Sport
25 September, 2026
Gold medals for Girren lads
ISAIAH and Joshua Girren have once again proven themselves among Australia’s most exciting young mixed martial artists, returning home with a remarkable haul of medals from the ISKA Asia-Pacific Open Championships in Sanya, Hainan, China.
Competing against more than 1300 athletes from across the globe, the brothers delivered one of their strongest international performances to date, with Isaiah claiming four gold medals in four disciplines and Joshua securing three gold, one silver and one bronze across four intense days of world class competition.
Isaiah, 18, produced a stand-out campaign, stepping outside his usual Muay Thai and K1 disciplines to test himself in boxing, MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
His decision to compete in alternate divisions allowed other Australian fighters to shine in his usual categories, a move praised by ISKA Australia president and Elite Martial Arts coach Jeffrey Bullock.
“Isaiah’s achievements are a fantastic example of a true martial artist,” Bullock said.
“He was willing to step outside his comfort zone, challenge himself in new disciplines and support the wider ISKA Team Australia. His results show versatility, courage and a genuine team first attitude.”
Isaiah, 18, competed in the senior male -60kg division across boxing, MMA, BJJ Gi and BJJ No Gi.
He opened with two strong bouts in the boxing ring, claiming gold after defeating China in the final. In MMA, he secured another gold with wins over Karar Mahdi (Iraq), a KO against Ivan Sarukhanyan (Russia) and a final victory over Ryota Nakashima (Japan).
His third gold came in BJJ Gi after overcoming Chi Kong Chow (Hong Kong) in the final and he completed his clean sweep in BJJ No Gi with wins over Kong Chow, Jhaymie Gayman (Philippines) and Nakashima in the final.
Joshua, 16, also demonstrated maturity and sportsmanship beyond his years.
Competing in the under 16 male -60kg division, he deliberately stepped away from K1 and kickboxing, so his teammate wouldn’t face another Australian in their first international tournament.
His first gold came in the boxing ring after defeating Mikhail Bychkov (Russia), followed by a KO victory over Vasilii Bushmakin (Russia) in the final.
He added a second gold in Muay Thai with a KO win over China and claimed his third gold after overcoming Japan in the BJJ Gi final.
Joshua earned silver in MMA after a hard fought three round final against Martin Mugaev (Russia) and rounded out his campaign with a bronze in BJJ No Gi from his semi-final bout against Mugaev.
The brothers have trained together for years across Muay Thai, BJJ, rugby league and more recently soccer, but this tournament offered their first opportunity to compete side by side in MMA on the international stage.
The ISKA Asia-Pacific Championships have given the Girren brothers valuable international experience as they prepare for the WMO European Championships in Rome (5-9 October) and the WBC European Championships in Sardinia (15-18 October).