Rida Haisam is a native of Ghana and a grappling pro athlete who earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Yuki Ishikawa, founder of Japan’s Carpe Diem Academy. Haisam made himself noticed as a brown belt, after a fantastic performance at the ‘Quintet: Grappling Team Survival Match II’ event, where he submitted 4 well-known black belts, he would later cement his status as one of the top African BJJ competitors.
Rida Haisam Jiu-Jitsu
Full Name: Rida Haisam Isaac
Nickname: Haisam was named ‘Giraffe’ by his training partners due to his lanky body frame (1,93m / 6’3″).
Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti (Jacaré) > Alexandre Paiva (Gi-gi) > Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa > Yuki Ishikawa > Rida Haisam
Main Achievements:
- 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2020 / 2021)
- 1st Place Quintet Fight Night II (2019)
- 2nd Place Quintet II Challenge (2018)
- 3rd Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2020*)
- 3rd Place WNO Championships (2021)
Main Achievements (Colored Belts):
- IBJJF Asian Open Champion (2018**)
- JBJJF All Japan Champion (2017/2018**)
- UAEJJF Grand Slam Tokyo 2nd Place (2017 brown)
- IBJJF European Open 3rd Place (2018 brown)
- UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro 3rd Place (2018 brown)
* Absolute
** Weight and absolute
Favorite Position/Technique: Kneebar
Weight Division: Peso Pesado (94,30 kg / 208.0 lbs)
Team/Association: Assembly Jiu-Jitsu
Rida Haisam Biography
Rida Haisam was born on July 25, 1993, in Accra – the capital of Ghana, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, where he spent his formative years.
While growing up Rida’s sporting interests lied in football (soccer) and basketball, two sports Haisam played competitively from elementary to high school. These activities were stopped short in 2009 after his father’s services were hired by a Japanese construction company, and the family moved to Tokyo.
During their stay in Japan, the Rida family became close with Haisam’s father’s overseer, a man who was also a jiu-jitsu enthusiast and BJJ coach. It was he who introduced the young Ghana talent to the martial art in 2011, an activity Haisam fell in love with from the very start.
Yamada Shigetaka became Haisam’s first jiu-jitsu instructor and the man who graded Rida with his blue (2012), purple (2014), and brown belts (2016). As a brown belt, however, the heavyweight athlete decided to take a step towards professionalism and looking to train in a more competitive atmosphere he left Yamada’s dojo and joined Yuki Ishikawa’s well-known Carpe Diem Academy, a gym famed for housing some of the top competitors in Japan. It was while training under Ishikawa that Rida earned his black belt, on September 15, 2018.
While pursuing the best competitive circuit to advance his career, in November 2020, Haisam decided to break from his Tokyo bond of 11 years and relocate to compete in the US for the Assembly Academy, located in Detroit.
The individual’s grappling record feature available on BJJ Heroes relates solely to matches in the adult black belt divisions. At the time of Rida’s first appearance at Quintet, he was a brown belt, and therefore those matches are not accounted for on this list.
Rida Haisam Grappling Record
-
BY POINTS
4 (10%) -
BY ADVANTAGES
1 (2%) -
BY SUBMISSION
30 (71%) -
BY DECISION
6 (14%) -
BY PENALTIES
0 (0%) - BY DQ
1 (2%)
30 SUBMISSIONS WINS
-
BY POINTS
8 (28%) -
BY ADVANTAGES
1 (3%) -
BY SUBMISSION
16 (55%) -
BY DECISION
2 (7%) -
BY PENALTIES
0 (0%) - BY EBI/OT
1 (3%)
16 SUBMISSIONS LOSSES
Rida Haisam Fight History
ID | Opponent | W/L | Method | Competition | Weight | Stage | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17730 | Marcelo NunesMarcelo Nunes | L | Katagatame | Quintet 3 | ABS | SPF | 2018 |
18017 | Lachlan GilesLachlan Giles | L | Inside heel hook | Wu Lin Fang | ABS | R1 | 2018 |
18018 | Lachlan GilesLachlan Giles | L | Outside heel hook | Wu Lin Fang | ABS | R2 | 2018 |
20144 | Adam WardzinskiAdam Wardzinski | L | Pts: 9x2 | World Pro | 94KG | 4F | 2019 |
20148 | Anton Minenko | L | Estima lock | World Pro | 94KG | RPC | 2019 |
21261 | Fernando ReisFernando Reis | L | Pts: 6x2 | Grand Slam TYO | 94KG | SF | 2019 |
21521 | Kaynan DuarteKaynan Duarte | L | Choke from back | Marianas Open | O85KG | SF | 2019 |
24262 | Igor TanabeIgor Tanabe | L | Points | Kinya Boyz TYO | ABS | SPF | 2020 |
24331 | Igor TanabeIgor Tanabe | L | Straight ankle lock | Quintet FN5 | ABS | SPF | 2020 |
24674 | Gabriel AlmeidaGabriel Almeida | L | Referee Decision | American NGN | ABS | SF | 2020 |
25278 | Tex JohnsonTex Johnson | L | Pts: 0x0, Adv | Dallas NGO | ABS | 4F | 2021 |
25873 | Bruno MatiasBruno Matias | L | Inside heel hook | Houston NGO | 91KG | F | 2021 |
26202 | Matt LeightonMatt Leighton | L | Pts: 2x0 | NoGi Pan Am. | 97KG | 4F | 2021 |
26235 | Joseph Watson | L | Inside heel hook | NoGi Pan Am. | ABS | R1 | 2021 |
27926 | Tim SpriggsTim Spriggs | L | Inside heel hook | WNO Champ. | ABS | 4F | 2021 |
28359 | Vinicius TratorVinicius Trator | L | Pts: 7x0 | NoGi Worlds | 97KG | 4F | 2021 |
30923 | Clay Mayfield | L | N/A | Indianapolis NGO | ABS | SF | 2022 |
33536 | Helton JoseHelton Jose | L | DQ | American NGN | O97KG | F | 2022 |
35129 | Roosevelt SousaRoosevelt Sousa | L | Pts: 2x0 | ADCC | O99KG | 4F | 2022 |
35156 | Giancarlo BodoniGiancarlo Bodoni | L | Shoulder lock | ADCC | ABS | 8F | 2022 |
35669 | Davi CabralDavi Cabral | L | Pts: 4x2 | NoGi Pan | O97KG | F | 2022 |
36266 | Luke GriffithLuke Griffith | L | Inside heel hook | WNO | O95KG | SPF | 2022 |
37031 | Patrick GaudioPatrick Gaudio | L | Triangle | UFC FP Inv. | ABS | 4F | 2022 |
37483 | Vinicius TratorVinicius Trator | L | Referee Decision | Grapple ITT3 | N/A | SPF | 2023 |
40902 | Fedor Nikolov | L | EBI/OT | UFC FPI 4 | ABS | 4F | 2023 |
42215 | Felipe PenaFelipe Pena | L | RNC | WNO 19 | ABS | SPF | 2023 |
42730 | Richie MartinezRichie Martinez | D | --- | Quintet 4 | ABS | NA | 2023 |
45970 | Mason FowlerMason Fowler | L | Kimura | UFC FPI 5 | ABS | SPF | 2023 |
47286 | Kaynan DuarteKaynan Duarte | L | Katagatame | IBJJF NGGP | ABS | 4F | 2024 |
52440 | Daniel Manasoiu | L | Katagatame | ADCC | O99KG | 4F | 2024 |
18755 | Walter Santos | W | Choke from back | Desafio Angola | ABS | SPF | 2018 |
18756 | Diemerson Hatta | W | Submission | Dumau Cup | 100KG | F | 2018 |
18757 | Diemerson Hatta | W | Submission | Dumau Cup | ABS | F | 2018 |
19010 | Yuji Arai | W | Kneebar | Ginna be Cup | O75KG | 4F | 2019 |
19011 | Kikuchi Bruno | W | RNC | Ginna be Cup | O75KG | SF | 2019 |
19012 | Sergio RiosSergio Rios | W | Points | Gunavy Cup | O75KG | F | 2019 |
19030 | Declan Moody | W | Kneebar | Quintet FN2 | ABS | SF | 2019 |
19031 | I. Tanabe | D | --- | Quintet FN2 | ABS | SF | 2019 |
20140 | Zaid Sami | W | Triangle | World Pro | 94KG | R1 | 2019 |
21262 | Anton Minenko | W | Pts: 4x0 | Grand Slam TYO | 94KG | 3RD | 2019 |
21523 | Choi Won | W | Toe hold | Marianas Open | O85KG | 3RD | 2019 |
22692 | N/A | W | Pts: 17x2 | NYC Fall Open | 94KG | 4F | 2019 |
22693 | Charles Mcguire | W | Armbar | NYC Fall Open | 94KG | SF | 2019 |
22694 | Rodrigo Acioli | W | Armbar | NYC Fall Open | 94KG | F | 2019 |
22751 | Kyle Chambers | W | Referee Decision | Quintet FN4 | ABS | SPF | 2019 |
24656 | Francisco Leon | W | Armbar | American NGN | 97KG | 4F | 2020 |
24657 | Charles McGuire | W | Verbal tap | American NGN | 97KG | SF | 2020 |
24658 | Robert Dunn | W | Armbar | American NGN | 97KG | F | 2020 |
24667 | Enrique March | W | Armbar | American NGN | ABS | R1 | 2020 |
24670 | Alexandre MolinaroAlexandre Molinaro | W | RNC | American NGN | ABS | 4F | 2020 |
25074 | Brandon Allen | W | Referee Decision | F2W 161 | 93KG | SPF | 2021 |
25270 | Patrick Goncalves | W | Inside heel hook | Dallas NGO | 97KG | F | 2021 |
25276 | Alexander Le | W | RNC | Dallas NGO | ABS | R1 | 2021 |
25292 | Nonso Ebed | W | Referee Decision | F2W 167 | N/A | SPF | 2021 |
25870 | Charles McGuire | W | Triangle | Houston NGO | 91KG | 4F | 2021 |
25872 | Joseph Watson | W | Pts: 2x0 | Houston NGO | 91KG | SF | 2021 |
25993 | Sloan Clymer | W | Referee Decision | WNO 8 | 94KG | SPF | 2021 |
26556 | Antonio Zuazo | W | Armbar | Detroit Open | 94KG | RR | 2021 |
26557 | Antonio Zuazo | W | Armbar | Detroit Open | 94KG | F | 2021 |
26642 | Miha Perhavec | W | Armbar | WNO 10 | 92KG | SPF | 2021 |
26778 | Lucas NoratLucas Norat | W | Pts: 2x2, Adv | American NGN | 97KG | 4F | 2021 |
26780 | Diego RamalhoDiego Ramalho | W | Armbar | American NGN | 97KG | F | 2021 |
27499 | B. Schneider | W | RNC | Fuji 16 Man | ABS | SF | 2021 |
27500 | Devin King | W | Armbar | Fuji 16 Man | ABS | F | 2021 |
27960 | Orlando SanchezOrlando Sanchez | W | Short choke | WNO Champ. | ABS | RPC | 2021 |
27961 | Giancarlo BodoniGiancarlo Bodoni | W | Referee Decision | WNO Champ. | ABS | 3RD | 2021 |
28356 | Xavier Silva | W | Triangle | NoGi Worlds | 97KG | 8F | 2021 |
31336 | Elder CruzElder Cruz | W | RNC | WNO 12 | 92KG | SPF | 2022 |
31849 | William Vincent | W | Triangle armbar | BJJ Fanatics | ABS | RR | 2022 |
33535 | Joshua Guerra | W | Submission | American NGN | O97KG | SF | 2022 |
35126 | Roberto AbreuRoberto Abreu | W | Armbar | ADCC | O99KG | R1 | 2022 |
35668 | Salenco Coutinho | W | DQ | NoGi Pan | O97KG | SF | 2022 |
52435 | Victor HonorioVictor Honorio | W | Referee Decision | ADCC | O99KG | R1 | 2024 |
Rida Haisam vs Erikson Takeushi (2017)
Haisam finished 2nd at American Nationals 2022 OSS