The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Kurt and Ryan talk about Ryan's month in Brazil, Kurt's disturbing Halloween costume choice, taking notes in class, Jiu-Jitsu around the world, pizza savagery, the gauntlet and IT (the movie)

Tyler Bishop joins the show to talk about old school MMA events, challenge matches, learning from Royler Gracie and learning online effectively. He also talks about his commentary career and the best advice he's received in Jiu-Jitsu.

Dave Camarillo is a highly respected instructor and coached several elite MMA fighters in the UFC. He talks about transitioning from Judo to BJJ, realistic self defense, commonly neglected areas of training and learning from setbacks.

Marcel Goncalves is the first student of Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu and is a decorated competitor. He tells his powerful life story and how Jiu-Jitsu helped him endure very hard times. He also talks about embracing challenges and the value of positive mindset.

Professor Shawn Williams is back! We talk about injuries, injury prevention, adding Judo and Wrestling to Jiu-Jitsu and Demain Maia's title fight. Shawn also breaks down why many people quit Jiu-Jitsu

B-Mac is back! We discuss podcasting, EBI, the balance between athleticism and technique in Jiu-Jitsu, the role physical attributes play in your game, and managing the ego

Gianni Grippo joins the show to talk about balancing gi and no-gi training, appreciating your rivals and making a living through Jiu-Jitsu. He also discusses etiquette when making the decision to switch teams

Tom Deblass is back! He talks about his recent Fight to Win match, ADCC 2017, conditioning, the Dillon Dannis beef, obsessive mindset and using skills responsibly. He also talks about how he processes a loss and takes lessons from every match

Kevin Phillips is a BJJ purple belt, a comedian and co-host of The Verbal Tap Podcast. He talks about dealing with injuries, call-outs in Jiu-Jitsu, exploratory rash guards and spats, podcasting and BJJ in the digital age.

Professor Draculino returns to the show after nearly 2 years to talk about past and current trends in Jiu-Jitsu, his prediction for future trends, learning to teach, structuring a comprehensive curriculum and the importance of having good ethics

BJJ Black Belt Dr. Chris Moriarty returns to the show to talk about his recent competitions, dealing with leg lockers, call-outs in Jiu-Jitsu and his new medical study geared towards Jiu-Jitsu practitioners

Professor Shane Rice is the only Canadian Black Belt under Grandmaster Rickson Gracie. He talks about his incredible luck finding Rickson, the old days of Rickson's academy in LA and his MMA career. He also weighs in on the great sport/self defense debate

Kurt makes his monthly appearance and rambles with Ryan about Game of Thrones, Slayer, corporal punishment, Ryan and Karen's Mexican adventure and zombie apocalypse strategies.

Mike Salemi is one of the most respected strength and conditioning experts in the world. He talks about customizing your fitness to meet your needs in Jiu-Jitsu, building grip strength and timing your nutrition correctly

Retired professional MMA fighter and BJJ Black Belt Enson Inoue talks about his time spent with Grandmaster Relson Gracie, being humble as a black belt, his MMA career and the Yakuza. He also tells the story of the infamous 1998 Pan Ams brawl

Rose if the founder of Gracie Worlds tournaments. She talks about growing up in the Gracie family, her perspective watching Jiu-Jitsu spread to the US, her views on belt ranks, tournament bias and cannabis use in BJJ and MMA.

Javier Palomo is a black belt in several martial arts, a purple belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu and a Catch Wrestling instructor. He talks about the value of exploring other grappling styles and different tournament rule sets

UFC veteran and Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Kenny Florian talks about BJJ in the 90's, positive mentality, managing nerves and emotions and the value of setbacks. He also talks about commentating for the UFC and trades Royce Gracie stories with Ryan.

Comedian, Writer and Co-Host of The Verbal Tap Podcast Raf Esparza joins the show to talk about Professional Wrestling moves that work in Jiu-Jitsu, Ryan's shattered childhood dreams of being a pro wrestler, the direction of the UFC and running the USSGL

One of BJJ's youngest and brightest stars, Mahamed Aly joins the show to talk about cultural differences between Brazil and the US, pursuing a life of passion, adding Judo to his game and the pros and cons of being a big guy in Jiu-Jitsu.

Professor Marcelo Garcia is considered by many to be the greatest BJJ competitor of all time. He talks about his origins, avoiding one-dimensional training, self discipline and managing ego. He also discusses why you should always seek tough rolls.

Steve Cotter is one of the top resources in the world for kettlebell trianing and he is also the personal kettlebell trainer of 9x World BJJ Champion Xande Ribeiro. He talks about how to implement kettlebells into your conditioning routine for Jiu-Jitsu!

Professor Sam returns to talk about building a successful academy, why you don't need to be a world champion to be a great teacher, teaching your students the way they learn and the prank war between himself and Ryan's instructor Professor Paul Creighton

The Dade County Crippler is back! Ruben Alvarez makes his third appearance on the show and talks about self defense, his progress in the Miami Police academy, his recent performance at the Kakuto Challenge and Califlower Ears

Professor Keith Owen talks about practical self defense, avoiding cult-like academies, teaching, the reasons people quit BJJ and finding your reason to train!

Jerry Clanton is a BJJ purple belt from Daphne, Alabama who trains and competes at 70 years old! He talks bout his start in BJJ, his favorite things about it and his inspiring message to all practitioners, young and old!

Kurt talks about his recent failed attempt at BJJ commentary, fireworks and explosives, cheap alcohol and his disappointment that the iPhone 7 can't take a punch.

Alec Wooden is a young blue belt who survived brain cancer. He talks about how Jiu-Jitsu has impacted his life and how he tries to be a constant motivator for his team!

Coach Casey Halstead is a highly respected coach, academy owner and entrepreneur in the BJJ community. He talks about time management, common pitfalls of gym ownership and the value of a positive gym culture

Professor Jon Thomas delivers a very insightful and technical conversation. He covers injury management, improving your weaker areas, guard retention, conditioning for BJJ and much more!

Professor Dennis Ortega is a black belt under the legendary Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro. He talks about his start in BJJ, the importance of idols and dealing with pre-training anxiety

In our 200th episode, we are joined by the man many consider to be the greatest BJJ Black Belt of all time. Master Rickson talks about controlling your breathing, teaching Jiu-Jitsu to anyone, managing fear and his thoughts on honor in modern society

In the second installment of Perspectives from the Journey, Ryan sits with 8 different female practitioners of varying ranks to talk about their experiences, reasons for training, struggles, triumphs and thoughts on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Professor Jay Regalbuto is a respected Black Belt who is also one of the most active commentators in the BJJ community. He has called over 1,000 matches and talks about how he got his start

Professor Sergio Silva joins the show to talk about the importance of building muscle memory, Judo for Jiu-Jitsu, self defense and the gritty days of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil during the 90's. Show Notes: His origins Curitiba, Brazil Training BJJ with open hand strikes Clashes between teams in Brazil in the 90's Wild Brazil fight stories Real life self defense scenarios with your family present Having a plan of action for your family in the event of an attack on the street using control positions and self control in a fight When you need to use Jiu-Jitsu to it's fullest level of violence for self defense The tough reputation of fighters from Manaus, Brazil The importance of building muscle memory The responsibility that comes with Jiu-Jitsu skills Judo for Jiu-Jitsu Sparring from the feet

In this episode, we are joined by arguably the greatest representative of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in MMA, Demain Maia. Demian talks about why he quit Kung Fu as a teen to start BJJ, funny stories from the mats and his excitement for a Welterweight title shot!

One of the most experienced and recognized BJJ referees in the United States, Professor Karchmer has reffed well over 3,000 matches in his career. He discusses some of the subtle intricacies of reffing that many competitors may not take into consideration, his opinion on common rules, the elements of a good ref and bias in big tournaments

Amanda "Tubby" Alequin is one of the fastest rising stars of women's Jiu-Jitsu. Just coming off her first black belt no-gi world title, Tubby discusses the differences between mens and womens BJJ, her mental preparation and competing against her idols.

A 6th degree black belt under Carlson Gracie and an MMA pioneer, Professor Allan Goes joins us to share his powerful life story. He openly talks about how he went from horrible poverty and incarceration, to being saved by Master Carlson Gracie and Jiu-Jitsu

Coach Matt Lindland is regarded as one of the top world resources for grappling knowledge. In this episode, he discusses his career, his decision to pursue Greco-Roman Wrestling over Freestyle, his Olympic experience and his long and successful MMA career

Rustam "The Russian Bear" Chsiev joins the show to talk about wrestling, moving to the US to chase his dreams, his success in EBI and his old school diet!

Kipp Kollar is the man behind NAGA one of the most successful grappling tournaments out there. Kipp talks about his intro to grappling, the beginnings of NAGA, what goes into running a tournament and coaching kids in a healthy way.

Professor Alberto Marchetti is a very respected figure in the Jiu-Jitsu community, not only for his teaching, but for his business ventures within Jiu-Jitsu. If you have ever been curious about the business side of BJJ, don't miss this episode!

In this episode, we are joined by Professor Mike Bidwell. Mike talks about his beginnings in martial arts, his unique and artistic approach to Jiu-Jitsu and being stuck at one rank for a long time!

In this episode, we are joined by UFC superstar and former Heavyweight Champ Frank Mir. Frank talks about podcasting, Jiu-Jitsu, his MMA journey and society in general in this extended 3 hour episode!

When Kurt is on the show, don't expect your average GCP interview! In our Halloween Special, and Kurt's 5th appearance on the show, Kurt talks about his seminar tour, ghosts in his house, crazy Halloween memories, shark attacks and of course, weapons and heavy metal!

In this episode, we are joined by Judo star Nick Delpopolo. Fresh off his performance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Nick talks about his intriguing life story, Judo tactics and the adversity he has worked through to become a champion.

Riccardo Ammendolia joins the show and talks about his start in Jiu-Jitsu, the BJJ scene in Canada, competing in Brazil and how he became one of the most recognizable voices in BJJ commentary

Professor Freddy Trillo joins the show for an insightful and surprising look into the world of law enforcement hand to hand training and the importance of grappling in a self defense situation.

Professor Neto is a highly respected black belt and the longest running Alliance Black belt outside the team's founders. Felipe talks about the team's orgins, his beginnings in Jiu-Jitsu and shares some very funny stories from back in the day