Patrick Ortman is one of the biggest adventure seekers in Fountain Hills, and he’s always been that way. He earned his Eagle Scout and was a High Adventure camp instructor for Boy Scouts, and then he raced motorcycles and competitively rock climbed as a young man. At 49 years old, Ortman is excelling at his latest passion and won a jiu jitsu world championship title in early September.

Ortman is a purple belt and competed in the 168 lbs. Masters Division. His most notable accolade ahead of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) 2023 World Championships was winning the 2023 Arizona Championships. His opponents at worlds included the 2022 defending world champion, the 2021 world champion, the reigning European and Asian champions, and a rematch with the runner-up at the Arizona championships, Jason Rutherford.

Ortman credits his training partners, coaches and the overall culture of the Impact Jiu Jitsu gym in Fountain Hills for his success. The gym is small and tucked away in a corner above the All-American Sports Bar and Grill, but it has big, life-changing affects on members.

UFC fighter Anthony Birchak came to Impact as a guest speaker two years ago, and his seminar gave Ortman the final push he needed to compete. Ortman thought about the Dylan Thomas poem, “do not go gentle into that good night,” and then started to compete in one tournament per month for a year.

“I really saw myself fitting into the gym as sort of a role player, which is where I’ve sort of always lived my life,” Ortman said. “I wanted to be a good training partner. I wanted to absorb the information…I think that there was a part of me that knew that on a long enough timeline, I’m not going to have an opportunity to be excellent at something ever again. I was going to have to go in 100%, or just concede to the sunset.”

Ortman won his first tournament, and he was put in the 20-30 age bracket since he was the only one in his age range. After a few more tournament wins, the coaches at Impact encouraged Ortman to go for the 2022 world championship.

“I decided to restructure my schedule and took a very methodical, almost scientific approach to training, nutrition, sleep, fitness trackers, all that sort of stuff,” Ortman said. “Morning class, then I did wrestling class, then I did evening class. Somewhere in between there, I’d find two hours to go over to Anytime Fitness, hit the treadmill, do pull-ups and push-ups and weight training.”

Ortman made spreadsheets for his diet, training and opponent’s skills. The other members at Impact helped him however he needed in training and were careful to avoid injuries. Unfortunately, Ortman walked away emptyhanded after a first-round exit in his first world tournament. He lost in a referee decision and used his loss as motivation to improve.

“I was riding my motorcycle through the deserts of Nevada and there wasn’t anybody within a hundred miles,” Ortman said. “I was listening to a song that I trained to in here with Peter, my wrestling coach, and I vowed to myself that I would never, ever fail in the first round again.”

Ortman said by the end of his drive, he decided he would win it all. He participated in less tournaments leading up to the 2023 world championships, refined his skills on the mat, and entered the 2023 world tournament as the No. 9 seed in a 32-man bracket.

Each match inside the Las Vegas Convention Center was more intense than the last. Paul Vu, Ortman’s first opponent, was the most flexible fighter Ortman had ever faced and he slipped out of every lock Ortman tried. Ortman didn’t get Vu to submit, but he won with advantage points.

After a second-round bye, Ortman had his rematch with Rutherford. Ortman beat Rutherford 18-0 in July for the Arizona Championship title but knew the Prescott fighter would be tougher to bring down a second time. Ortman won with a two point, three advantage lead, and they hugged it out afterward.

“I expected a much harder fight and that he brought,” Ortman said. “Oh my God, he really paid attention to my game, and it was like he was teleporting ahead of my moves in a lot of cases. My takedown that worked for me last time did not work this time. He had clearly been practicing.”

Ortman upset the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds in the final two matches to win the world championship. He beat David Padilla by half a point in the semi-finals, and then faced reigning champion Allen Bolen for the gold medal.

Ortman studied Bolen’s game for two years and had a mile-long file on his techniques and habits. Bolen has a wrestling background and is incredibly strong, but Ortman used bottom-side jiu jitsu and was able to get Bolen’s ankle in a leg lock and roll him over into submission.

Ortman said he cried and still wasn’t completely over the emotions a week after winning. Hundreds of hours had paid off and his biggest supporters at home and in the gym were thrilled for him.

“It’s just the coolest thing in the world to have all these guys that flew from all over the country and all over the globe to compete in this thing and to know that even though I’m an old guy, if you put in some effort and you surround yourself with good people and get good training, good things can happen,” Ortman said.

“It felt a little bit like a Rudy story,” he added, referencing the famous Notre Dame football underdog.

Ortman competed in two more tournaments since his world title and isn’t slowing down. Ortman’s seen life-changing effects in himself and others since joining Impact Jiu Jitsu, and he encourages others to give it a try. He believes there’s a place for everyone to overcome personal hurdles inside the gym, no matter how big or how small.