# Lachlan Giles ("Velachiraptor,Giant Slayer")

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## Overview

**Name:** Lachlan Giles

**Nickname:** Velachiraptor,Giant Slayer


## Bio

Lachlan Giles was born on June 17, in Melbourne the coastal capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria.

Inspired by Jet Li’s martial arts films, during his teens Lachlan joined a kung fu class. About 1 year into his martial arts training Giles saw a tape on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC I) and was immediately in awe of  Royce Gracie ‘s jiu-jitsu technique. Believing this was the best form of self-defense for himself, 15-year-old Lachlan decided to join a BJJ academy, slowly distancing himself from kung fu throughout the months that followed to focus solely on his grappling.

Giles’ first BJJ instructor was Tyrone Crosse, a coach that developed the young Australian from white to purple belt. Unfortunately for Lachlan, this was a time when he was forced to stop his training due to a severe knee injury. Upon his return (one year later) his local club had suffered a few changes and there was a new coach taking care of the workgroup, his name was John Simon.

Simon awarded Lachlan his brown and black belts (2012) but was forced to retire due to an injury soon after. At the time Giles had already initiated his coaching career, a job he started in early 2013 at Renegade MMA (1 class per week). His new vocation quickly progressed to regular morning classes at the Absolute MMA academy located in the Melbourne City Center (CBD), a gym that had Thiago Stefanutti as a head coach – Thiago quickly became a strong influence in Lachlan’s jiu-jitsu game, awarding him his first BB degree.

After showing his talents as a jiu-jitsu coach at CBD, when the Absolute MMA association opened a second branch in St Kilda (2014) they invited Giles to be the instructor. An offer accepted by Lachlan.

From the St Kilda location, Lachlan worked with numerous successful grapplers, including big names such as Livia Gluchowska and Craig Jones. While developing his well-praised jiu-jitsu program at Absolute MMA and growing himself as a competitor – particularly in the no-gi mainstream circuit, Giles also achieved a PhD in physiotherapy, complete on December 2016, having 4 peer-reviewed publications focusing on patellofemoral pain.

[fighter_status id=791]

Lachlan Giles vs Edwin Najmi

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**Last Updated:** March 21, 2026

**Data Source:** BJJ.Space (https://bjj.space/people/lachlan-giles-eb31f2034cbe)