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At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Matt Garber certainly is an imposing presence.
The 2002 Woodmore High School graduate, however, would just as soon use his mind as well as his body when it comes to his current sport of choice, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Garber, who played football and wrestled at Woodmore, has been competing for nearly three years and recently earned two top-three places at major events in California.
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| Medeiros, Garber & Thompson |
“I was doing some mixed martial arts stuff and I had a lot of injuries,” said Garber, 27. “I didn't like the MMA scene. I was training for Jiu-Jitsu and I fell in love with the competition and the techniques. I like it because it's like submission grappling, kind of like takedowns in wrestling but using chokes and elbow locks. It's very technical. It is chess, not checkers, and it's a thinking man's game.
“You really have to be two or three steps ahead of people. Athleticism and strength really don't matter as much.”
Garber, who now lives in Point Place, qualified to the 2002 Division III state wrestling tournament as a senior at 189 pounds. He won two of his four matches but came one win shy of placing in the top eight. He took up Jiu-Jitsu in 2007.
“I just started working out at an MMA gym and that's where I met my instructor, Deon Thompson,” Garber said. “I started going to his gym in Toledo and he was teaching Jiu-Jitsu there. I was horrible right away; I'd get submitted every day. I didn't buy into the sport right away, but then I got interested in why I wasn't winning. It's hard work, man. You're in the gym three to four times a week really working. If you buy into a sport and work hard at it, it helps you progress a lot faster.”
Garber worked tirelessly to earn his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2008. On March 24, Garber won a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Los Angeles, losing to Joe Espejo of California in the finals of the blue belt adult ultra heavyweight (225 pounds and up) division.
“I did really well,” Garber said. “I kind of made one mistake in the finals and lost by a couple points. I did very well there. I've had my blue belt for more than two and a half years and I just got my purple belt last Saturday. It takes years and years in Jiu-Jitsu to get belts. It takes two to three years.”
Garber earned a bronze medal after taking third place in the blue belt adult ultra heavyweight division June 3 at the IBJJF World Championships in Long Beach, Calif.
“I think I did pretty well,” Garber said. “I could have won. I made some mistakes here and there, but I beat the guy (Espejo) who beat me in the finals of the Pan Am, so I was pretty happy about that.”
Garber is still coached by Thompson, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor who is affiliated with Brasa Association.
“Comprido Medeiros is a seven-time world champion out of Chicago and we compete under his name (at Brasa),” Garber said. “He's one of the best Jiu-Jitsu guys in the world and he's the head of our association. He's the one who gave me my (purple) belt on Saturday. He's also (MMA fighter) Brock Lesnar's personal coach and Deon is one of (Medeiros') instructors.”
Garber and more than 300 other Jiu-Jitsu competitors are expected to compete at the Buckeye Border International Grappling Championship on July 16 at Central Catholic High School. The event begins at 10 a.m.
“It's a very big tournament,” Garber said. “I took like a week off and now I'm back in it. I have to let the body heal up. I hope to win. I hope to win at everything I do.”
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