There are now two active arrest warrants for Izaak Michell in the state of Texas.

The first, out of Hays County, charges sexual assault — a second-degree felony carrying two to twenty years. The second, confirmed by Australian outlet 10 News Plus, was issued February 25 out of Austin for assault by contact of a sexual nature. A second jurisdiction. A second alleged victim. Michell sits on the Hays County Top 12 Fugitives list, with a $1,000 reward and a wanted poster that warns: "Subject is a martial arts expert. Use caution."

More than 20 women have reportedly come forward.

And that's where the story could have stayed — warrants, accusations, a fugitive somewhere in the world. Except 10 News Plus reporter Samantha Butler did what no one in the grappling community's institutional leadership has bothered to do. She went and found him.

Michell is living on Australia's Gold Coast. In a blue-grey Suzuki APV van. No fixed address. When Butler knocked, he didn't answer. He sat inside for roughly 90 minutes while a camera crew waited. Then someone arrived, got behind the wheel, and drove the van away with Michell still inside.

That's the response. Not a statement. Not a denial through counsel. Not a voluntary surrender. A 90-minute game of possum in a minivan.

Craig Jones, who appeared blurred on camera during the 10 News segment, has been the loudest voice pushing this story forward. He's the one who said he spent a week listening to the accounts of over 20 women. He's the one who told Michell publicly: "Innocent people don't run." And when ADCC refused to address Michell's continued presence on their competitor list, Jones rescinded a $48,000 pledge he'd made to bring women's prize money to parity with the men's divisions.

That last part is worth sitting with. The guy running a rival promotion pulled his own money off the table — money that would have directly benefited female competitors — because ADCC wouldn't take a position on a man with two active arrest warrants competing at their flagship event. The women lost the pay bump. ADCC kept the silence.

Michell qualified for ADCC 2026 in Poland by winning the Asia & Oceania Trials at 77kg. As of today, he remains on the active competitor list. ADCC has not responded to requests for comment from BJJ Doc, BJJEE, or Jits Magazine. Former ADCC promoter Mo Jassim acknowledged that fugitive status "would change everything" but the organization's official accounts have said nothing.

Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu expelled Michell in mid-December 2025. The warrant came weeks later. The second warrant came weeks after that. Every institution that has actually looked at the situation has made the same call: distance. Every institution except the one that would put him on the biggest stage in grappling.

The ADCC World Championships are in September. There are five months of silence left to fill.

Michell's van, presumably, has already moved.

Sources

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