Johnny Yaps

Marko has been a guest on the podcast before, however it's been a couple of years and we thought it would be great to catch up again to chat about all the things that have changed over time! Marko is a wealth of knowledge and experience and it's great to listen to him break down his thoughts and ideas on a range of things, from business, to health and life. If you have any health concerns that you...

In this episode I caught up with Steve Perceval - UFC Official, Martial Arts Coach, Grandfather and more! Steve shares his story from growing up as one of five siblings to a single mother, to his different working careers through to becoming Australia's first official UFC Referee. It's always difficult to be in positions where everyone can scrutinise your actions and I don't envy any Judge or Refe...

In this episode, I sit down with 'Asian Street Jesus' aka Winston Hong, a fairly noticeable guy if you've ever been to the Sydney Jiu Jitsu comps. Winston and I actually have some common friends so it was great to finally sit down and chat. From growing up in Singapore and the expectations of Asian parents, through to leaving a potential career in Engineering to pursue Jiu Jitsu, Winston was reall...

In this episode I sat down with Ian Schaffa, a pioneer of Australian MMA who had a storied career and fought in K-1 against one of my favourite fighters - Genki Sudo. From Karate to the early days of training for MMA, Ian shares a bunch of stories from Australian MMA History, fighting in Japan, the Yakuza and much more. One of the things I've kept reflecting on since this episode is the 'duality'...

In this episode I sat down with Jessica Troy of female Professional Wrestler. Pro wrestling is a fairly niche sport - especially in Australia, however I definitely remember getting into wrestling as a kid and loving the acrobatic displays of athleticism that the wrestlers would showcase. We go into her genesis story of how she got into wrestling and discuss the scene, the little things that you le...

In this episode I sat down with Ryan Dunstan of Ignite Sunshine Coast. Ryan has been building his team the Dunstan Death Squad for a while and it was great to be able to it and chat with him to learn about his background and the influences that inspire his coaching and approach to it. From being in a metal band to the 51 Elite system, we talk about a range of topics that include fighting, cricket,...

In this episode I sit down with the Head Coach of Freestyle MMA, Joe Lopez to chat about a bunch of different topics from the Freestyle MMA origin story, to Fr. Maurie Crocker a former Pro Boxer, soldier and priest who fought to expose abuse in the church. Joe was kind enough to share his time to talk about his experiences starting a security company through to his experiences coaching MMA GOAT Al...

In this episode Kaine Wilken joins me to chat about life, arborism, jiu jitsu and more! Kaine has recently started his own Jiu Jitsu Academy - Reign Grappling Club in the Sutherland Shire so it was a good opportunity to see his space and chat to him about his own experiences with martial arts, life and more! From growing up in a small town and experiencing bullying to bodyboarding, dealing with an...

I first met Perry a couple of years ago at his second MMA fight. It's amazing to see how much people can grow in a short period of time. I actually did a little interview with him backstage and he was such a quiet kid that Josh Culibao (as his corner) was there poking fun at him. From living in Japan & starting his own little backyard fight promotion to deciding to come back to Australia by himsel...

I recently caught up with Jake O'Driscoll when he was in Sydney for Subversion. It was great to be able to sit down with him and chat about life, from family to his experience leaving AFL to pursue Jiu Jitsu, starting his own academy, picking a fight with Sonny Bill Williams and much more I'm really blessed to have conversations like this, I apologise for the technical issue with the video, the mo...

Hi Everyone! In this episode I sat down with Coopar 'Rush' Royal.  A talented mixed martial artist who is fighting this weekend at One Championship! People often think that Coopar has a traditional martial arts background, however his 'style' is actually from him incorporating the movements of his favourite fighters into his own game. Growing up in Rockhampton and not having the best influences ar...

In this episode I sat down with Josh O'brien, a young hungry MMA athlete who is not afraid to chase his dreams. I enjoy chatting with people at all different stages of the journey as anyone who has chased something would know that feeling of dreaming big and trying to find a way to put it together. I actually commentated Josh's first fight alongside  @SonnyBrown  at Wollongong Wars and it's intere...

In this episode I sat down with James O'Leary of Undisputed Performance & Rehab, a qualified physio, PT and strength and conditioning coach who also runs these 'project' style challenges that allow people to build strength / skill, get fit among likeminded individuals. The other guest in this episode was Cameron Scott, a registered Nurse who is a Bobsled (bobsleigh) pilot who is looking to compete...

In this episode I sat down with Janice 'Ling Ling', a training partner and friend who I've had plenty of great conversations with. It's always interesting to find out more about people so aside from knowing her skills in the training room it was fun to chat with her about a broad range of topics, from her experiences with skydiving to motorbikes, Janice is the kind of person to go deep when she ge...

In this episode I sat down with Rebecca Fitzgerald, an engineer, potter, mother of twins, time traveler (jokes!) & more. I know Bec through Jiu Jitsu as she's a serial competitor who just loves the sport. It's great to see people getting bitten by the combat sports bug at any stage in life. That said, life isn't always easy. From experiencing difficulties with fertility to going through rounds of...

Hi Everyone, In this episode, I got to sit down with Ben10 Nguyen, a former top 8 UFC Flyweight and it was really cool to actually be able have Brian Ebersole sit in with us at the start to talk about this crazy moment that changed the trajectory of Ben's entire life. From growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to being the non-academic sibling, Ben had been fighting for a while and was at this p...

In this episode I sat down with Danie Dynamite, a content creator who also has an upcoming Combat Jiu Jitsu match at Fusion Fighting Championship. From a negative experience in school that led her to working in hospitality and event management to getting into rave music, DJing and through to dog grooming, Danie eventually found her way to Wimp 2 Warrior (now called Train Alta) Little did she know...

Hi All! In this episode I sat down with the 'Duke of Canberra' - Duke Didier. It was awesome to listen to his journey of pursuing the Olympic dream from grieving a missed goal and self-medicating to re-framing and setting new goals. Duke is currently signed to One Championship and should be returning to the big stage again soon. We also discuss starting a Martial Arts & Fitness gym - Progression M...

In this episode I sat down with Colby Thicknesse, a professional mixed martial artist fighting out of Freestyle Fighting gym in Windang. It was fun to chat with him about life, from being a twin to having the competitiveness of wrestling drive a small wedge between them to his mindset, approach to injuries, his mindset and so much more. With an upcoming bout at Hex Fight Series against Michael Man...

In this episode I sat down with Gabriel Antonio Teixeira Dos Santos (a mouthful of a name right). I didn't realise part of the reason the names could get so long was due to the inclusion of the parents surnames in the kids names, it's always interesting to come across these cultural norms. There was a particular memory that Gabe shared with me of seeing his mother crying and tearing up photos when...

In this episode I sat down with Dori Duncan, a professional female Muay Thai athlete (#13 in the World Female Featherweight rankings) who has an upcoming fight against the #1 contender Judy Humber on the 24th February 2024. Shout out to Kristof from Strive Dietetics who connected Dori and I, it was great to sit down with Dori to talk about all things life, mindset, training, working, having a sibl...

In this episode I sat down with Fran Bavaro, a female jiu jitsu athlete who coaches, competes and also works in aged care. Fran describes herself as the 'slightly more forgotten' middle child which no doubt has played a role in her perspective on things and it was really interesting to talk about how she had to analyse herself for her tertiary studies. We often forget how fortunate we are in a 1st...

In this episode I sat down with Finn Canning the 'Guardian of Gi' and Frederick Daniel. I always enjoy chatting to younger athletes as they pursue their goals.  From Jiu Jitsu to general degeneracy, betting on the UFC to finding lucrative side hustles in the Sneaker game, this was a really fun conversation with a couple of guys who really love the sport. Finn, despite being a serial guard puller a...

In this episode I sit down with Gase Sanita - a Female Professional Mixed Martial Artist who in her amateur career won IMMAF worlds 2 years in a row. It's amazing the different journeys people take in life, from being a mum early in life to finding martial arts as a way to get fit, fighting her way down from 95kg+ divisions to the Bantam / Feather divisions she competes in nowadays. Gase is an ama...

In this episode I sit down with Brian 'Bad Boy' Ebersole. I remember watching Brian's fights and thinking that he must be such a wild dude that it's a little bit crazy to think how twists and turns and we've become good friends through working together. I suppose when the guy used to shave an up arrow into his chest hair and throw cartwheel kicks in cage fights, what other impression are you meant...