Photo: Personal Archive

At just seven months among the sport’s elite, Jack Douglas is starting to capture his first important titles. The 26-year-old athlete was the best super-heavy and ultra-heavy fighter in gi and no-gi at this year’s American Nationals, one of the toughest tournaments of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit.

Owner of a submission-heavy style, which prioritizes attacks from the waist down, Jack became no-gi American Nationals champion by applying a heel hook on John Leslie (Axios) in the final. He spoke about how he practices his finishes.

“I was already practicing leg attacks a lot, and the heel attacks are more of a complement,” said Jack, who also won the Nationals’ gi super-heavy division by beating Lucas Norat (Gracie Barra). “I can’t deny that it’s a bit complicated to practice them without some kind of hesitation, but it’s that old story that all that is new is scary. But the heel hook will become just as normal as an armbar. The secret is to train, study and practice. In the past, people would only talk about heel hooks when they had a superfight, and now you practice that position all week to fight on the weekend.”

Having lived for four years in the United States, where he leads his career as a professional athlete, Jackson is closely following the increasing popularity of no-gi events — a niche in which Americans are, for now, investing more.

“I believe gi jiu-jitsu isn’t going to lose its space, because many people don’t like to train or compete without the gi,” he said. “No-gi jiu-jitsu can, indeed, gain more space in superfights, because the vast majority of events are looking for a more dynamic kind of match. The public these days that buys tickets wants to see fights with movement, spinning and euphoria. The events are also looking for athletes that display this type of style — it’s all in service of the show. I always train to win with lots of movement, via submission. The audience that gets to see me fighting will enjoy it!”

Jackson trains at Checkmat La Habra in California, under Lucas Leite, his teacher.

Jackson and his professor Lucas Leite. Photo: Personal Archive

The career of the young athlete Jackson Douglas, 26, is gearing up to fly higher than ever before. Having just stepped into the elite of the sport, he’s been taking on a greater load of training at Checkmat’s headquarters in California, under the guidance of his teacher, Lucas Leite.

A black-belt for just four months, Jackson has competed only once, but has notched wins against Leonardo Davila, Kennedy Maciel and Estevan Garci, plus a bronze medal at the American No-Gi Nationals, one of the few tournaments held by the IBJJF in 2020.

“I’ve competed very little as a black-belt, but I’ve already been able to notice what the level is like in the sport’s elite championships,” he said in a recent interview. “You may be winning for a good chunk of the time, but because of an oversight, you may end up losing and keep going over how that happened. I noticed I need to be in constant movement during the fight or finish as soon as a good opportunity appears. The chances for finishing are reduced in the elite environment of the black belt.”

He added: “It’s quite gratifying to be able to be living my dream, and I can’t wait to win some big titles, just like I did in the previous belts. I learn a lot from my teacher Lucas, and he teaches me what I need to do to reach the top.”

Jackson’s career in the colored belts yielded gold medals from the Brazilian Nationals, American Nationals, South American and a multitude of IBJJF Opens. Most noteworthy are the silver and bronze medals he won at the Pan, No-Gi Pan and No-Gi Worlds.

“I like to compete and I have a life dedicated to that,” he said. “My journey in the brown and purple belts was marked by good performances, gold medals and lots of experience accumulated in order to shine also as a black-belt. I practice jiu-jitsu every day thinking about the victories I can have when the world returns to normal. I carry on with the surefire protocol for success, which is working hard every day.”

“Training here is very good,” he continued, “and the daily routine is on another level, to train with world champions. Also, there’s all the experience I absorb from Lucas Leite, Luiz Panza, Leozinho Vieira and the others.”

Jackson will fight again at the IBJJF’s Orlando Open and Arizona Open.