If you follow competitive grappling, specifically sub-only cash prize competitions, you’ve heard the name Quentin Pablo Rozensweig. The Atlanta-based black belt has been on two EBI cards (8 and 9) and holds submission wins over many notable grapplers including Daniel O’Brien, Tex Johnson, Roberto Jimenez and Kyle Boehm.
Most recently, Rozensweig captured the 205-pound title at the Onnit invitational earlier this month, and has begun pushing for “money matches” in hopes of gaining ground in the sport.
I had an opportunity to chat with Quentin about his journey as a grappler and his hopes for the future.
“I am a first-degree black belt. I started training twelve years ago because I wanted to fight MMA. I really fell in love with it almost immediately. I took my first jiu-jitsu class with Raphael Assuncao, who is now the number-three ranked bantamweight in the UFC, and day one he taught me a straight ankle lock and I loved it. I then began to train primarily under Steve Mitchell, who now runs the jiu-jitsu program with me at my current academy. I received my blue belt from him after about a year or so. I then took about a year off to focus on college during blue belt, and when I came back, I started training under coral belt Ricardo Murgel and soon got my purple. By that time, I was a blue for like four years. I was a purple for about a year and a half and received my brown after winning a brown belt competition.
I was a brown belt for less than a year and got my black belt for beating a bunch of black belts. I then received my first degree after a year. I tried to protest it and told Murgel that the IBJJF wouldn’t allow it, to which he responded, “F*ck the IBJJF.” So I have a Flavio Behring lineage that’s muddied a bit with Alliance. I am a three-time Kakuto Submission Challenge champion and their current 205-pound champ. I am the current Sapateiro Invitational Heavyweight champ. I have a 2-0 Fight To Win record and am an EBI vet. Now I am the current Onnit Invitational 205lbs champ.
I train because I love the constant pursuit of knowledge and I like the problem-solving aspects of the sport. At my heart, I am a jiu-jitsu fanboy and always will be.”
With leglocks being all the rage, Quentin has been able to stay ahead of the curve, winning most of his matches by leglock. I was curious about how precisely he became so good at locking legs.
“It honestly is a hodgepodge of stuff that I have built on my own, and getting to train with and compete against good leglockers like Joe Baize, Ruben Alvarez, and Chase Hannah. Also watching Eddie Cummings — he is a genius. I really just spend a lot of time rolling. I probably roll three to six hours every day. I train wrestling a few times a week at Morris Fitness Wrestling, and I do strength and conditioning for about an hour three to four times a week. I spend a lot of time studying videos, too.”
In the current landscape of grappling, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. Historically, Rozensweig has been a tight-lipped competitor, letting his actions speak for themselves, but this is gradually changing, and he has taken to social media to call out his desired opponents. I was curious about his thoughts on this transformation of the game.
“My new manager Josh Leduc (owner of the Sapateiro Invitational) has really been helpful in advising me on the social media game. Now as far as the WWE thing… my only thing there is at least be good at it. Everyone tries to just be the heel these days, and there are other characters to be played. I always see myself as the anti-hero, like Deadpool — hence my ‘Hitman’ nickname.
I see a similar path as the UFC, honestly. There is such a huge, constantly growing jiu-jitsu community that it is only a matter of time before it is on ESPN or some network picks up a no-gi event.”
With his recent impressive performance at the Onnit Invitational, Quentin is taking aim at potential future opponents, and his hit list is, to put it lightly, ambitious.
“My list of desired opponents is short…
1. Raphael Lovato
2. Gordon Ryan
3. Craig Jones
4. Rener Gracie
5. Keenan Cornelius
6. Josh Barnett
I’m hoping for Lovato. The Onnit crew said they were going to try to get it set up, and I asked Eddie Bravo if he could try to talk to Lovato also, so fingers crossed.”
In conclusion, Quentin had the following shout-outs.
“Shout-outs to Onnit, No-Gi Nation, Deep-Half Supply Company, Kakuto Submission Challenge, and Knuckle Up Fitness.”
