Amiel Jacob “AJ” Safaniev is an 11-year-old Australian combat sports athlete with a passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, freestyle wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts. Despite his young age, AJ has already become a multiple-time state and national champion, competing successfully at state, national, and international levels.

Born into a strong combat sports family, AJ has trained from an early age under the guidance of his father, Marc Safaniev, a former national champion wrestler and MMA competitor originally from Dagestan — a region internationally renowned for producing elite wrestlers. Combat sports have always been a way of life for AJ, teaching him discipline, resilience, humility, and dedication.

AJ currently trains at HMH FC under Marc Safaniev and Perth Martial Arts Centre (PMC) under 4 time world BJJ champion William Dias and the rest of his experienced coaches and elite-level athletes to continue developing his skills. His dream is to represent Australia on the world stage and eventually pursue a professional career in combat sports.

Outside of training and competition, AJ is a dedicated student who balances school, additional academic studies, and extracurricular activities alongside an intense training schedule. His family strongly believes in building not only great athletes, but well-rounded young people with strong values and work ethic.

The funds raised will go toward competition entry fees, interstate and international travel, accommodation, training camps, coaching, equipment, and ongoing development opportunities throughout 2026. AJ’s upcoming goals include competing at major national tournaments and representing Australia internationally at the World Youth Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Japan later this year.

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps AJ continue pursuing his dream and gives him the opportunity to compete against the best young athletes in the world while proudly representing Australia.