While we never condone putting yourself or someone else in harm’s way for the sake of material goods, one BJJ blue belt named Blake had no idea that the man he helped subdue with his jiu-jitsu training was actually carrying a bag full of stolen items.
Blake, a dog trainer based in NYC, told Rener Gracie that he was walking outside when a man carrying a large bag bumped into him, knocking him a little off balance. The man then started approaching Blake a bit aggressively, and Blake pushed him away to keep his distance. The man then came at Blake again, and that’s when Blake’s training kicked in.
Not wanting the altercation to turn into a fistfight, Blake took the man to the ground and held him in mount until the authorities arrived. And, it was discovered afterward, the bag that the man was carrying was actually full of stolen merchandise and what Blake believed were packages from other people’s doorsteps.
Blake may “only” be a blue belt, but the training he picked up in jiu-jitsu was enough to keep himself and the other man safe in what could’ve been a violent and far more dangerous fight.
