CITC Fighter Reis fighting on Showtime

(Note: This article was authored prior to Reis' Unanimous Decision Victory over Bryan Caraway.)

It was only my third class in jiu-jitsu, yet for some inexplicable reason, when it came time to roll, I was paired with a black belt. He decided to "play the bottom," which is a jiu-jitsu term for when someone willingly gives you top position because they are confident they can submit while they are beneath you.

Somehow, I was able to posture up while in his guard and stand up, believing for a second that I had actually accomplished something. But my hopes were soon dashed after the black belt slid through my legs with the quickness of a cat and somehow began to crawl up my back.

Having my back taken was like having a boa constrictor wrapped around me. Despite being the bigger man, my upper body was restricted like I was wearing a straight jacket. I was helpless and it was only a matter of time until he slid his arm around my neck and applied a standing rear naked choke. Within seconds, I began to choke on my own Adam's apple and immediately began to tap his arm so he would release the hold.

That was my first introduction to Wilson Reis, and it is one I will never forget. Fast forward several years, and a growing number of fight fans are being introduced to Reis in a fashion that is completely painless but just as impressive as my first interaction with him.

Currently the top dog in EliteXC's burgeoning 140-pound division, Reis is scheduled to compete in his most high-profile bout to date when he takes on Bryan Caraway during Showtime's one-hour special at 8 p.m. ET this Saturday. The telecast will serve as a prelude to CBS's second-ever telecast of EliteXC and mixed martial arts during Saturday Night Fights at 9 p.m. ET.

While more people are becoming familiar with Reis, there is still a large percentage of the MMA population that has yet to be exposed. Reis' most impressive attribute is that he helps dispel the myth that fighters aren't athletes.

Reis is nothing short of a physical freak. The 23-year old Brazilian possesses the strength, quickness, and agility that would have given him an excellent opportunity to assert himself as a top-level athlete in several other sports. It just so happens that the sport he chose was the traditional martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Growing up in a middle class area of Sao Paulo, Reis began training jiu-jitsu at the age of 11. While Reis enrolled in jiu-jitsu for many of the same reasons American parents enroll their children at karate dojos, his training quickly became more than just a social activity. Reis began to learn and apply techniques at an accelerated pace and was competing internationally by 16.

It was one of Reis' first international competitions that prompted him to begin to dream about competing in the United States. During the Pan American Submission Grappling Championships in Orlando, Reis began to make plans about pursuing a full-time career in martial arts in the U.S.

Three years later, Reis was granted his wish after receiving his black belt from Roberto Godoi soon after his 19th birthday.

"I had just graduated high school the year before and I was in the gym training all day," Reis told CBSSports.com. "I had to decide what I was going to do for a living; keep doing martial arts and jiu-jitsu, or go to college. Around that time I met Jared Weiner, from Philadelphia in the U.S."

After meeting Weiner, the owner and head instructor of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United in Jenkintown, Pa., and the first man ever promoted to black belt by Lloyd Irvin, the stage was set for Reis' arrival in the U.S.

"We have a mutual friend Pedro Lott a good black belt from Brazilian Top Team in Rio that we ended up staying with for a few weeks at the same time by coincidence," Weiner said. "That's where we got to know each other and really hang out for the first time. I invited him to come to Philly after that, and a few weeks later he came. He has been here ever since."

Once he arrived in the U.S., Reis initially worked construction. But his goal was to earn a full-time living in martial arts as both a trainer and competitor. Already a dominant competitor on the grappling circuit, having won the brown belt division at the 2004 Mundials, Reis had designs on making a name for himself in MMA.

While mixed martial arts competitions are illegal in Pennsylvania, many of the state's fighters cross the border and compete in New Jersey. Serving as an instructor at three prominent schools in the Philadelphia area, Reis had already established a strong regional fan base. It was one that would grow rather quickly after he made his professional MMA debut last July 28 for the regional promotion Combat in the Cage.

Combat in the Cage has become a proving ground for many top prospects in the Northeast. It's where many of the better known New Jersey- and Philadelphia-based fighters have cut their teeth before getting signed by a national promotion. Fighters such as the IFL's Jim Miller, EliteXC's Matt Makowski and Jon Murphy, the UFC's Tim Boetsch, and TUF 7 competitors such as Dante Rivera and Aaron Miesner have all passed through CITC.

"I remember meeting Wilson Reis for the first time when he fought on our North Jersey show in West Orange, N.J.," CITC promoter Ed Hsu said when asked to recall his first encounter working with Reis. "All I knew about him was that he was a good grappler. I matched him up with another debuting pro fighter, Baba Shegeyasu, a Pankration fighter from Japan. He completely dominated Baba in that match. I now introduce Wilson simply as 'Monster.' I firmly believe he will be a superstar in this sport."

After going 2-0 in CITC, Reis got a call from EliteXC and was given the opportunity to compete during the promotion's ShoXC event in Atlantic City last January. The matchmakers decided to pair Reis with Zach Makovsky, a former Division I wrestler. It's the kind of matchup you'd never see made in boxing since both were such highly touted prospects fighting each other early in their career.

Despite Makovsky's pedigree, he was overmatched by Reis and forced to submit to a choke at 1:15.

Reis was scheduled for an encore performance for EliteXC and was placed on the undercard for the promotion's first-ever CBS telecast against Justin Robbins. Competing for the fourth consecutive time in New Jersey, Reis wowed the crowd with a jiu-jitsu clinic.

Demonstrating chain submission attempts, Reis nearly tapped Robbins out with a nasty armbar that made it look as if Robbins' arm had been broken. After a rugged and stubborn Robbins refused to tap to the armbar, Reis eventually transitioned to a rear naked choke. This time, Robbins was forced to tap at 4:06 of Round 1.

The performance was easily one of the most impressive of the night and garnered Reis strong praise from the media.

Dann Stupp is the publisher of highly trafficked website MMAjunkie.com. He has been in attendance for both of Reis' fights under the EliteXC banner. Color him impressed.

"Reis is just in a whole other class," Stupp said. "Despite being so young and having so few pro fights, he shows a lot of poise. He seems patient even though he's always pushing the pace. When facing the pressure of the big lights, most young fighters either ignore their game plan and swing for the fences, or they over-think everything and start to panic. You don't see that with Reis. It's like he's a step ahead. It's like he's playing a video game and goes on cruise control. He's just relentless."

Stupp isn't the only pundit high on Reis.

"His enormous talent and potential sticks out like a sore thumb," added Jordan Breen, a writer and radio talk show host with Sherdog.com. "I'm always acutely interested in MMA prospects, but I generally try to restrain from being enthusiastic; this sport is one in which prospects can really crash and burn dramatically. Yet, I find it extremely hard not to be outright excited about Reis' potential as a fighter. He's like dynamite incarnate."

Reis' performances in his last two wins have gotten many hardcore fans of the sport excited. There have been several threads on some of MMA's biggest message forums discussing Reis as a future challenger to current WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber -- one who could potentially defeat him and supplant him as the No. 1-ranked featherweight in the sport.

But is it too early to talk about Faber and Reis in the same sentence? It's a question without an easy answer.

"It's hard to say how he stacks up among the world's best at 135 or 145 pounds," said Breen. "We are, after all, talking about a guy with only four fights. However, he hasn't just won those four fights, he's absolutely trounced his opposition. Justin Robbins is a decent, middle-of-the-road 135-pounder and Reis just destroyed him. It would be a tad premature to start dreaming of clashes with (Miguel) Torres or Faber, but he's definitely a guy who appears to have all the potential to be a star in the lower weight classes."

Weiner, Reis' friend and training partner, offered a novel solution to the question.

"There is only one way to find out," Weiner responded. "Put them in a cage across from each other and let them have at it."

Reis is all for it.

"I train so hard in everything: Muay Thai, MMA, and jiu-jitsu," he said. "I definitely would love to get a shot to face him. I'd train all day for it. I think I would do well (against him), for sure."

In addition to being a contributing writer for CBSSports.com, Sam Caplan is also the publisher of his own MMA blog, FiveOuncesOfPain.com. You can contact him via e-mail at: SCaplan8@comcast.net.