Should you ever meet Joe Pascale he can be an intimidating force. Standing at a towering 6”6’ and weighing in at 229lbs, with 5 tattoos, and a beard that has been nicknamed Papa Legba. The origin of the nickname is only known by Joe and Papa Legba himself. It’s quite possible that he sold his soul for that beard.
Joe has dabbled in everything from swimming on the national stage, helping to restore a family distillery (Rohr McHenry www.born1812.com) and grounds keeping. His current passions, Jiu-jitsu/Muay Thai, and cage fighting sparked my interest the most.
Joe grew up in the heart of Old Town Manassas and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. He has strayed from home before, as many of us have whether for love, money, adventure or listening to “Ramblin’ Man” too many times. It is never just one thing that lures us away but a mix of the aforementioned.
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In 2007 Joe caught a ride to Phoenix and from there traveled to L.A. to see what the west coast had to offer. In L.A. he worked as a bouncer in a nightclub and needed to stay in shape which led him to Legends MMA. Legends is no ordinary gym, this is where people such as Dan “The Bad Boy” Hardy, Joe Rogan, Eddie Bravo, Conor “The Hurricane” Heun, and Alan Jouban train. They even have guest trainers such as George St. Pierre, James “Mayhem” Miller, and Rampage Jackson. Legends was where he had his first coach, Chris Reilly. It didn’t take long before simply staying in shape turned into an obsession with the art of Jiu-jitsu.
Jiu-jitsu is a martial art focused on grappling and ground fighting; it is not the crashing of knuckles to temporal lobes. Joe has still had his fare share of broken bones and bloodied noses. During a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight (think fighting for your life with every limb) his jaw was broken courtesy of Dhiego Lima (see bad ass Brazilian for more info). Not long after breaking his jaw Joe moved back home to Manassas where he rested and healed.
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Having his jaw broken only pushed him to ramp up his training. While most of us are counting calories and sucking air after a 30 minute run Joe is consuming close to 4,000 calories a day and pushing his body to its limits for 2-3hrs at Vanguard Gym.
A friend and I were able to catch Joe’s Jiu-jitsu match last weekend. The match was held in a one room gym in Fairfax. The room had a mat, kettle bells, ropes, rings, and equipment that a casual gym member like me barely recognized. The atmosphere was bare bones and gritty with graffiti art on the walls. I thought it would be intimidating going into a room of face mashers, choke holders and leg sweepers. Instead they all introduced themselves, thanked us for coming and joked around with one another before and after matches. Joe fits that convivial character that is completely paradoxical to most of our images of a fighter.
The first match ended quickly with the sound of air gurgling out of lungs, a limp body and a confused choke out victim. Joe was next on the list. Joe weighed in at 229lbs and his opponent at 270lbs. A series of failed leg sweeps, a triangle hold and 6 minutes later the match was over. In Jiu-jitsu a short time can seem much longer; the art conveys the same quiet intensity of a pitchers duel in baseball. Joe went into the match with an even record and came out on top.
One year from now Joe hopes to fight in the Worlds Tournament. From now until next year there will be many more fights, some in gritty gyms others on a large stage but all of them meaningful. Until then the man will perfect his craft, the myth will be shaven, and the legend continues.
Follow Joe Pascale on Twitter @ JPascale47 for more info on upcoming fights.
