Daniel 'The Tooth Hunter' O'Rourke
Professional BJJ & MMA Coach
BJJ & MMA Coach
Daniel O'Rourke
Daniel O’Rourke is a BJJ and Muay coach at the Bear’s Den BJJ & MMA in Taichung City, Taiwan, and is head coach Demitri’s top student.
Daniel is a 3rd Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt with a 6-3 amateur MMA record and a 4-2 amateur Muay Thai record. He is currently ranked #2 in South East Asia for amateur MMA by Tapology. Recently, he won the KOD Championship Superfight against an experienced striker in the 2nd round by KO. He also competes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and was the 2019 Taiwan International Purple Belt Middleweight silver medalist.
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The Tooth Hunter began his mixed martial arts journey practicing Shorin Ryu Karate in Seattle Washington, America Canada over 14 years ago before moving to Taiwan. He’s currently staying active and looking to compete in MMA, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and grappling.
Not only is coach Daniel an accomplished martial artist, but he is also a certified ACE Fitness and Conditioning coach, a certified Animal Flow coach and has refereed over 30 BJJ matches.
Amateur MMA Record – 6-3
Striking & Muay Thai – 8-2
MMA History
2022 Taoyuan International Muay Thai Event
• Win – Decision
2022 Alma Muay Pro Professional Muay Thai
• Win – Third Round TKO
2021 King Of Dragons Amateur Striking/MMA Super-fight
• Win – Second Round KO
2020 WOTD Amateur MMA 73kg
• Win – Third round TKO. Ranked #3 in SE Asia.
2019 WOTD Amateur MMA
• 5 fight win streak. Turned Professional.
BJJ Record
- 2019 Taiwan International
• Purple Belt Middle weight – Silver
• Open weight – Bronze - 2018 Defending King of Taiwan BJJ
• Blue Belt – Gold - 2018 ADCC
• Intermediate – Lightweight – Bronze - 2017 Dumau Open
• White belt – Lightweight – Gold - 2015 Taiwan International
• White belt – Lightweight – Gold
AT A GLANCE:
Height: 182cm Weight: 77kg
From: Seattle, Washington. America
Belt rank: Purple
Years of training: 14 years. Started training in 2007.
Favorite move: Baseball bat choke
Related Accomplishments:
- Animal Flow Certified Instructor
- A.C.E. Personal Trainer Certification
- Fluent Chinese
- CPR and AED certified
Q&A With the Coach
Why did you start training?
I was small, timid, and frequently picked on in middle school and throughout high school. I started practicing Shorin Ryu Karate so that I could stand up for myself. Shortly after, I started training a variety of martial arts such as: BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, and Filipino Kali-Silat.
What do you love most about martial arts?
Training hard together builds camaraderie. My coaches and teammates are my best friends and second family in Taiwan. Some people go to the bar to meet their buddies after work. I go to The Den to train with my family.
When did you begin teaching striking and jiu-jitsu?
I began coaching in 2014, in Hsinchu. I began to coach at The Bears Den in February, 2018. I believe coaching forces me to think more deeply about details, and the process of properly executing techniques.
What do you try to focus on when coaching?
I spend a lot of mental processing power trying to ensure that I am striking the right balance between pushing my students hard enough that they improve, but not so hard that they resent my criticism or no longer enjoy training. Beyond that, I want my students to know I am focused on them and invested in their progress. These are two big factors that have determined which instructors I personally have enjoyed training under.
What are some future goals you have in MMA?
Prior to training at The Bear’s Den, I had no goals besides staying in shape and keeping my BJJ sharp. Fast forward five years and I’m ranked the #3 amateur 77kg fighter in SE Asia. Five years at The Bear’s Den has pushed me to accomplish more in MMA than I’d ever set out to do, so I’m currently staying active and looking to compete as often as possible whether in Taiwan or overseas.
