My many faces

The fight happened 4 years ago but it still stands out in my mind as one of the most technical BJJ matchups ever filmed. Enjoy

Two shocking announcements for Mundials Nino Schembri in the Heavyweight category(That's right Nino's back) Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz has entered as well. Lastly, 2009 black belt Heavyweight Champ Bruilo Estima is out due to injury. Due to Estima's injury I have to change my pick for the heavyweight final. So the new pick: Rafael Lovato, Jr vs. Bernardo Faria Champion: Bernardo Faria. (If you happen to read this I love you Raf, I'm a huge fan, but Bernardo's on fire right now) For the full article on the sign-ups check out graciemag.com Even with Bruilo's absence worlds will be EPIC. Make sure to check it out online and free at www.budovideos.com June 3rd through June 6th See you after Worlds.

I did it for guys so I can't leave out the ladies. Light Featherweight: Leticia Ribeiro vs Michelle Nicolini Champion: Leticia Ribeiro Notes:This is a rematch of 2009, Michelle Nicolini has switched from Drysdale BJJ to Checkmat it'll be interesting to see if her game has changed thanks to Leo and the rest of the guys over there. That being said the GH women's team is an amazing team and letty is a 2x champ I don't see a reason why she won't get a 3rd title this year. Featherweight: Bianca Andrade vs Ana Michelle Dantas Champion: Bianca Andrade Note: Let's see if she'll give us another 30-second armbar like she did in 2009. Lightweight: Luanna Alzuguir vs Kyra Gracie Champion: Luanna Alzuguir Middleweight: Hillary Williams vs Luiza Monteiro Champion: Hillary Williams Note: Hanette Stack is out; If either Beatriz Mesquita or Luanna Alzuguir fight as middleweight instead of lightweight Hillary Williams takes home a silver medal Medium Heavyweight: Penny Thomas...

Can't sleep and don't really know why. So Graciemag.com has an article with the editor's picks for Worlds at the black belt level. Here are my picks My predictions: Roosterweight Final: Bruno Malfacine vs Felipe Costa Champion: Bruno Malfacine Light Featherweight Final: Guilherme Mendes vs Samuel Braga Champion: Guilherme Mendes Featherweight Final: Cobrinha vs Rafael Mendes Champion: Cobrinha Lightweight Final: Michael Langhi vs Jonathan Torres Champion: Michael Langhi Middleweight Final: Marcelo Garcia vs Kayron Gracie Champion: Marcelo Gracia Medium heavyweight Final: Tarsis Humphreys vs Eduardo Telles Champion: Eduardo Telles(keep sleeping you'll see) Heavyweight Final: Braulio Estima vs Bernardo Faria Champion: Braulio Estima Super Heavyweight Final: Roger Gracie vs Ricardo Demente Champion: Roger Gracie Ultra Heavyweight Final: Gabriel Vella vs Rodrigo Cavaca Champion: Garbriel Vella Black Belt Absolute Final: Roger Gracie vs Xande Ribeiro Champion: Roger Gracie I...

This is post that has been in my head since Georgette blogged her time at the Pan back in April over at her blog georgette's world . I don't quite remember the name of the post(just search her April posts) but in it she stated that sweep+submissions is better than takedown+pass therefore she implied unintentionally or not that playing the bottom is better than playing the top. Her reasoning being there are more options on the bottom which is completely true but thats only because you can transition to a different guard should the one you're using currently not be working not because the top player doesn't have submissions. Therefore, I must disagree with her statement. Firstly, if you pull guard and I knee-cut/step over into your half and flatten I get an advantage meaning all I have to do is stay there until time is up and I win. All leglocks can come from the top and in fact do especially the ankle lock. The toe hold and Heel Hook are the most common leg attacks from ...

Well one goal for 2010 has been accomplished, that's making purple belt. I got promoted Monday night. All that's left is publish Emotions Volume 2: Better Days, which is another blog post all it's own and win Mundials. Sadly, there's no way I can make the trip(medical bills+no sponsors=No Worlds). I'm having surgery soon(September) and I want to compete before I go under the knife for what has be 1,000th time. So I signed up for the GrapplersQuest US Nationals. I placed last year at this event taking 3rd place, having said that, last year was blue belt level, and purple is considered the lowest rank of the upper-class. A bishop with a black belt being king(for my chess players). What that means is this will be a whole different beast. I really wish I could compete on the IBJJF stage especially since I'm trying make a run for ADCC and ADCC Pro in 2011.(Someday I will) However, due to circumstances beyond my control GQ will have to be my IBJJF Worlds. I may do IBJ...

This blog is the first in a series that will highlight BJJ as it applies to MMA. This series was prompted by my friend Alexia Krause from MMAindustries, who sent me an article on women in MMA and MMA as fitness for women. Though this is not a fitness blog or a MMA blog I felt it was important because it will help any uneducated readers I have to get a grasp of MMA from the perspective of the everyman before I dive into all of MMA's disciplines and if I can inspire women to train martial arts what reason is there not to post it? Alexia's article is pasted below and make sure to check out MMAindustries.com for all your BJJ/MMA equipment needs. Enjoy. MMA Workouts are not Just for Men By Alexia Krause Mixed martial arts appears to be a male dominated sport, yet the number of women who are becoming part of the MMA community is continually growing. There are many female MMA fighters (including Kaitlyn Young and Gina Carano), who follow the same rigorous regimens as their male count...

Not training on a Saturday morning has got be the strangest feeling in the world. As I laid in the bed this morning I realized without Jiu-Jitsu my life would be pretty damn boring, I also realized I won't go to Mundials this year simply because I can't afford to make the trip :(. Oh well, we'll push that goal back to 2011. That's one of the downsides of training with a smaller team, most of if not all, of your competition expenses come out of your own pocket. The only other downside is that brown and black belts are few and far between. Training with white belts and blue belts is good as it's basically a drilling session for anyone ranking higher, but training with brown and black is where the finer points come into play. Off-balance on top of half-guard say bye-bye to your top position; did you lock a triangle without the foot behind the knee thanks for the free pass. The list goes on but you get the point. The brown belt level is where the precision basics you le...