Former UFC champ and ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson showed out at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pan American Championship, winning gold in his chosen division of the 154.6 pound Masters division and medaling in an openweight contest.
The latter required Johnson, who is 5-3 and weighed approximately 155 pounds for the competition, take on giants such as the 6-3, 248-pound foe he grappled in the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately for the bigger man, Michael Sante Medina, size wasn’t enough to overcome the craftiness of Johnson, who won the match in the waning seconds of the grappling match at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla.
“He’s a beast, man,” Medina said afterward. “Keeping that dude still is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. He’s rough.”
Johnson eventually fell short in the finals of the openweight tournament, submitting to a triangle choke from Brendan Paul Gagnon, who reportedly weighed 215 pounds.
Still, not too bad for a flyweight.
Johnson has previously said grappling competitions such as the Pan-Ams are part of the thing that keep him inspired in the twilight of his decorated career.
Check out the video below to see Johnson’s video blog of the experience and highlights of his matches.