With 16 years of training under his belt and a dynamic competition style, Rilion Gracie Association black belt Drew Lockwood might just be one of the area’s best-kept secrets even though he hasn’t competed with as much regularity as others in the city. The last time he competed at an IBJJF major was Pans a few years ago, a close loss to current F2W champ Marcos Tinoco at brown belt. Since then he’s focused on operating and running his own growing academy, Rilion Gracie West Houston. Now that the academy is on terrific footing, Lockwood is looking to ratchet up his competition career as well.
“I’ve done 3 F2W events now and am 3-0,” says Drew. ‘I just want to keep testing and improving my game.”
He’ll be looking to do just that when he takes on Ed Ramos of Ed Ramos BJJ, an opponent that has BJJ bloodlines going back to time spent training with luminaries such as the Mendes brothers.
For Lockwood, it might be the biggest challenge he’s faced to date but it’s one he’s looking forward to.
‘I want to feel his game, get good grips, and look for submissions. I study and prepare for certain matchups but competition for me is about the experience. I like seeing where my technique takes me. I don’t have any special athleticism. I rely on knowledge and instinct and I’m having a lot of fun training that way. I used to focus on specific positions in my game. It gave me the insight into how technical I could be. Now I try to be good everywhere and simply react. I focus on balance giving myself a chance to attack, sweep, or pass from any position. I stick to the basics, and that’s what I’m good at. My students are learning so fast. I just want to keep up with them! (lol)”
“I just want to think everyone in the Rilion Gracie Association. Our academies are growing so fast. I feel very lucky to be a part of it and appreciate all the help and support. My gym is located in the heart of the energy corridor at 1396 Eldridge pkwy. We have great students, can’t wait to show the Jiu Jitsu we have been learning.”
