The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

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!