The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Rob Kahn returns to talk about his new love for Facebook trolling, quarantine weight gain and the state of the world. He also talks about training law enforcement and military, learning from Royce and Renzo back in the day and why he's only no-gi now

Rafael Lovato Jr makes his 3rd appearance on the show to talk about his recent health diagnosis, returning to BJJ competition, how MMA has influenced his Jiu-Jitsu and his thoughts on the leg lock game. He also goes deep on guard passing concepts!

Johnny Tama joins the show to talk about his origins, finding BJJ after being bullied, the development of his style and becoming the first Ecuadorian World Champion. He also talks about mindset, discipline and leaving his partying days behind

Todd Shaffer joins the show to talk about training after 30, self defense, meme-making and how he found BJJ. He also talks about why Half Guard is such a useful position for everyone and the pitfalls to avoid of academy ownership.

Robert Degle joins the show to talk about why he traded a pursuit of Philosophy for Jiu-Jitsu, the value of a systems-based approach to BJJ, learning from John Danaher and analyzing data. He also covers leg lock principles and general sustained pressure.

Fabio Clemente joins the show to talk about athleticism in BJJ, creating panic in your opponent, training after 50 and teaching kids. He also gives great insight about being an academy owner and gives advice for future school owners.

Jamie Kilstein of Rear Naked Radio joins the show to talk about meditation, getting the most out of down time, visualization and money in Jiu-Jitsu. Him and Ryan also talk about goofing off in past retail jobs and social errors white belts can avoid.

Jean Jacques Machado joins the show to talk about customizing Jiu-Jitsu to your traits, commonly overlooked concepts in the art, the value of self control and weaponizing your weak areas. He also talks about being a pioneer of BJJ in the US and teaching

Renzo returns to the show to talk about the business of Jiu-Jitsu, staying motivated, advice for people who think they suck, and the importance of setting boundaries. He also talks about the Wallid Ismail beef and getting shot at 16 years old

Kurt makes his long awaited return! He talks about Covid in San Fransisco, toilet paper alternatives, prepping for doomsday, the Navy's de-classified UFO footage, lizard porn, murder hornets, bug fights and 80's hair metal.

Matheus Diniz joins the show to talk about growing up in a very small town in Brazil, the funny story behind how he started training, moving to NY to train under Marcelo Garcia and lessons he's learned from competition. He also gives tips on guard passing

Felipe Costa returns to talk about running his own academy, winning the Abu Dhabi Pro, putting kids into BJJ and advice about the mount position. He also goes in on PED usage in the sport and drops a major announcement about his career!

Marcelo returns to the podcast to talk about quarantine life, facing fear, building a game, imposing your game and killing ego. He also shares very personal experiences of suffering from bullying as a kid and the huge obstacle of overcoming shyness.

Keith Krikorian joins the show to talk about blending Wrestling with Jiu-Jitsu, the 10th Planet style, how leg locks have changed the game and overtime skills. We also talk about Adam West's Batman, Animorphs, his fear of bubbles and superheroes he hates

Lael Rodrigues is a highly active competitor and a dedicated teacher at the Novos Sonhos Social Project in Sao Paulo's most distressed area, Cracolandia. Lael and his project are the focus of Grappling Central's first short film "The Saint of Crackland".

Scott Shetler returns to talk about home training for the quarantine, training without equipment, targeting your weaknesses, Ryan's new taco addiction and fighting depression with diet and exercise. He also talks about his new path in Jiu-Jitsu!

Roy Dean joins the show to talk about tactics, being a good training partner, mysticism in martial arts and connecting techniques. He also explains why he decided to step away from being an academy owner and focus on online teaching and seminars instead

Robert Drysdale makes his 3rd appearance on the show! He talks about the importance of human contact, the struggles of running a gym, confidence waves during the BJJ journey and chronic blaming. He also updates us on his upcoming documentary Closed Guard!

Adam Wardzinski joins the show to talk about the BJJ scene in Poland, the path to becoming a professional grappler, rolling vs drilling and why it's important to roll with lower belts. He also gives a deep breakdown of the Butterfly Guard!

Kent Peters joins the show to talk about overcoming plateaus, being self-taught in BJJ, forcing yourself into miserable spots and the value of keeping a training journal. He also talks about attacking from non-dominant positions and Jiu-Jitsu for women

Jeffery Donovan joins the show to talk about fusing Judo and BJJ, starting training after 30 and learning to love competition. He also talks about mental strength and battling cancer while maintaining his journey in Jiu-Jitsu.

Emil Fischer joins the show and discusses ego culture in some academies, controlling aggression and intensity, "rude" techniques and why it doesn't matter if you tap in training, even to lower ranks. He also talks about why he always studies his opponents

Pete "The Greek" Letsos is an American trailblazer in Jiu-Jitsu. He talks about being one of the early Americans to move to Brazil to train, the importance of maintaining a student perspective, his time spent with Master Carlson Gracie and wristlocks!

JT Torres joins the show to talk about pursuing martial arts as a kid, BJJ for smaller people, goal setting and mindset. He also talks about tournament preparation, building confidence and he gives lots of advice for future school owners!

Michelle Nicolini joins us for the 400th episode of the podcast! She talks about the development of her game, building persistence, strategy for smaller people and the importance of the basics. She also discusses her decision to become a pro MMA fighter!

Nick Rahn is a BJJ blue belt and US military veteran who is using Jiu-JItsu to help veterans combat PTSD and find a sense of purpose in civilian life. He shares his powerful story and pulls no punches while doing so in this candid interview.

Nick Rodriguez returns to recap his ADCC performance and to talk about visualization, controlled aggression and the importance of removing dead weight from your life. He also talks about blending wrestling with BJJ and working through injuries

Comprido joins the show to talk about growing up in Brazil in a neighborhood filled with legends, competition strategy and ref bias. He also talks about the infamous Alliance team split and he sounds off on steroid and marijuana usage in BJJ.

Demian Maia returns to the show to talk about his recent win over Ben Askren, managing fear and his plans for after fighting. He also goes deep on the details of his game, shares his thoughts on drilling and talks about parenting as a pro fighter.

Nick "Chewy" Albin joins the show to talk about the early days of his BJJ journey, self defense, the struggles he went through as a white belt and getting over the fear of losing. He also talks about staying motivated as an instructor and running a gym.

Nathan Mendelsohn joins the show to talk about training in Brazil, learning Portuguese and structuring a kids class. He also talks about competition preparation and his new Hip Hop album Kimura Trap Vol 1 featuring the hit single "No G in a Gi".

Tomer Alroy joins the show to talk about getting over his dislike of competing, the struggles Israeli competitors can face in the middle east, eliminating negative self-talk and processing a loss.

Talita Alencar joins the show to talk about how domestic violence led her to BJJ, the importance of self defense knowledge for women, butterfly guard and the value of suffering as a beginner. She gives advice about rolling with heavier people.

Buchecha joins the show and delivers great advice about managing competition anxiety, processing losses and fighting while exhausted. He also discusses the evolution of his game and why he feels his knee injury was the best thing that happened to him

Eli Knight joins the show to talk about Jiu-Jitsu for self defense. He covers realistic scenarios, self defense for women, knife defense, groin strikes and the benefits of sport Jiu-Jitsu in a self defense situation.

Adam Wheeler returns to talk about dealing with setbacks, surviving a difficult youth, managing pressure and nerves, conditioning and the value of competition. He also discusses in detail his memory of his scariest day as a SWAT officer.

Jon Thomas returns to talk about building instincts, creating a perfect black belt, structuring a curriculum, getting beat by lower belts and the importance of an open mind. He also sounds off on PED usage in BJJ and answers questions from the listeners!

Frank is back for the longest GCP episode ever! He talks with Ryan about everything from comedy, pay gaps in MMA, fatherhood, his daughter's MMA career, vegetarian diet, his pro wrestling debut, competitive grappling and his most recent fight.

Kurt is back for the 4th GCP Halloween Special! This episode also marks the 4 year anniversary of the podcast. Kurt talks about his final days in rehab, serial killer fight club and takes questions from the listeners. Needless to say, language warning!

Fresh off his incredible performance at ADCC, Lachland Giles joins the show to talk about the event, the evolution of his style, the leg lock game and pattern recognition. He also talks about improving weak areas and his burning hatred for mosquitoes.

B-Mac is back! In his 3rd appearance on the show, Brandon discusses promoting his wife to black belt, getting kids interested in training, self defense and tournament preparation. Ryan also suggests he should become a blue cheese evangelist.

Wilson Reis joins the show to talk about his beginnings, the benefits of competing often, BJJ for MMA and his proudest MMA moment. He also talks about his recent cut from the UFC and he gives a technical breakdown of the Sao Paulo Pass!

Kristian Woodmansee returns to talk about his new academy, cultivating a positive culture in a school, why he prefers not to teach his own kids and being a Jiu-Jitsu parent. He also gives technical insight to the Reverse De La Riva position.

John Combs joins the show to talk about ADCC, analyzing progress, take downs, guillotines and the evolution of his style. He also talks about setting goals and bouncing back from a loss.

Oliver Taza joins the show to talk about technology's role in the rising level of BJJ, Kinesiology and rehab, overcoming his recent ACL injury and using leg locks to open up other attacks. The also talks about patience and his fast rise in the ranks

Michael Liera Jr joins the show to talk about the definition of Jiu-Jitsu, finding comfort in suffering and some of the big breakthroughs he had in his journey. He also talks about addressing passivity, putting himself in white belt shoes and mindset

Drew Weatherhead returns to talk about his recent promotion to black belt, the business side of the art, mimetic learning and new things coming from BecauseJitsu. He also talks about the ethics of self defense, being a father and omoplatas

Bruno Bastos joins the show to talk about the early days of his training, the Fadda lineage, self-confidence and learning to compete. He also gives advice for bigger guys and gives technical advice on the Half Guard.

Matheus Nicolau joins the show to talk about going from soccer to BJJ to MMA. He also discusses ego, plateaus and why he still trains in the gi as an MMA fighter. He also provides excellent technical advice for smaller practitioners!

Dr. Chris Moriarty returns to discuss the data from his recent study that focuses on injury rates in Jiu-Jitsu. He also takes questions from listeners and we have a serious discussion about chicken tenders and the evils of mayonnaise and ranch dressing.