You probably shouldn’t pick a fight with Mason Des Jardins.

The 12-year-old from Annapolis will be the among the fighters competing in a national Brazilian jujitsu competition in Las Vegas this weekend.

This is a step forward for Mason, whose ultimate goal is to become a world champion. His father, Paul Des Jardins, said Mason has won over 100 fights since he started training in Brazilian jujitsu about four years ago.

The martial art, which is similar to wrestling, pits two people against each other with the goal of submitting their opponent using chokes and joint locks.

Mason’s main jujitsu school is Team Randori Martial Arts in Annapolis, but, because he beat the students of his weight at that school, he has also trained at Crazy88 Mixed Martial Arts and Yamasaki Academy, his father said.

He usually trains seven days a week.

“We finish school at 3 o’clock, then we rush to the academy and do two hours,” his father said. He trains longer on the weekends and during the summer and occasionally goes out of state for training camps.

Even still, he is a straight-A student at St. Martin’s Lutheran School of Annapolis and takes a Chinese language class.

“I believe jujitsu is not just for self-defense and confidence, but it also helped him very much in school,” Paul Des Jardins said.

Mason said he started competing because “it just sounded fun.” It sucks when he loses, he said, but “you realize that you just learn from it and your coaches will help you fix the mistakes in the fight.”

On Saturday, Mason will be competing in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s American National Kids Championship. He will be competing in the gi — with a uniform — and no-gi — without a uniform — divisions, though his favorite is the gi.

His first match is scheduled for 12:47 p.m. PT, according to the competition’s website. The championship is being streamed on FloGrappling, but a subscription is required to watch the bouts.

“Mason’s discipline, focus, and intensity inspire everyone in the gym to push themselves harder and realize that they, too, can achieve greatness,” said Al Hogan, the owner of Team Randori Martial Arts, in a news release.

After this weekend, Mason’s goal is to participate in the IBJJF Kids Pan American Championship in late July, where he would compete against kids from around the world. Doing well this weekend would help Mason get a better seed in the July tournament, his dad said.

“Being a world champion means that you truly are one of the best people in jujitsu,” Mason said. “So it would just be amazing and very awesome to show that all my work meant something.”