Chris Tran

Christopher Tran, also known as Shortround, is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Julius Park of Crazy 88 / Team Lloyd Irvin, who competes in the North American grappling circuit. Chris Tran first broke out as one of the top athletes in his division as a brown belt, a time when he conquered important medals of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) league, a good form he maintained when he was promoted to the pro-level.

Christopher Tran Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Christopher Duyquan Tran

Nickname: known as Shortround by his teammates, a label that dates back to his early days at the Crazy 88 Academy, when he was in his mid-teens. Always tailing along with the older students, the team’s crew drew a comparison between Tran and Indiana Jones’ sidekick in the Temple Of Doom movie who went by the name Shortround. Given that there was a physical resemblance between the two, the nickname stuck and stood throughout his career.

Lineage:  Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Jorge Pereira > Leo Dalla > Lloyd Irvin > Julius Park > Christopher Tran

Main Achievements:

• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2023)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2023)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2019 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2016 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2019 brown)

Favorite Position/Technique: Well Rounded

Weight Division: Peso Galo (57,50 kg / 127.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Crazy 88 / Team Lloyd Irvin

Chris Tran Biography

Chris Tran was born on September 27, 1995, in Baltimore, MD, USA but grew up in Severna Park, MD where he spent his formative years, only relocating to College Park at a later date to attend to his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at The University of Maryland.

A fan of martial arts from an early age, Tran first dipped his toes in these activities through kung fu and taekwondo, which he practiced from his childhood up to his teens. Christopher also wrestled for Severna Park High School for one season.

The introduction to jiu-jitsu took place when Chris was 13, through his brother-in-law who had started grappling a few months prior and invited Tran and his sister to join him. Christopher was fascinated by the martial art early on as he saw smaller athletes dominate bigger ones, which encouraged him to pursue this activity.

While developing as an athlete, Chris Tran studied at the University of Maryland, where he formed an official BJJ club (2014). A workgroup he maintained throughout his time there until he graduated in 2017.

Tran trained under the guidance of Julius Park from his first class, representing Crazy 88 (an affiliate of Team Lloyd Irvin) in the US circuit, where he became one of the top athletes in the nation, particularly in the no-gi ruleset. Tran’s outstanding form as a brown belt would lead to his black belt promotion in December 2021.