Lion's Den Leiden

05/07/2026

🥉 HISTORY MADE AT THE DUTCH OPEN 🥉

Yesterday, Dean Hasoun made history.

Dean became the first athlete in Lion’s Den Leiden history to win a medal at the Dutch Open, one of the toughest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments in the Netherlands.

Competing in the Adult Male (16+ years) White Belt -67.5 kg division, Dean fought through seven matches against an exceptionally high level of competition to earn this hard-fought bronze medal.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Dean did it without a coach in his corner. He travelled to the tournament alone, trusted his preparation, and kept fighting until the very end.

As coaches, we are incredibly proud of Dean’s performance. But we’re even prouder of the person he is.

Dean is someone who never looks for excuses. He shows up to every training session, works tirelessly to improve, studies the sport, supports his teammates, and is always ready to help others. Those qualities define a true martial artist far more than any medal ever could.

Dean has also overcome many challenges in his personal life. Watching him grow—not only as a grappler, but as a person—has been inspiring.

This bronze medal represents much more than a place on the podium. It is the result of months of discipline, resilience, perseverance, and character.

Congratulations, Dean. You have written a piece of Lion’s Den Leiden history, and we have no doubt this is only the beginning.

We are incredibly proud of you. 🦁🥉

06/06/2026

🥈 Another outstanding performance by Dean at the Cauliflower Cup Circuit 2.

Dean continues to improve week after week. He is one of the hardest-working athletes on our team, never backs down from a challenge, and is always looking for ways to get better. Whether it’s showing up consistently to training, putting in extra conditioning work, or helping his teammates, Dean sets a great example every single week.

More importantly, he is an incredible teammate and an even better person. He is always willing to help others, always supports the team, and always brings a positive attitude to the mats.

Today Dean once again showed how much he has grown as an athlete. He displayed a beautiful uchi mata, followed by strong top control, and later demonstrated a fantastic mount escape under pressure.

What makes me most proud is seeing how well Dean can apply his techniques in a competition setting. Performing skills in training is one thing; executing them under tournament pressure is something else entirely. Dean continues to prove that his hard work is paying off.

We are extremely proud of his progress and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. This is another big step forward in what is becoming a very promising competition journey.

🥈 Silver Medal
🏆 Cauliflower Cup Circuit 2
🥋 Adult Male No-Gi White Belt
⚖️ Featherweight (-67.5kg)

06/06/2026

🥈 A fantastic performance by Bas at the Cauliflower Cup Circuit 2.

Bas joined Lion’s Den Leiden in January. Although he already had previous grappling experience, he immediately stood out through his consistency, willingness to learn, and the way he always tries to apply techniques correctly during training. On top of that, he is always friendly, respectful, and supportive towards his teammates.

Today, Bas fought like a lion in a very tough and high-level division: the Adult Male No-Gi Blue Belt Medium Heavyweight (-85.5kg) division.

What impressed me the most was how coachable he was throughout the day. He stayed calm, followed the game plan, controlled the pace, and constantly made smart decisions. Always working towards the submission, and when it wasn’t there, scoring points through dominant positions.

Bas showcased some beautiful takedowns, secured a great submission, and demonstrated excellent composure against experienced opponents.

We are incredibly proud of his performance, his attitude, and the way he represented Lion’s Den Leiden. Results are important, but seeing an athlete stay calm under pressure, execute a strategy, and continue improving is even more rewarding.

This was a strong performance in a highly competitive division and a glimpse of what is still to come.

🥈 Silver Medal
🏆 Cauliflower Cup Circuit 2
🥋 Adult Male No-Gi Blue Belt
⚖️ Medium Heavyweight (-85.5kg)

06/06/2026

🥉 FIRST TOURNAMENT. FIRST MEDAL.

A huge congratulations to Tabit on earning Bronze at the Cauliflower Cup Circuit 2 in the Adult Male No-Gi White Belt Ultra Heavyweight (+97.5kg) division.

For his very first tournament ever, Tabit showed incredible courage and determination. He constantly looked for the attack, stayed aggressive, and pulled off several beautiful escapes under pressure.

Stepping onto the competition mats for the first time is already a victory, but Tabit went a step further and fought his way to a well-earned bronze medal.

We’re proud of the way he represented Lion’s Den Leiden: always moving forward, always looking to engage, and never giving up.

This is only the beginning. 🦁

🥉 Bronze Medal
🏆 Cauliflower Cup Circuit 2
🥋 Adult Male No-Gi White Belt
⚖️ Ultra Heavyweight (+97.5kg)

24/05/2026

Huge congratulations to Ruud for winning bronze at the Grapple City Rotterdam Summer Open in the Adult No-Gi Intermediate Blue Belt -79kg division! 🥉

Ruud was the only athlete representing Lion’s Den Leiden at this tournament, and he went there completely on his own. That makes this achievement even more impressive. Stepping onto the mats alone, competing, overcoming nerves and pressure, and still bringing home a medal says a lot about his character.

Ruud is a loyal student of Lion’s Den Leiden who is always doing everything he can to grow — not only as an athlete, but also as a person. On top of that, he is a genuinely positive and supportive teammate who is always willing to help others and contribute to the team atmosphere.

We are extremely proud of Ruud and very grateful to have him as part of our team. This bronze medal is well deserved, and we know this is only the beginning. 👊🔥

16/05/2026

At Lion’s Den Leiden we believe in hard work, respect, loyalty and helping each other grow.

No-Gi Jiu Jitsu is not about pretending to be tough.
It’s about learning, staying humble, pushing through challenges and becoming stronger together — physically and mentally.

Whether you’re completely new or already experienced, you’re welcome on our mats as long as you come with the right mindset.

We train hard.
We help each other.
We keep showing up.

Men and women welcome | 14+
Leiden / Voorschoten area

Enjoy the process. Grow step by step.

Video made by

11/05/2026

Ready to challenge yourself?
Welcome to Lion’s Den Leiden.

At Lion’s Den we train more than technique.
We build discipline, resilience, teamwork and consistency — on and off the mats.

Everyone is welcome from 14+
Men and women. Beginners and experienced athletes.
The only thing we ask is that you respect the team values:

• Be a good teammate
• Stay committed
• Do the work

We train 3 times per week:
• 1 wrestling class focused on takedowns for No Gi Jiu Jitsu
• 2 classes focused on ground fighting and submissions

Every session includes:
• Takedown sparring
• Positional sparring
• Competition rounds

No easy shortcuts.
No ego.
Just hard work, learning and growth together as a team.

Looking for a new challenge?
Curious about grappling?
Not someone who quits when things get difficult?

Then you are more than welcome to join us.

📍Lion’s Den Leiden
🥋 No Gi Jiu Jitsu & Wrestling
📩 Send us a DM for a trial class

Video credit

06/04/2026

Proud. That’s the first word that comes to mind.

Dean showed today what true perseverance and character look like. Four tough matches, and he kept pushing, learning, and growing every single time. No easy path—but that’s exactly where progress is made.

The result? A well-earned 🥉 bronze medal in the -70kg novice division.
But honestly, it’s about more than the medal. It’s about the mindset, the growth, and the experience gained on the mat.

This is just the beginning. Keep building, keep believing, keep working.

On to the next 💪

06/04/2026

23/12/2025

Hygiene is part of the discipline.
Clean gear. Clean habits.
Respect the mat. Respect your training partners.