ROLL OR DIE

Tayla Ford is New Zealand’s first female to represent her country at the Olympics. Make sure you tune into this episode to hear how she journeyed from a reluctant young wrestler to a role model for all, especially young women in the sport. Tayla candidly shares her stories of the mental, emotional and financial struggles of being a wrestler, as well as the physical demands it puts one under. Now f...

Back for his second appearance on the podcast (check out #194 for the first time), we chat with the power house who is Augusto. Much has changed since his previous appearance, but what hasn’t changed is Augusto’s passion for jiu jitsu and his desire to always be an example to those around him, including his students at Supreme Art Club. In this episode we talk about Augusto’s attitude towards comp...

Paul is possibly our highest decorated guest on the show, A third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Paul holds a whopping eight black belts in various martial arts. A combat veteran who joined the military in 1987, Paul has started Kinetic Fighting, an Australia and New Zealand combatives program. A true martial artist, as well as a special forces soldier, Paul talks about how his aim is a...

Luke Beston is best known for the dirt that he dishes on blue belts online. In today’s episode, he shares multiple stories of his jiu jitsu journey, which stretches back to the 1990s. Marrying into the Gracie family, Luke relates many stories of his time on and off the mats with the likes of Royce, Royler and Helio. One thing he learned is to never get involved in family arguments with the Gracie...

This week’s guest has over 35 years of martial arts experience and is a second degree black belt at Robinsons Jiu Jitsu in Mansfield. He is an OG from way back, having started his jiu jitsu journey in the 1990s in Melbourne and in this episode he shares his rich history, with many names that our listeners will know and appreciate. Please join us for an absolutely amazing episode and we will defini...

This week’s episode we chatted with John Will black belt Tony Harvey. Previously a top BMX champion, Tony talks about his transition to the gentle art. His teammates may dispute this, as Tony is described as an absolute beast, described by John Will when he was a blue belt as having a black belt guillotine. Take a listen to someone with more than 18 years in the jiu jitsu scene and an all-round ni...

Libby’s story is a true example of how jiu jitsu can save someone’s life. Take a listen as she shares her experience of losing 50kg since starting, which is in fact the smallest change to her life since starting the gentle art. Libby comes from a true jiu jitsu family, with two brothers and two nephews who are black belts, but only started her jiu jitsu journey later in life. Libby began jiu jitsu...

Musician, teacher, and black belt in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and life philosophy, Ronnie joins us to drop some serious wisdom—and a few opponents. In this episode, he dives into how BJJ and music make each other better (spoiler: it’s not by choking out your students). Ronnie explains his teaching method of scaffolding—basically the educational version of giving you just enough rope to climb, not...

Rachael Bradshaw and Kaz Page made friends on the mat and turned it into a podcast - @thegispotpodcast! In what we believe is the first of its kind, we have collaborated with another Australian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu podcast to record together. In this episode we get to know the team behind the Gi Spot podcast, both in their own journeys and the journey of their podcast. Check out Kaz and her hubby’s...

Back for his second appearance on the podcast (check out episode 101 for his last one), Oli Smith shares his nuggets of wisdom that he is well known for in his role as head grappling coach at Absolute Collingwood. Oli also shares information about his Grounded Grappling camps, which are a fun, back-to-nature experience that he is the thought child behind. Get yourself to the next camp in August an...

Originally from the small South Australian town of Tumby Bay, Jake rose to prominence as a judoka, representing Australia from 2004 to 2014, including at the 2012 London Olympics. Towering at nearly 2 metres tall and weighing around 130kg, he’s a true gentle giant, known for his captivating stories about the evolution of the judo scene since he first stepped onto the mat at age 9. Today, Jake has...

This week’s guest is an absolute standout—an inspiring individual and a true martial artist. Daz, a New Zealand native now based in Perth, holds black belts in multiple disciplines and currently trains out of Grappling Technics. In this episode, he shares valuable insights drawn from his lifelong passion for learning and problem-solving, which naturally led him to the art of jiu-jitsu. We dive int...

This week’s guest is a brown belt beast and a wrestling wrecking ball — Aaron Maher. We dive into his transition from the wrestling mat to the jiu jitsu tatami, how he’s fused relentless wrestling pressure with slick jits technique, and his move into coaching the next generation. With talents like Aaron on the rise, the future of Aussie grappling is looking nasty (in the best way). Don’t miss this...

He’s back for round three! After dropping gems in episodes #68 and #162, Dan returns to share what it was like training under John Danaher in the lead-up to last year’s ADCC. From inside stories at New Wave to his relentless pursuit of elite status, Dan brings the heat. Don’t miss this one—it's packed with gold! P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts av...

Vicky Gonzalez is tearing up the Aussie jiu jitsu scene like a woman on a mission. 2024 was her breakout year—she took gold at Fusion FC, dominated the Pan Pacific Championship, and wrapped things up by becoming the M1 No-Gi Purple Belt World Champ. Not bad, right? Training out of M16 and Beachside in Adelaide, Vicky originally got her start in Melbourne under Marcelino Freitas. In this episode, s...

Back for round two (check out episode #153), we sit down with Ivan Rakitic—soon to be a fifth-degree black belt and one of Australia’s first BJJ black belts. Ivan isn’t just a legend on the mats; he’s deeply passionate about men’s mental health and how struggles often trace back to childhood trauma. In this episode, he breaks down the powerful connections between BJJ and mental resilience. A true...

Jack Cox, head coach at Northern Beaches Jiu Jitsu in Sydney, shares his unique journey through the grappling world. From pro wrestling to coaching, he’s trained under multiple affiliations, gaining a broad perspective on jiu jitsu’s evolution. Now an avid coach, Jack takes special pride in his kids’ program and finds his greatest reward in watching others grow. His advice? Absorb as much as you c...

This week’s guest is no stranger to fear. Starting jiu jitsu in 2001 and receiving his blue belt in 2003, he then took a LONG hiatus and returned around 2011. After a short while on the mats, he stopped again, only restarting in 2021. By this time, his weight had ballooned in excess of 170kg. With no expectations of himself, Rinaldo kept training and became a multiple time masters gi and no gi Wor...

Back for his third appearance on RoD, head coach of Dominance Thomastown shares what went on behind the scenes to prepare his athletes for success at the recent Fusion FC. Lincoln gives insight into the difference between preparing for a superfight compared with open tournaments and how jiu jitsu makes everyone better. One of the greatest masters athletes in Australia today, Lincoln gives us wisdo...

Eva Clarke is a first degree black belt who is the co-head coach of Frontline BJJ in Sale, Victoria. She is an absolute powerhouse of an individual, who has broken 17 Guinness world records, spent 13 years in the military and has three children to boot. In this episode she shares many stories of her time in Abu Dhabi, setting up and running a jiu jitsu academy and much of her amazing fitness proto...

Matthew Karakoulakis is a black belt from Arruda BJJ in Adelaide. He has previously trained at Extreme, Dominance and Absolute. In this episode, Matt shares some amazing nuggets of wisdom around how he applies principles from his career as a lawyer, into life and BJJ. Originally heading towards a corporate legal career, Matt diverted to instead working for the community. Tune in to hear his three...

Vicente is a first degree black belt at Dominance MMA and coach at Spectrum Jiu Jitsu, who moved to Australia via Brazil in December 2022 and has rapidly learnt English along the way. Vicente shares with us tales of growing up in Brazil, the differences between Brazil and Australia and how his life has changed for the better through the beautiful art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Check this one out for...

Rob Williams is a guest like no other. Starting his fighting career at the age of four and a half, Rob has been fighting for most of his life. In this episode he shares many epic tales of the very early days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in New Zealand and Australia. Raised in the school of hard knocks, Rob is never one to back down from a challenge and he shares many stories of his time on the mats and...

Vicente is back for his second appearance on the show (check out episode #93) and he shares once again his story of his move from Brazil to Australia, where he is now head coach of Southside MMA, one of the biggest and best jiu jitsu academies in Queensland and Australia. VC shares some of his physical and mental competition preparation tips, what it was like to be teammates with Lucas Lepri and h...

Laura Dorgan is a wearer of many hats. She is a 10th Planet black belt, co-owner of 10th Planet South Melbourne and a nutritionist to boot. In this episode Laura shares insights in her 17 years jiu jitsu journey, what it’s like running a business with your husband (and being coached by him), how she leads self-defence sessions for women with no martial arts experience and also discusses how she cr...