Islanders Middle School seventh-grader Gordon Gibson will compete in the most coveted jiu jitsu event of his life in September in Seattle.

Gibson, who has been competing in the sport of jiu jitsu for the past six years, will partake in a professional jiu jitsu event titled Fight2Win on Sept. 14 at the Seattle Center. The 12-year-old athlete is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete on the grand stage.

“It is very exciting. I have never had a chance to do something like this. All my teammates have helped get me to this spot. I’m kind of nervous and excited at the same time. There is going to be a lot of people there. I’m going to do my best. I try to put on the best show that I can when a lot of people are watching,” Gibson said with a smile.

Gibson’s father Graeme, who has a hockey background, is proud of his son’s dedication to jiu jitsu. Gordon is an avid wrestler as well.

“The amount of hard work he has put in since he was 7 years old has been amazing. We are really proud of him,” Graeme said.

The Gibson family moved to Mercer Island from the Queen Anne section of Seattle three years ago. Jiu jitsu has helped Gordon improve his skills on the wrestling mat as well.

“He has a great group of friends from the wrestling team. He has two (wrestling) teammates from the Islander Middle School wrestling team who also do jiu jitsu. They are going to be in the eighth grade this year,” Graeme said.

Graeme attended the Fight2Win jiu jitsu competition in Auburn in 2017. He can’t wait to see his son compete under the bright lights.

“It is going to be amazing. It was a really loud event with a lot of lights and a lot of knowledge (of the sport). The best athletes in the Pacific Northwest are going to be competing on the same night. It is a real honor for him to be competing with all of these amazing black belts and brown belts,” Graeme said.