One of the fantastic things about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is the fact that it has proven that anybody can be victorious, regardless of their size. This was demonstrated again recently when a black belt took on a white belt with a ton of experience who was twice his size.
Masanori Kanehara is a Japanese featherweight who has largely competed in MMA under the DEEP banner. He has competed in the UFC, as well as Rizin, Pancrase, and other promotions. Of his 24 professional wins, the BJJ black belt has earned submissions in 11 of them.
Kanehara Puts His BJJ To The Ultimate Test
Kanehara decided to test his Jiu-Jitsu skills in the biggest way possible. He had the idea that he could take on “Big Joe,” a white belt from America, who weighs 180kg and apparently has 15 years of experience. The pair faced off in a gi grappling match inside Masanori’s gym, and if you have seen the early days of the UFC, you may have an idea how this goes. The fight starts at about 12:40 of the video below.
The match starts standing, as standard with a BJJ match. However it did not take Kanehara long to use Joe’s momentum to get the fight to the mat. From here, he quickly transitioned to half guard, then side control. To Joe’s credit, when Masanori tried to move to mount, he was able to buck him back off into side control. Ultimately it would be pointless, as the MMA vet made it back to the mount, and immediately spun for the armbar, getting the tap.
The most notable aspect of BJJ is it’s ability to favor smaller athletes, utilizing position and technique to get the better of bigger people. That is where the sport started, and these two men did a great job reminding us of this fact. This is the type of spectacle that seems to never get old.
