Knoxville resident Matt Strucker competed at the SubSpectrum Iowa Jiu Jitsu State Championship on Saturday and won the title in his weight class.

Stucker qualified for the first ever Brazilian Jiu Jitsu State Competition back in January. Entering in at the 189 lbs Masters Intermediate Division, Matt quickly worked his way through the bracket and faced off against an opponent from the June qualifier in the championship. Strucker used a combination of technique and strength to record a power double leg takedown, and continued to maintain control of the match before applying an accordion pressure tap to win the match.

Matt, who has a background in wrestling, has trained at Pella Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since its opening in late 2020 and coaches most of their Wednesday morning classes.