Tom DeBlass 'A Different Human' For Joao Assis Title Fight

The jiu-jitsu world was abuzz when Tom DeBlass made his Fight to Win Pro debut in April, and this weekend, he's going to be back in action on the big stage.

Aug 2, 2017 by Averi Clements

Tom DeBlass 'A Different Human' For Joao Assis Title Fight

After setting the jiu-jitsu world abuzz in his Fight To Win Pro debut in April, Tom DeBlass is returning to the big stage with his eye on a serious prize: the black belt heavyweight no-gi title.

DeBlass is going up against Joao Assis at Fight To Win Pro 43 on Saturday in Bayville, NJ, and though it's the first time the two are going head-to-head on the F2W stage, it won't be their first grappling match together. Back in 2015, they competed to a draw at Submission Series Promotions.

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Photo: Mike Calimbas

This time around, though, DeBlass doesn't foresee things coming to such a close end.

"I've changed so much since we first competed," he says. "I was much smaller, wasn't lifting or training much. I just got done with MMA and looked at grappling competition as a joke."

The Tom DeBlass we're going to see on Saturday is, as he puts it, "a different human" than he was two years ago. Anyone with eyes can see the change in his physique, but he's also been in beast mode with his training routine. The effort DeBlass has put into preparing for this match isn't just to boost his own ego with an extra title attached to his name -- he also feels a personal connection to the promotion.

"I feel F2W is the biggest submission-only event in the world," he says, adding that he "loves it even more" after having headlined the show's last New Jersey event. "It's one of the best shows I've ever been to. That means concerts, fights, Broadway plays. F2W is an event I truly adore."

His drive to become the "Fight to Win king" is exacerbated by the number of people he has cheering him on. DeBlass not only has a massive social media following but also plenty of hometown supporters who showed up to support him during his last F2W appearance and will certainly be screaming his name this time around, too. He is well aware that he's "a very loved man" both in his town and the jiu-jitsu world, but that doesn't mean that all that love means any less to him.

The support means the world to me. I compete for not just myself, but my entire legion of supporters. I want to always make them proud of me.

As much as this multiple-time ADCC American Trials winner hungers for that title, though, he's not going to try to downplay his opponent's skills to make himself seem tougher. He's not shy about showing his respect and admiration for Assis, and he's well aware of what he'll be up against on Saturday.

"Joao is a specimen; he's very strong and a great wrestler," DeBlass says. "He is very good at controlling his opponent when he's on top."

Don't be fooled, though -- DeBlass is generous with compliments, but he's even more generous with dishing out his own brand of savagery.

"If anyone trades submissions with me, they will get caught before I do -- bet on that," he says.