Champion of the Mat

At age 12, Barron Roberts is ranked number one in the world in his age group in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. MARCELO COHEN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU / COURTESY PHOTO

Barron Roberts says Brazilian jiu-jitsu is like “human chess.”

He should know. At age 12, Barron is ranked number one in the world in his age group.

He will compete this August at what is considered the Olympics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, The Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championship in Las Vegas. An event with 30,000 tickets sold and $3.5 million in sales with celebrity attendees like Joe Rogan and Mark Zuckerberg.

Barron is just one of 16 competitors invited to compete in his age group. He earned that invitation by amassing points in matches on the jiu-jitsu tournament circuit.

Barron will represent the United States. Other competitors include athletes from Brazil, China, Japan, Canada and the Philippines.

Barron also represents Florida and Palm Beach County, where he lives with his family. No other jiu-jitsu athlete in the area has ever been chosen for this honor, explains Marcelo Cohen, Barron’s instructor and a professional Brazilian Jui Jitsu champion who runs his own gym in Tequesta.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a self-defense, martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. MARCELO COHEN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU / COURTESY PHOTOS

“It feels very good to be chosen,” Barron says. “I’ve just been doing so much work to get into this, and I did, and I’m just really proud of that.”

Brazilian jiu jitsu is a self-defense, martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting and submission holds. The matches look like an intense form of wrestling.

“There are moves, but there’s also counters to every single move,” Barron says. Hence, the human chess reference.

Barron started Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he was about four years old. His development in the sport is a success story in more ways than one.

“Barron’s story is kind of unique,” says his father, Brandon Roberts. “When he was born, he was diagnosed with failure to thrive, and, you know, almost didn’t make it. He was pretty sickly and weak as a young child. He tried some other sports, T-ball, soccer, and other things like that, but he just didn’t like them. And so we just kind of resigned ourselves, okay, sports isn’t gonna really be your thing.”

Barron Roberts recently took home gold in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club’s US Open competitions in both Atlantic City, New Jersey and Austin, Texas.

However, the school Barron went to incorporated about 45 minutes of taekwondo a week as a part of their curriculum. “So he came home, and he was just so excited about that, and he wanted to do more,” Roberts says. “And so from that, he started getting involved in jiu-jitsu.”

Soon afterward, they found Cohen’s school in Tequesta, Marcelo Cohen Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Roberts researched Cohen’s background and found he was a black belt who learned the sport at the Carlson Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro.

The Gracie family are considered pioneers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The sport evolved from Japanese judo. “The Gracie family adjusted it in a way that a smaller person could do all the movements,” Cohen says. “You’ll be able to control and defeat a bigger opponent. So that’s the advantage of it. You don’t need to hit somebody really to win.”

Barron Roberts will compete in August at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championship in Las Vegas, considered the Olympics of

Barron went all in. “I’ve just loved jiu-jitsu since then,” Barron says.

He started winning local tournaments, then regional, then traveling to other cities in other states and winning those. He recently took home gold in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club’s US Open competitions in both Atlantic City, New Jersey and Austin, Texas.

“When I’m on the mat, it’s not just about being physical and trying to overpower the person,” Barron says. “It’s also about using strategies in your head to make the other person submit.”

There are no strikes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Competitors use throws and submission holds like chokes, arm bars and leg locks. The idea is to make the other person “tap out,” literally tapping with their hand, meaning they submit, the match is over.

One of the moves Barron describes is the triangle lock. “You put your legs around their head, and then you, like, lock it. And then you just squeeze and then they tap out.”

And Brazilian jiu-jitsu has not only transformed Barron’s life.

Cohen coaxed Barron’s father into trying it himself, saying if he learned the sport, he could help his son during tournaments. Dad says the sport has changed his life, helping him lose a lot of weight and embrace a healthier lifestyle. Now, his wife and Brazilian jiu-jitsu younger son are beginning to train, too. “So it’s a family affair for us!”

As Baron looks ahead to the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championship, he says, “Doing hard things now helps me prepare for life. It isn’t easy, but it’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

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