Anyone who’s spent any amount of time in a martial arts gym knows that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and even the older guys can still present an incredibly tough challenge, and Combat Catch Wrestling is no exception. The sport is essentially a mixture between catch wrestling and Pancrase, as it allows open-handed strikes and kicks, although the athletes are wearing shin-guards while competing. It’s a relatively new sport that made it’s debut back in 2020 at the annual Billy Robinson Classic, an event held at Snake Pit USA every year.
The competitor in question, Victor Morton, is a 56 year-old who has actually emerged victorious not once, but twice under the combat catch wrestling ruleset and both times against men half his age. He first competed at the Billy Robinson Classic 2020 before having another superfight at the Snake Pit USA world championships 2021 against Tyler Seitz and Isaiah Deonarian respectively. His debut match ended in submission while his second was won by two round-ending pins instead, with both matches having been uploaded to the official YouTube channel of Snake Pit USA.
Morton should serve as an inspiration to the huge number of people who ask “am i too old to do this?” when they consider taking up any martial art. It’s a common question seen on forums or asked in person and the answer is always no! Just take a look at the masters division of any IBJJF event and you’ll see hundreds of men and women competing at the highest levels of the sport well into their later years.
Thanks for the kudos, Mr. Rollo. And I hope it encourages other men in my age bracket to toss their hats into the (literal) ring … if nothing else, to give me more-natural opponents. But can I also point out that my second match wasn’t a decision. I won 2-0 on round-ending pins.