This article and the accompanying footage of Samuel Karas vs DeVante Johnson-Rose from Alpha Grappling Championships: Luta Livre 1 is part of Free Fight Friday, our ongoing project to bring the best in professional Jiu-Jitsu competition to everyone. To avoid spoilers for the match, scroll directly to the footage below.
The matchup between these two men was contested under Combat Jiu-Jitsu rules and it served as the main event of the promotion’s first Luta Livre event. Samuel Karas is a fantastic competitor coming out of Slovakia who actually had the biggest moment of his career so far at around a year before this match took place. Karas competed in the 2021 edition of the ADCC European, Middle-eastern, and African trials where he came within inches of winning the under 99kg division. He defeated several tough opponents and booked his place in the final, but lost on points to Perttu Tepponen and only just missed out on a place at ADCC 2022.
Karas was originally scheduled to face Dan Vinni at the event but after his initial opponent withdrew from the match, DeVante Johnson-Rose stepped in on short notice to replace him. Johnson-Rose is a highly-decorated purple belt BJJ competitor who also competes in Judo and was eager to prove himself against Karas. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Johnson-Rose but he put a valiant effort in regardless, and Karas showed the level of skill he’s become known for. Since winning this match Karas has gone from strength to strength, as he won his Polaris debut by submission at Polaris 21 and has also made a successful amateur MMA debut.
Subscribe to the official JitsMagazine YouTube channel for more Free Fight Friday footage, and the full match between Samuel Karas and DeVante Johnson-Rose can be found below:
