When Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt Josh Beam received an unexpected invitation to the Ultimate Self Defense Championship in Lithuania, he had no idea he was stepping into one of an interesting competition. As a last-minute replacement for injured Ching Shan master Kevin Lee, Josh found himself competing against world-class martial artists including a UFC star, kickboxing champions, and special forces operatives. His performance would reveal both the strengths and limitations of BJJ in real-world escape scenarios.
Josh’s first test came in “The Great Escape” challenge, where contenders faced five armed attackers while attempting to flee through an abandoned Lithuanian hostel. Unlike traditional martial arts competitions that reward combat prowess, this challenge tested a core self-defense principle: the ability to effectively run away. Josh was partnered with season 2 champion Natan Levy, creating high expectations for their performance.
The challenge exposed an immediate weakness in their approach.
“Me and Natan made a plan,” Josh explained. “We were like, ‘Okay, when we run into the building, you’re going to go to the right. I’m going to go to the left. Whoever sees a path first turns to the other and we run together.'”
However, a crucial moment of hesitation proved costly.
“I hesitate for a half a second,”
Josh reflected. That brief pause resulted in Natan’s elimination on the first turn, while Josh was hit almost immediately after.
The BJJ grappler quickly identified his mistake:
“Looking back at it, I saw that there was some sort of gate or something that we could potentially climb over. And my initial strategy was going to be to just go straight and jump over that thing. In hindsight, that would have been the right strategy.”
Josh’s real breakthrough came during the second escape challenge, which required teams of four to reach a vehicle while avoiding attackers. After observing parkour experts use unconventional tactics in earlier rounds, Josh experienced a crucial realization:
“After I saw the parkour guys do the first part and they had sort of an unconventional strategy, I realized for each of these scenarios, we need to think outside of the box.”
Teaming with Natan Levy, Shane Langwell, and Adrian Cutajar, Josh helped develop an audacious plan: completely bypass the designated escape route by fleeing into the surrounding forest.
“If our objective is the car and to escape, let’s not go right through the middle where everybody’s at,” Josh reasoned. “If we just turn around and sprint immediately into the woods, we’re going to be able to find our way back to that main road.”
The plan succeeded spectacularly. The team navigated through treacherous terrain, crossed a creek, scaled fences, and emerged from the woodline near a school before reaching the target vehicle. Josh demonstrated his adaptability by taking the lead during the final approach:
“I start looking under the fence and I don’t see any other attackers and just sprint as fast as I can.”
His decisive action paid off. After grabbing the key and starting the vehicle, Josh and his entire team successfully escaped—making them the only complete team to accomplish this feat.
“My adrenaline’s pumping. I’m sprinting towards the car,” Josh recalled. “We were in the sky, you know.”
Josh’s performance highlighted both the advantages and challenges BJJ practitioners face in self-defense scenarios. His grappling background, while less directly applicable in escape-focused challenges, didn’t prevent him from excelling once he adapted his mindset. As Josh noted throughout the competition:
“This thing of sort of like re-evaluating our choices after each scenario would become a huge pattern throughout the rest of the season because you have a split second to make these decisions and if you make the wrong decision, the entire thing goes.”
The competition also tested contestants beyond physical challenges, including an airport scam designed by deception expert R. Paul Wilson. Like most competitors, Josh fell prey to the elaborate scheme, showing that self-defense extends far beyond martial arts techniques.
Josh’s strong recovery in the second challenge earned him seven points out of eight possible points for the episode—the second-highest score behind Adrian Cutajar’s perfect eight points. This placed Josh well ahead of decorated competitors including Gabriel Varga (one point), Randy Turner (three points), and even defending champion Natan Levy (four points).
