Most listeners know Avery Aloysius as the upbeat voice on Mediacorp 987FM’s The Down Low. But off the mic, the DJ has been quietly building a very different side of himself. One that now has a gold medal (in the Gi Adult / Male / White / Master (30+) / -155 lbs category) from Grappling Industries Kuala Lumpur to show for it, after submitting Malaysian Kok Jun Ee from Central MMA under two minutes in the final. Rounding up that podium was another Malaysian Zhafri Hazwan Zulkiflee.
Finding BJJ in a Dark Time
Two years ago, the journey into martial arts began in an unexpected season of life. “I started Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) during a pretty dark and rough time,” the recalled. “A friend introduced me to a gym where I could learn as a complete beginner. That gave me a goal I’d always wanted; not just to compete in a martial art, but to win.”
Falling in Love with BJJ
When Avery first joined Neue Fit, he dabbled in multiple disciplines: Muay Thai, boxing and BJJ. But something about BJJ stuck.
“After doing each of them for a month, I fell in love with BJJ. It felt different. The art is cerebral, physically demanding and requires so much training. It’s for all those reasons that I wanted to push myself as an athlete, practitioner and just as a human being.”
Learning From Defeat
No stranger to sport, Avery had competed in rock climbing and track and field, but BJJ was a whole new battlefield.
At his first Grappling Industries competition in Singapore in July, he entered with confidence, only to lose the final to an armbar.
“It was disappointing,” he admitted. “I went in with the thought process that I was good enough to bring home a gold medal, but fell short and lost my final match to an armbar because I didn’t stick to the game plan.
“But I believe that the loss in that first competition made my focus towards this second one very different. I trained not just harder, but smarter, making sure I worked on things I knew I was afraid of and conditioned myself harder.
“I also made sure I stayed on track with my game plan in the fights, listening to my coach in the corner while still adjusting as I knew how to along the way.”
Redemption in KL
That setback set the stage for redemption and Avery returned to Kuala Lumpur for the same competition, determined to make things right. “The main reason I went back was because I needed a redemption arc. I set my mind on it,” he said.
The strategy was simple but effective: trust his coaches, stay calm, and play his own game. Months of preparation – training two hours every morning, five days a week, plus additional sessions with his coach – finally paid off.
“The winning moment is something I’ll probably never be able to recreate. The minute the final match ended in a submission, I turned to my coach Amirul. That look we shared… in our heads we both said, ‘we did it.’”
Looking Ahead
Promotion to blue belt is on the horizon, but Avery is hungry for more. “I’m hoping to get one more gold medal at white belt before that. I have already set a goal for myself with my coach, and that’s a gold medal at every belt till I get my black belt.”
“I want to win a gold medal at every belt until I get my black belt. It’s a long journey, but eventually, I’ll get there. Till then, I hope to keep bringing back medals for my gym.”
Beyond the Gold
Avery credits much of his growth to the culture and system at Neue Fit. “I owe it all to Neue. I started with zero experience, but the system and my coaches gave me the fundamentals to become a confident athlete. They push me to be better every day.”
His personal transformation, from skinny kid to confident competitor, fuels his message to others: “There’s a saying in BJJ that the hardest belt to achieve is actually your white belt, because starting is, in fact, the hardest part. No one will be able to take the first step to change but you.”
If you want to change, or try a new sport, just open that door and walk through it. That’s the hardest part.
