Grappling Hour

I had the pleasure of catching RICK ZELADA's recent fight at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting back in May. Rick and I have run into each other here and there at some local open mats here in Southern California. And while I was rooting for my guy to come back with a W (spoiler: he did), I had no idea of the incredible story behind his epic win. We get into the meaning behind this last fight, that memorab...

We're finally back with RUNNING THE GAUNTLET -- the show where Jiu-Jitsu and pop culture mix. Our buddy MUSAB RAZA makes his Grappling Hour debut. Here are the topics for today’s show: • MET • DEFLATE • SACRIFICE • MIGHTY • LIST • SHUT UP —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS. ---- We’re on PATREO...

SEAN YADIMARCO has been a lowkey assassin on the East Coast, stringing together some impressive performances at ADCC trials, IBJJF, and Finishers Sub Only tournaments. After his last Finishers performance, we got in touch with the reigning and defending champ to ask about his time in the Blue Basement, what he's been able to take away from his mentor Tom DeBlass, and where he plans to go for the r...

Fresh off his win at the PGF qualifier, MIKE JOHN returns to the show to discuss his journey to the epic sixth season of the sub only showcase. Mike is a longtime friend of the show, so it was great to compare notes on what he's been up to lately, how he dialed in his flawless performance at the qualifiers, and what he anticipates when the sixth season kicks off on APRIL 21st. Be sure to check thi...

JAKE BABIAN has been building steam out here in the SoCal fight scene, so it only made sense that when the folks over at Subversiv were putting together a card filled with some of the most intense athletes in combat sports, they put an offer out to this young up-and-comer. On April 13th, Jake makes his Subversiv debut. And after a dominant performance at Up Next Fighting, we thought it was time to...

ADCC Trials Winner ELIJAH DORSEY joins us today to take on the board on RUNNING THE GAUNTLET -- the show where jiu-jitsu intersects with pop culture. On the board today: - BIG - POWER - WORST - SCANDAL - FAST - SUPER —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS. ---- We’re on PATREON now! Head over to ht...

Eddie Bernal was nice enough to make the trek up to Milton Arguello's Mixed Martial Arts Academy to talk about his epic 1st round KO at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting. This interview was an excellent discussion of how we bounce back from a performance that haunts us. We discussed how the impacts from his last fight motivated him to come back stronger and how he became an even better fighter in the cag...

I have to say, this was one of our nerdiest episodes. A few days after punching her ticket to ADCC, we got the chance to speak with LYZZ MITROVIC about her ADCC trials experience, comparing notes on everything from preparation, game faces, and (yes) even Whoop scores and rankings. This is also one of our longest interviews. We hope you like that. Lyzz was such an earnest and easy-going guest to ta...

We got the chance to speak with the CJJ Worlds featherweight champ, GABRIEL DAFFRON, shortly after his big win. We talk about his run at CJJ, the build up to it, how it felt to accomplish that major goal, as well as what is coming up next for this longtime friend of the show. Additionally, we get to hear some great stories about how he celebrated his big CJJ title win. —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head...

I've often said it is hardest to get an interview with me if you are one of my friends. I tend to hold our local pals to a higher standard. That's why it made me so happy to see the performance given by our pal, JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ, at the last UP NEXT FIGHTING a couple weeks ago. Here, we talk to this up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighter, asking about his beginnings at SYSTEMS TRAINING CENTER, t...

Welcome to Running the Gauntlet with Alex Enriquez -- the show where jiu-jitsu meets pop culture. On the board today: - MARK - MIDDLE - DISAGREE - PREDICT - ROADHOME - LIST —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS. ---- We’re on PATREON now! Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghour to becom...

Back at SPARSTAR 59, I made some errors with this young man's name. He put on a spectacular performance, and somehow, my commentary made him less inclined to want to watch that fight. Yet, he graciously agreed to come up to my gym for an interview and I somehow messed up on giving him directions there, too. It goes to show that young ROBERTO ARIAS (known to most as Beto) has an extreme amount of p...

Back at Sparstar 59, I had the pleasure of commentating CHRISTIAN DIGHERO's fight against (our good friend) Eleno Almanza. I was excited to see this fight play out and was very impressed with the way that Christian carried himself in that fight. After years of watching him grind out some impressive wins out here in the SoCal MMA circuit, I invited him to Milton Arguello's Mixed Martial Arts to hav...

Had a fun one today with our good pal Bryan Peterson on Running the Gauntlet — the show where jiu-jitsu meets pop culture. On the board today: - THANK U - RSVP - RANK - POWER - IRON - REVIVE —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS. ---- We’re on PATREON now! Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grap...

"The Lion Killer" returns to the show to talk about his latest win at ONE FC, his thoughts about Gordon's stolen truck, and how John Danaher expresses his disappointment. We catch up with our longtime nemesis, GARRY TONON, and find out what he plans to do with the extra 50k bonus he received from ONE FC. —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our...

We were finally able to track down Mr. Money in the Bank, Julián Espinosa, and get him to do a proper interview with us. Back in December, Julián competed at No Gi worlds and then immediately hopped a red eye to go compete at Finishers Sub Only Jiu Jitsu on the East Coast on just two hours of sleep over a 36-hour timespan. Get to know this charismatic stand-out as he prepares for an even busier 20...

On this week's post-UFC 299 and Oscars episode, we've got DAVID GARMO joining us for this installment of RUNNING THE GAUNTLET -- the show where pop culture and jiu-jitsu meet. This week's board: • DIAMOND • UNION • BEST • LIST • WHERE • STYLE —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS. ---- We’re on PA...

We got the chance to sit down and chat with ANTHONY RUIZ, a.k.a. "Sideshow Jiu Jitsu," the man behind some of the funniest jiu-jitsu videos you've seen on Instagram and TikTok. We talk about his early days in jiu-jitsu, how he started to come up with jiu-jitsu comedy videos and discuss his incredible work as a custom arcade game builder. You can check out his videos on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.c...

Subversiv and ADCC Trials stand out ALEX GRANDY came on the show today to talk about his incredible 2023 competitive run. We talk about his beginnings in wrestling, how his older brother got him involved in the gentle art, and where he plans to go in the near future. —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T...

Hey gang, we've got our pal CHRIS WOJECK joining us for this installment of RUNNING THE GAUNTLET -- the show where pop culture and jiu-jitsu meet. This week's board: • 99 • FORWARD • NOMINATED • DIVA • MISTAKE • LAZY

Today, our new pal KEVIN SHERRILL joins us for an episode of RUNNING THE GAUNTLET -- the show where jiu-jitsu and pop culture intersect. On today's board: • VIVA • ACAI • MUSICAL • POKEMON • LEAP • VAYCAY

Today, we've got OFFICER GRIMY himself, JONATHAN PATRICK WILSON, joining us for a chat about his jiu-jitsu beginnings. We get into his competition mindset, the grappling scene in Colorado, and try to get to the bottom of the most unconventional EBI OT there is. —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRT...

The winner of the 88kg European Trials, TAYLOR PEARMAN, makes his Grappling Hour debut. We've gone from years of talking trash to one another online to now getting the chance to talk trash in the form of an interview. Here, you'll hear all about his triumphant run last week and the way he was able to punch his ticket to Worlds this August. Be sure to check this one out and let us know what you tho...

Jiu-Jitsu Brown belt and Subversiv vet Mark Elliott joins the show today for a lengthy discussion about pro wrestling in jiu-jitsu, heavy metal, and how competitions have brought out some of his favorite BJJ memories. Be sure to check this one out and go support Mark as he chases a very busy 2024, including a match on this April's Subversiv 10. —— WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.r...

This week on RUNNING THE GAUNTLET, we brought on our very first guest: The best lawyer on the competitive circuit: Paul Ardila. On the board this week: • HYPE • RETIRE • PENALTY • RETIRE • ROBOT • SEQUEL