Joe Charles is six-foot-one, 310 pounds. Anyone interested in fighting him will have that opportunity during the GI Joe Grappling Bash on Saturday, January 3 at the Joslyn Center in Manhattan Beach.
Charles plans to take on all comers in 15, two minute rounds. The occasion is the 15th Anniversary of his GI Joe Boot Camp, held every weekday morning at the Manhattan Beach pier.
Fighters will start on their knees, a precaution Charles is taking to avoid breaking his leg again. There will be no punches, a concession to his opponents. But joint locks and other submission holds will be allowed.
“If you’re 500 pounds, just sit on me. If you’re a small guy, I’ll let you start with me in a submission hold,” Charles said when asked the best way to force him to submit.
He also recommended a choke hold.
“I’m 56. After four or five matches, I’m going to be exhausted. Then it comes down to how well I can think,” he said.
In the 1990s, Charles fought throughout the world in mixed martial arts competitions, including Ultimate Fighting Championships and Absolute Fighting Championships.
After retiring from competition he began training other mixed martial arts fighters in the sand at the Manhattan Beach pier. In 2000, the City of Manhattan Beach invited him to lead a fitness class for the public at the pier.
Since then, he’s become a pier institution, whose shouts of “Waitin’ on you” are known to put a spring in the steps of his students.
In 2002, in tribute to the 911 victims and because he had turned 42, he took on 42 challengers and never tapped out. The following year, though he didn’t tap out, a police office popped his ankle, putting a temporary end to his Grappling Bashes.
At 310 pounds, Charles is 60 pounds over his MMA fighting weight. But he said he’s been training hard and has invited his training partners to compete on Saturday, January 3.
He said he’s been telling himself what he tells his students.
“Just make it through the day, one more time.”
Admission to the Joe Charles Grappling Bash is free, but donations may be made at the door, and at Eventbrite.com. 9 a.m. ‘til noon, Saturday, January 3. 1601 Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach. For more information visit MBBootCamp.com.
