Off the Mats Podcast

Where is Brazilian jiu-jitsu headed, and what does that mean for the people who actually train? In this solo episode of Off the Mats Podcast, Jake Dante shares his perspective on the current state of BJJ, from professional grappling and athlete opportunities to gym culture and the everyday hobbyist. Jake explores balancing training with family and work, building welcoming gyms, and how social medi...

This week on Off the Mats Podcast, I welcome back David Riedman to celebrate his recent promotion to Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. David reflects on the moments that shaped his approach to BJJ, the challenges of staying consistent, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. We discuss personal growth through jiu-jitsu, his role in the gym, and what he’s looking forward to as he begins this next...

On this episode of Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with Drew Wills, creator of Tap In BJJ, to talk about the idea behind the app and what inspired him to build something specifically for the jiu-jitsu community. We get into Drew’s own BJJ journey, his background in technology, and the frustrations that led to the creation of Tap In. Drew explains how the app helps grapplers track their training,...

Naomi Davoudian returns to the Off the Mats Podcast to celebrate a major milestone in her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey: her recent promotion to blue belt. We catch up on what earning the new rank means to her, how her perspective on training has changed since her days as a white belt, and the expectations that come with stepping onto the mats with a new color around her waist. Naomi also reflects o...

Returning guest Rochelle Potter is back on Off the Mats Podcast, and this time she’s celebrating one of the biggest milestones in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: earning her BJJ black belt. Rochelle and I pick up where our previous conversation left off and look at the natural progression of her journey from purple belt to brown belt and, ultimately, black belt. We talk about how her relationship with jiu-ji...

This week on the podcast, I welcome back Steve Phillips as we follow up on his fitness journey, continuing from our previous conversation on episode #312 When Steve joined me back in May, we talked about making changes, setting goals, finding motivation, building discipline, and taking better care of yourself. A few months later, we're finding out what happened since then and where we are now. Ste...

This week on the podcast, I welcome back Crazy 88 MMA Brown Belt Kyle Rocke for a catch-up episode focused on jiu-jitsu, travel, and his recent trip to Barbados. Kyle shares what took him to the island, his experience exploring Barbados, and what happened when he decided to add a little Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the vacation by dropping into a local BJJ academy. We talk about walking into an unfamili...

Returning guest Mannuel C. joins me again on the Off the Mats Podcast for a laid-back catch-up conversation about life, jiu-jitsu, personal growth, and everything that’s changed since we last sat down together. We talk about where Mannuel is in life right now, changes in motivation, navigating plateaus, and the importance of the right people and training environment. We also get into changing prio...

In this episode of the Off the Mats Nerdcast, I’m joined by Maryland Phil to break down Spider-Man: Brand New Day and share our full thoughts on the latest chapter in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man story. We give our score of the film out of 10, we talk about what worked, what didn’t, our favorite moments, the movie’s biggest weaknesses, and give our official Good, Bad & Ugly before revealing our of...

In this episode of Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with my Crazy 88 MMA teammate Renee R., along with her son Joshua and daughter Annalena, to talk about what it’s been like discovering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu together as a family. Renee began training in January 2026 and is still in the early stages of her journey as a white belt, but she has already experienced how quickly jiu-jitsu can become more...

In this episode of the Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with my Crazy 88 MMA teammate Brian Garcia to talk about what it's like to start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a brand-new white belt. Brian has been training for less than a year, so we get into the beginner experience from the ground up: walking into the gym for the first time, surviving the early months, getting comfortable with live rolling, lea...

Off the Mats Podcast celebrates another anniversary with Episode #322 and the return of friend to the podcast, Mark Rollamas, from Crazy 88 MMA. Mark was the guest on the very first episode of Off the Mats back in August 2020, and he returns to continue our annual tradition of reflecting on the podcast, martial arts, and where life has taken us. In this episode, Mark and I recap our day at the Mua...

Episode 20 of the Off the Mats Nerdcast is here, and Maryland Phil is back to catch up on everything happening across nerd culture. This week, we break down the latest Marvel Legends reveals from San Diego Comic-Con, including the new Marvel vs. Capcom Sentinel and other figures that caught our attention. We also react to the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, talk about Robert Downey Jr. stepping into t...

Melly returns to the Off the Mats Podcast for a conversation about creativity, anxiety, and her evolving relationship with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Since her last appearance, Melly has stepped away from the mats while navigating motherhood for the first time and learning how to balance her new responsibilities with her identity as an artist and grappler. We discuss what life has looked like during thi...

BJJ brown belt Moe Brown returns to Off the Mats Podcast to help break down UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2. We discuss Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return, the unfortunate knee injury that brought the main event to an early conclusion, and whether Max Holloway should receive full credit for the victory. We also examine what the result means for both fighters, whether a trilogy fight makes sense...

On this episode of Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with Ben Kerslake, a BJJ brown belt whose life recently changed after undergoing surgery that resulted in an ileostomy. Ben shares the story behind his health journey, what recovery has been like, and how he is adjusting physically and emotionally to life with an ostomy. We also discuss the challenges of stepping away from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, th...

In this deeply personal episode of Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with Crazy 88 MMA blue belt Brandon Timmins to remember his younger brother, Justin Timmins, a fellow grappler and valued member of the Crazy 88 MMA community whom we recently lost to suicide. Brandon shares memories of Justin as a brother, teammate, and person while discussing grief, the pressure many men feel to hide their strug...

For the first time since July 2020, Episode 317 of Off the Mats Podcast is a solo episode. Jake sits down without a guest to catch listeners up on what has been happening in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community, around the gym, and behind the scenes of the podcast. He shares thoughts on current BJJ conversations, training consistency, gym culture, personal progress, and the challenges of balancing ji...

Johan Lorentzon and Eliška Prchalová return to the Off the Mats Podcast for a follow-up conversation about growth, competition, coaching, and community through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Since their last appearance, a lot has changed. Johan stepped onto the competition mats for the first time, Eliška continued growing through her own BJJ journey, and together they held their first seminar in Norway. We...

Naomi Davoudian returns to the Off the Mats Podcast for a conversation about growth, adaptation, and what happens when life forces you out of your comfort zone. Since her first appearance on the show, Naomi has experienced several major changes. She relocated, joined a new academy, began training under a new professor, and returned to the competition mats. We discuss the challenges of leaving behi...

Off the Mats Podcast #314 welcomes back rising MMA fighter Beltus Tabot for a follow-up conversation focused on growth, pressure, and the evolution that comes with pursuing success in mixed martial arts. Since his first appearance on the show, Beltus has continued to develop both inside and outside the cage and is recovering from a knee injury. We discuss the lessons learned during his time away,...

Xavier Lee joins the Off the Mats Podcast for a conversation about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, competition and the realities of training as a bigger grappler. Known online as Professor X, Xavier has built a strong presence in the BJJ community by sharing insight on big-man jiu-jitsu, wrestling-style pressure, technical control, and confidence on the mats. In this episode, we talk about his jiu-jitsu jour...

On this episode of Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with my Colompton Beer Club co-host, Steve, for a different kind of conversation. Instead of beer reviews, sports talk, and the usual chaos, we talk about Steve’s fitness journey, his personal goals, and what it means to start making real changes when life is already busy. We discuss motivation, discipline, accountability, nutrition, confidence,...

Off the Mats Podcast welcomes Crazy 88 MMA Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt Matt Sargeant for his first appearance on the show. In this episode, Matt shares his journey into BJJ, what led him to step onto the mats for the first time, and the realities of surviving the white belt experience. We discuss the mental and physical challenges of learning jiu-jitsu, the importance of consistency, the culture...

No Star Wars nor X-Force were discussed or harmed in the making of this episode. After a long break, Off the Mats Nerdcast is back, and in this return episode, I sit down with Michael Camp of the, now defunct, Why So Nerdy? Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation that hits everything from the rapid rise of artificial intelligence on the internet to the current state of comic book films and franchi...