2015 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Championship 3rd Place
• 2015 IBJJF Rome Open Championship Runner-up
• 2016 IBJJF Finnish No-Gi Open Champion
• 2016 IBJJF London Fall Open Champion
• 2017 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Championship Runner-up
• 2018 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Champion

Darragh O'Conaill's Best Fight of All Time

Darragh O'Conaill's grappling career is marked by a lot of medals, but his greatest triumph came in the form of avenging his 2017 silver medal by clinching the gold medal at the 2018 IBJJF European No-Gi Open Championships. This victory was significant because it showed his resilience and determination to bounce back from a previous setback. Winning a championship is no small feat, but to do so after experiencing defeat requires a great deal of mental and physical strength. Darragh's hard work, dedication, and tactical approach to the sport paid off, and he emerged victorious in a highly competitive field. This victory is a testament to his ability as a grappler and his unwavering commitment to excellence.

Who Did Darragh O'Conaill Lose To?

Darragh O’Conaill has won a lot of hardware, but along with that comes some setbacks. In 2017, he challenged the middleweight bracket at the IBJJF European No Gi Championships. He stomped through the early rounds without a problem, securing victories against other top level pros.

Unfortunately, he squared off with Alliance’s Isaque Bahiense Braz in the final round. Although it was a tightly contested match, Braz was able to get ahead on points and eventually win the match. Although Darragh didn’t take the medal home that day, he certainly managed to prove he belonged with a silver medal in the most prestigious European tournament. To make it even more impressive, O’Conaill was able to return the following year and win gold in the same bracket.

Darragh O'Conaill Record

Darragh O'Conaill’s record as a black belt is 61-35 in professional competition. That’s especially impressive considering some of the names that were haunting his division during that time. He shared the mat with no-gi legends like Eduardo Rios, Richie Martinez, and Tarik Hopstock on his way to this winning record.

Darragh O'Conaill Injuries

Despite the fact that grapplers are likely to face minor injuries, Darragh O'Conaill has chosen not to disclose any such setbacks, indicating that he has had a relatively injury-free career. He is recognized for his proactive strategy toward injury prevention, and though he hasn't revealed any specifics about injuries to the press, it's reasonable to guess that he may have experienced some wear and tear from his extended training and competitive experience in the field.

Is Darragh O'Conaill Retired?

Darragh retired as a purple belt but came out of retirement as a black belt and returned to the highest levels of professional grappling competition with a lot of success. He’s competed as recently as 2021 and we expect to see him return in the future to challenge for the European and even World IBJJF titles again before he’s ready to hang up the gi for good. Even then, O’Conaill has already started to reveal that he’s got skills as a coach and instructor as well.

Recently, O'Conaill teamed up with our team at BJJ Fanatics in order to create some digital products so that those of us across the pond can still access the knowledge that this Irishman has accrued. His series is called “Unlocking the X Guard”, and it looks to do just that!

Unlock your X Guard with Darragh O’Conaill in this comprehensive video product that teaches you how to develop a go-to X guard using battle tested strategies that worked for O’Connel on his way to many podiums. In this 4-part instructional, Darragh shares his extensive knowledge and experience, teaching you how to enter the X Guard from a variety of positions, including standing positions, multiple guards, and even bad positions like the mount. Take a moment to check out some euro-style tips to playing this open guard from one of Ireland’s top competitors!

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