Larry Wheels

Larry Wheels built a massive global following as an elite powerlifter and strength athlete, earning international recognition through record-breaking lifts and a prolific social media presence. His crossover into grappling training drew significant attention from both the combat sports and strength training communities, reigniting one of BJJ's most enduring questions: does elite-level physical strength translate to success on the mat?

The answer, as Wheels' documented grappling sessions in early 2025 illustrated, is a resounding affirmation of technique's primacy. Those sessions, held at Xtreme Couture — a prominent MMA and combat sports gym — were streamed live on KICK, giving a broad audience direct, unfiltered visibility into how one of the world's strongest athletes performs against trained professional grapplers. The resulting footage circulated widely across grappling and strength training media, sparking meaningful conversation on both sides of the aisle.

In early 2025, Larry Wheels participated in documented grappling training sessions at Xtreme Couture, matched against professional mixed martial artists with established submission grappling credentials. The sessions were broadcast live on KICK, offering an unusually transparent window into the experience.

The Cobey Fehr Submission

The most widely referenced moment came when Cobey Fehr, a PFL bantamweight fighter, submitted Wheels in approximately 15 to 20 seconds. The speed and decisiveness of the finish — executed by a significantly smaller athlete — immediately became a focal point in online discussions about strength versus grappling effectiveness. The footage left little ambiguity: raw strength, even at the highest levels, provides limited protection against a trained grappler who commands positional control and submission mechanics.

The Caliber of Training Partners

Wheels also trained alongside Justin Jaynes, a former UFC fighter, further underscoring the professional-level competition he faced throughout these sessions. The live streaming format, combined with Wheels' high-profile status, ensured the footage reached audiences well beyond the traditional BJJ community.

Wheels' sessions at Xtreme Couture function as a compelling real-world case study in one of BJJ's most foundational discussions. The scenario — a world-class strength athlete submitted by a bantamweight professional in under 20 seconds — encapsulates a principle instructors have communicated for decades, now demonstrated in a widely accessible and verifiable format.

Technique Neutralizes Physical Advantage

BJJ coaches and commentators have referenced the footage to illustrate how leverage, positional control, timing, and submission mechanics neutralize even extraordinary physical advantages. Cobey Fehr's rapid submission underscores that grappling is a skill-based discipline where sport-specific training creates advantages that general athleticism cannot replicate. For developing grapplers, the sessions serve as a practical demonstration of foundational BJJ concepts — base, framing, posture management, and submission defense — all areas where technical proficiency far outweighs raw physical output.

Broader Educational Impact

The KICK livestream amplified the educational reach of these sessions considerably, exposing the technique-versus-strength conversation to fitness and powerlifting audiences with little prior exposure to BJJ principles. In that sense, Larry Wheels' grappling experience at Xtreme Couture contributed, however indirectly, to a broader public understanding of what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training actually demands.