Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in lightweight BJJ. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more – find more of his lightweight resources at www.MicroBJJ.com

Way back in early 2011, I uploaded a video to YouTube of one of my NAGA matches.  It was for the third place rank in the Expert Absolute division, and needless to say I didn’t have any plans of going home empty handed that day.

LITTLE GUY BEAT UP GIANT….in 12 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBdTZC3FkXg

I uploaded the video under the title “Dan Faggella vs. The Giant,” and thought that was that.  I had no expectations for the video itself, but as I sit here two years later, the video has accrued close to 20,000 views, and helped put my name, as well as my brands of MicroBJJ and Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts, on the map.

Anything Is Possible

The title of this video isn’t too farfetched.  The man I was going it was, well, pretty big.  Myself?  Not so much.  Not wanting to try and match him muscle-for-muscle, I knew that this match had to end, and had to end FAST.

It didn’t take long for me to gobble up his leg, and attach myself to it.  Thanks to some pressure and the structure of the human leg, this fight ended quickly.  Let’s dig a little deeper:

• Similar to a previous entry of mine, I faked as if I wanted to wrestle with him.  This allowed him to put his guard down, even just for a second.
• Leading with my right leg, I waited until I made contact with him to swing my left leg through his, and then inverted my guard.
• The original setup that I had gone for was that of a knee bar.  However, when I found myself ready to make the move happen, he had bent his knee, making a knee bar impossible to pull off.
• Using my body, I was able to trip him and send him to the mat.  When he landed, I was already laying on my side with his leg firmly attached to my chest.
• From here, I simply reached up with my right hand, grabbed his toes, locked on my grip and the rest is history.

Size Doesn’t Matter

This is a clichéd term, but it’s so true, especially in the world of sports.  Sure, the other guy can be bigger than you and stronger than you, but if you know how to properly contort your body to utilize your skills, then everything goes out the window – I broke down exactly how I beat him  in this video.

I wasn’t about to try and test my strength with him, I knew it wouldn’t have ended well for me.  However, I do understand how gravity works and that if you can get the proper leverage on your opponent, then they become that much easier to deal with.

All of this worked out for me, I was relentless and quick in my attack.  Not wanting him to exert his skills upon me, I didn’t allow him to even blink.  This is still probably my favorite match that I’ve had, it was a great feeling when he tapped out and I leaped up off of the mat.  I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!  Just remember, if you’re a little guy in BJJ, size has nothing to do with skill.

Dan Faggella