As the 2012 bjj grappling tournament season starts to wind down, we keep reading about the same names from the mainstream bjj media. My facebook feed always has the same bjj black belt names circulating. And, for some odd reason, the majority of bjj blogs/websites seem to always “share” all of the exact same stories. ( That’s part of the reason this blog exists. This blog will not perpetuate. This blog will not be just another mainstream run-of-the-mill boring blog with nothing of value other than sharing what other people already said.) I want to share a new name with you all that will be huge in the very near future.
Samir Chantre
If you are a bjj grappler that weighs 167 or under, and you DON’T know who Samir Chantre is you are doing yourself a huge disservice.
This dude is an absolute BEAST. In the IBJJF Rankings that came out last week, he is ranked in the top 20. Samir Chantre is an absolute monster at feather weight (and, at times, light featherweight). But, that’s not what is most impressive about Samir Chantre. In my opinion he is impressive because he regularly fights above his weight class in order to have some fights. He isn’t one of those bjj black belts that shows up to collect medals if there aren’t any competitors in his division. In fact, at the American Nationals , Samir Chantre moved all the way up to middle weight and won in BOTH Gi and NoGi divisions.
Samir Chantre is a perfect example of technique always beating strength.
Lets look at the weight disparity here: light featherweights weigh in at 141 with the Gi while middle weights weigh in at 181 with the Gi. For those mathematically challenged out there, that is a difference of 40 lbs. How many people do you know can just jump into a division 40lbs higher than their own and dominate?
Samir Chantre can and did.
He is a true testament about being true to your techniques and believing in your skill. He always takes the absolute challenge, and he consistently does well against people much bigger than him due to his great expression of technique.
Check out this absolute footage of Samir Chantre beating a much bigger opponent AFTER the opponent is seconds away from finishing him with a kimura lock.
Like I said, Samir Chantre is a beast. And, today, I saw this on my news feed:
Pan American Nogi Champion! And once again I have my friend and teammate Queixinho w me on the podium!!!
Thank you God for being so amazing!— Samir Chantre (@SamirChantre) September 29, 2012
Samir Chantre doing his best Jordan Burroughs impression!
I got in touch with Samir after I got news of his NoGi Pan Ams victory, and he agreed to do an interview with BJJ Grappling. Check it out below:
Follow me: @rubeneavila
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