When a teenage JJ Bowers put ADCC veteran Keith Krikorian to sleep at Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds, audiences everywhere sat up and took notice — and for good reason. An ADCC Trials champ and multiple-time medalist, Krikorian is one of the most dangerous no-gi grapplers in his division.
“Truly one of the most electrifying moments of my career,” Bowers says of the match against Krikorian. “It started with some heavy wrestling pressure and led to me snapping down Keith into a front headlock. Then I adjusted my grips into an anaconda and stuck him to the mat. After about ten seconds, I felt him go limp and I knew it was over so I just let go of the choke.”
Bowers, who’s been grappling since the age of five, originally got started in Brazilian jiu-jitsu because his father wanted to enroll his son in a combat sport that wouldn’t put him at risk of constant head trauma. Bowers took to jiu-jitsu immediately, thrilled by the frequent opportunities for competition inherent in the sport.
“I have always enjoyed the constant cycle of learning and outperforming my competition,” Bowers tells us. It’s a raison d’etre of sorts: the thing that’s kept him consistent with his mat time despite the myriad of distractions available to most young men in his age group.
Bowers’ competitive drive and discipline paid off — since that first fateful jiu-jitsu kids’ class, he’s collected a number of impressive accolades, including the prestigious ADCC Youth Worlds title, as well as an appearance on PGF season eight alongside fellow Gaidama athlete Jett Thompson.
“PGF has been a whirlwind of emotions for me in all the right ways,” Bowers says of his original debut on the show. “On season eight of PGF, I fell short of a lot of high expectations from people — including my own — so it was a really big learning moment for me. I was highly confident going into that season, so I feel like a lot of the lessons I learned were about how I can improve my jiu-jitsu and mindset.”
Luckily for PGF audiences, Bowers has earned an opportunity to return to the PGF stage for the competition’s ninth season, where he looks forward to the chance to apply those hard-won lessons from his time on season eight. “I’ve taken a lot of new approaches to practicing jiu-jitsu, and I am excited to showcase it,” Bowers shares. “This season on PGF, I am going to be with the Las Vegas Kings as an alternate, and I’m hoping the best for my team!”
“I’m staying ready for the competition and have been training heavily with our head coach Ricky Lundell,” adds Bowers. “I personally think we have the most stacked team and that we are going to take over PGF season nine!”
Bowers may still technically be a teen, but with nearly fifteen years of jiu-jitsu experience under his belt, he’s already a grappling veteran several times over, compared to most of his older peers. It’s equipped the young PGF alumnus with clear-eyed, goal-oriented ambitions in the combat sports world — and the work ethic to pursue them wholeheartedly.
“Other than PGF, my goal is to continue [appearing on] the biggest stages of the world when it comes to jiu-jitsu and combat sports,” says Bowers. “Wherever I’m invited, wherever I qualify, I’ll compete.”
For Bowers, that also includes an eventual transition to the sport of MMA. “MMA is also a major goal of mine and I’m excited to make my debut soon,” he shares. “Being a world champion in jiu-jitsu and MMA are my main aspirations and I’m excited to show the world how good I am, and will be.”
In addition to his grappling accolades, Bowers is also known for creating eye-catching, entertaining social media content. What’s the secret to his success?
Ultimately, for the ADCC youth world champ, effective social media content creation comes down to authenticity — and not taking himself overly seriously at all times.
“When I make social media content I usually try to focus on three main things,” explains Bowers. “First, I don’t try too hard when editing. If it comes naturally then I feel confident to post it. The second is that I try to keep my posts lighthearted when it comes to reels. My slideshow posts can be a reflection of my true emotions, but when I post reels, I try to keep them comedic.”
After all, Bowers may be a monster on the mats, but he also understands the value — not to mention viral appeal — of well-placed humor. This jiu-jitsu star isn’t above making his audience laugh.
Bowers’ third piece of advice comes down to relationship building. “I recommend collaboration with other accounts to reach a larger audience,” he advises. “Gaidama and I have made plenty of collabs together, and I’m really appreciative of them for expanding my audience while I get to represent them!”
As for his relationship with Gaidama itself, Bowers cheerfully describes himself as having been “nothing but spoiled” ever since he signed with the brand at the start of 2024.
“Gaidama was my first official sponsor,” he explains. “My good friend Oscar De Los Santos introduced me to the brand’s owners, and I showed them I had what it took to be sponsored by winning gold at an ADCC open within that same month.”
For Bowers, Gaidama represents the best of what a good sponsor can offer an athlete. “They are so good at treating their athletes with the upmost respect and providing them with the highest quality jiu-jitsu apparel,” says Bowers. “To say I’m grateful would be an understatement.”
Bowers’ favorite piece of Gaidama apparel is, unsurprisingly, the stunning custom kit he wore on his way to ADCC gold at Youth Worlds. “It was a red, dragon-themed ‘Bowers’ rashguard based off the tattoos on my arms,” he explains. “I hope to make that an official kit that Gaidama releases some day because I truly think it’s beautiful!”
Want to channel your inner JJ Bowers? While his own custom kit may not be available en masse (yet!), consider rocking a similarly red-themed color scheme and bold, eye-catching design with the men’s Cyber Fox kit.