YouTube star IShowSpeed learned the hard way just how dangerous a black belt can be when he sparred UFC strawweight contender Vanessa Demopoulos at the Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
Demopoulos, who famously swapped her career as an exotic dancer for life in the Octagon, wasted no time showing her skillset. In the lighthearted session, she submitted Speed three times — first with a triangle choke, then a head-and-arm choke, and finally an arm bar, while also nearly locking up a leg submission before being told to ease off.
At one point, Demopoulos even pulled guard while Speed lifted her off the mat, forcing him into another near-tap. Afterward, the streamer admitted on camera that she “could have broken every leg in my body.”
Despite being on a three-fight skid in the UFC, Demopoulos was all smiles, later posting: “IShowSpeed came to the PI to have some fun today. He admired that he lost. So much fun!!”
Fans online joked about the mismatch, with some suggesting the strawweight went “a little hard” on a beginner, while others praised Speed for stepping into the cage at all. For now, the social media star adds another memorable sporting misadventure to his growing list — this time courtesy of “Lil Monster’s” black belt jiu-jitsu.
