UFC 119 and the Post Fight Press conference.

Enjoy the random pictures, video etc from my adventure last night!!

Dana White Herb Dean and I

Weigh Ins!!!! UFC 119

So thanks to some more dumb luck I Ended up meeting Dean Lister Thursday night. Pretty awesome right? Well Friday he ended up helping me out some more by having me come with him to the UFC weigh ins where I got to sit pretty close, with all of the teams of the fighter’s… Holy heck how did I get here?? Like I said it was pretty awesome to see everything. Everyone was really nice. The would come up and joke with me. I talked a bunch with Dean about jiu jitsu, and MMA. Dean actually is a very smart man. He was teaching himself Croatian, but already knew how to speak English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Again pretty freaking cool.  I’m going to try and interview him for a black belt spotlight.. ok here are the videos I got at the weigh ins!

 

 

 

 

 

UFC Press Conference pics and video!!!

Well I got to go over to the UFC Press Conference today…Pretty cool I won’t lie. Standing a few feet from the main fighters was cool But by far the best question of the evening was Matt Mitrione asking Chris Lytle if there was a fire Saturday night was he on call and would he have to go take care of the fire? I’ll try to find the clip because his reply was awesome. but enjoy some of the videos and pictures!!

I wish the frank mir pic wasn’t so blurry. I’m waiting to get my ryan bader pic too….

UFC Hunter Strikes again!

I found Waylon Lowe at the Airport! he was a good sport! Enjoy the little interview!

Look who I found walking downtown!

Yep that’s right look who I found downtown Indianapolis! Click and enjoy!!

The UFC in Indianapolis!!

So this week the UFC comes to Indianapolis and along with that I have decided to run around the city looking for UFC fighters, Dana White, Joe Rogan, and the ring girls, caude heck why not have fun and get some great video? These little segments are going to be called UFC hunter, Kind of a spoof off the croc hunter, so we will see how this thing works out!

At the moment I’m sitting in on the pro MMA class. Chris Lytle is here. He’s been cracking jokes, talking about Sonnen testing positive for PED’s, and how guys his age can’t have after parties at nightclubs. Everyone is getting ready joking and having an all around good time. Practice started and everything is more serious. Some of the guys are working stand up, others are listening to Marcello who is back from Brazil, and showing jiu jitsu techniques in the other room.

 

A Random Blog of Updates.

This blog is going to hit on a few quick topics! Honestly none of them are long enough to stand on their own so I figured I would put them all together.

First off, I randomly get free gear sent to me, and some of it doesn’t fit or at this point, I really don’t want, be it because I don’t think it looks good, or I have too many pairs etc, already... From now on if I get one of these objects, and it has to do with BJJ I will be having little contests on here. If you win I will find a way to get it to you ok? Sweet! I have a few little things right now, so I’ll work to put something together as a contest!

Secondly, with the end of the year coming up, there are fewer and fewer tournaments to do. Just the nature of the beast. There is one October 16th, though, that I would LOVE to have a good showing of Team Monteiro at. Honestly we have a great group with great techniques, I think out team could place if we just had more people show up to compete together. Not only that it’s more fun to compete when you have your team there to cheer you on and keep you relaxed. It’s the Bluegrass BJJ Open in Louisville, KY. It’s not a huge tournament, like NAGA where you sit there the whole day and don’t leave until late late at night,  but the price is preregister $60, and at the door $70. Pretty good for a gi and no gi tournament. And if it’s your first tournament, that makes it all the better, low pressure situation. The team that puts it on are a good group of people too.

Athlete Spotlight Updates

Omar Sabha, has had about a month off of school. He has been travelling around  the Middle East.

In UAE I trained with a Machado brother and that's it....In Jordan I trained daily with Zaid Mirza BJJ....who are having the first MMA tournament in the Middle East in a few weeks, as well as the second biggest BJJ tournament, the Capital Challenge here....

Omar will be returning home to his team of Brazilian Top Team Long Beach in November. You’re almost home Omar!!

Ruben Alvarez, has been rehabing his leg, and still watching every bjj video he can get his hands on. He found out 9/13 that he is on crutches for 4 more weeks. Injuried like his are hard but he’s keeping his head up, studying and visiting class. Step by step Ruben, keep your head up!!

Joao Herdy Junior, was supposed to fight September 11, 2010 up in Wisconsin. Unfortunately his opponent was way over the allowed weight class, and the Wisconsin gaming commission would not allow the two to fight. So the next time Junior gets a chance to compete or fight I will plan on having the full information as quickly as possible!

Third, since about July I’ve gotten over 2,200 views to my blog! thank you so much to everyone who reads it!! Honestly it makes my day to see people are reading it, that I’m getting feedback on my posts. I’ve still got a few ideas on things I can’t wait to write, but as always I LOVE getting feed back, and ideas for articles. So please do not be shy if you want your opinion to be heard. Also, ideas for jiu jitsu polls are always welcome!

You guys are great and I hope to keep my blog growing! I may do a few video blogs, we’ll see how it works!!

Working for NAGA

So for everyone who doesn’t I kind of stumbled into working for NAGA, a group that puts on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments, about three years ago. It has definitely been a huge help in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu career. It’s helped me understand what goes into putting on a successful tournament, how brackets are made, the rules and how they can sometimes differ from tournament to tournament, and finally, as they have evolved over the past  three years, I have seen the changes, and what changes make everything run a little smoother. This past weekend was the NAGA Midwest. After the Last NAGA they had in Chicago had an insane amount of people come to the tournament, Kipp Kollar decided to make the tournament two days, instead of the traditional one. This made the tournament run much faster, and keep everyone, including the workers much happier. Up until this most recent NAGA I had been on permanent table worker. Which is fine by me I like being able to help people out and make brackets, occasionally I would referee when there was a need. This time though Kipp actually told me to referee some, because he wanted me to ref more.

On the first day of competition, we had adults compete gi and no gi. I was at the women’s table getting everything set up and was happy to see all of the new females. When I was a white belt I felt lucky to see more than two females at a NAGA, but this past weekend, there was enough white belt and beginner females to have three or four weight classes an d multiple females in each weight class. I ended up having to compete because a purple belt did end up coming to compete. Her name is Fatimeh, and she apparently has been to the Olympics for tae kwon do. I had no idea, I just knew there weren’t any other females to compete against her, and NAGA keeps me around for the reason that just in case,  I can jump in and fill out a female division. In no i I pulled guard, got her to the ground, and almost had an omoplata, when she went to defend I swept her and landed in a really akward position, I was in guard but facing the wrong direction. she wrapped her legs around my waist and I worked to get out but she grabbed the ankle I sprained a few weeks ago, and heel hooked me (heel hooks are allowed in the expert division of no gi at NAGA)… it stunk, and hurt but it was an interesting learning experience.

Before gi, Junior (see black belt spotlight) was giving me advice on what I should go for. He flat out told me just got for a flying armbar, she doesn’t want to wrestle you, you can set it up and just go for it. So I took his advice and went for the armbar. I almost got it too, she was surprised I had gone for it, and I’m sure if it was something I practiced a little more, she would not have been able to defend it. Anyway, no more making excuses, she got out and backed away, so I rolled back got to my feet and when she charged me I landed on top of the scramble. So again I was leading by points. I’m not sure exactly what happened after that but she kept grabbing my fingers and pulling/ twisting them. She then wrist locked me (wrist locks are allowed at purple belt in NAGA, i didn’t realize that until right before we started.) So both times I was leading by points, had good submission attempts, and even though she was about 30 pounds heavier than me I held my own. Next time I work for NAGA I think I am going to train like I am planning on competing there, just in case.

A few of my other teammates competed in Chicago. Jake won his blue belt division. Easton competed in both gi and no gi, she won her white belt gi division, and

After the first day of competition, we all went out to eat, after I ended up just going back to my room and crashing. Sunday was all of the kids divisions. I got a great surprise when two of the kids from Marcello’s showed up to compete. They got to be in different weight classes which was even better. Gabriel and Brandon? both went beginner, and won their gi and no gi divisions. I didn’t get to see gabriel compete but brendon was on my mat and I got to watch every one. He submitted his opponents easily, even after a few of them scored points on him. After he won his gi division, we needed someone to fight intermediate and he willingly competed in intermediate. The best part was, Brandon won!! Gabriel originally was in the novice division, but I convinced his parents to move him up, because after we moved him up to beginner he still did an amazing job and got first place. It was awesome to see Gabriel win since he has only been training about three months.

Overall it was a great event NAGA had about 800 competitors over two days, and from what I could tell everyone was fairly happy. I had a blast working with NAGA again, watching the new female competitors, and even getting to ref. There were a couple added bonuses, like getting to spend time with a guy named Mike Reyna. After talking to him and learning about his time in BJJ I decided to make him the next black belt interview I do. So keep your eyes peeled for it!

Black Belt Spotlight: Joao Carlos Herdy “Junior”

So I finally got the chance to do an athlete spotlight with a Black belt! And to kick it off, I am using the first person I ever met that did Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Joao Carlos Herdy “Junior”. I wandered into Marcello C Monteiro’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school and Junior, who was a brown belt at the time convinced me to come back when Marcello was there and talk to him about trying out the class. After I started Junior seemed to be a staple in the school, giving people little tips and hints to improve their game. When he left there was definitely a hole at the school. Junior recently was able to come back to the United States and started with a bang. He won his black belt division at the Arnolds, started teaching and training back at Marcello’s  and won his first MMA fight back in the United States against Dustin Neace. With everything he does Junior seems to live, eat and breathe the sport. He pays attention to every little detail, and during class, he makes sure to point out every one, then he makes sure to stop and watch every person do the technique.

At his young age, Junior had some great responses. He has an amazing view on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA. He was also the first person I got to interview in person, which is a totally different experience, it is a little more interesting to see the responses people have to the questions. So I hope you enjoy Junior’s interview, and take something he had to say away with you !

How old are you?

23

Where are you from?

I am from the mountain range of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

How long have you been training BJJ?

11 years, I started when I was 12.

When did you get your black belt, and from who?

Marcello C. Monteiro, in my home town in Brazil. I got my belt when I was 21

What got you into Brazilian Jiu jitsu?

(Laughs) Do you want to know the truth?? I started really young  and I started because of girls. I saw girls my age with older ex boyfriends, and the ex boyfriends were beating up guys my age that would date their ex girlfriends. I didn’t want to get beat up over a girl. So I started with judo but the school was too far and I had a classmate who was about to start jiu jitsu and Marcello’s and invited me. I started with my classmate and we even got our yellow belts together.

What do you like about BJJ?

The simplicity of the controls. You learn how to not depend on  your strength you learn how to combine speed, pressure, everything. You learn about your body and about your reactions. you learn more about yourself.

What was one of your best memories so far from BJJ?

Every day on the mats, every day I am on the mats is a good memory, because everyday I’m around friends. Sure there are tournaments, but I love every day on the mats. That is the secret to doing this every day!

Are there any black belts that have influenced your game?

Many if not all! I used to watch a lot of Margarida, when I started jiu jitsu. Saulo, all of the old school guys, I grew up watching them.

How old were you when you did your first MMA fight?

I was 17. I did 5 fights at 17. I got my only loss on my fourth fight, it was against Brian Garidy. I started learning wrestling muay thai boxing, I started to learn different martial arts all at 17.

What made you want to do an MMA fight?

I was a purple belt, I was training with the guys from Integrated  Fighting like Chris Lytle. Someone just asked me to do a fight. I did it just to see how I would react. I never fought in the streets because of the BJJ, and I wanted to test myself.

What weight class do you fight at?

I fight at 145 lbs.

What do you plan on doing in the future with MMA?

(Smiles) To be one of the best. I would just like to be one of the  best MMA fighters, I’ve been training for it and I have the team for it.

Do you prefer competing in MMA or BJJ?

I can’t compare them. MMA is technical, but you have to be really aggressive and want to hurt your opponent. Jiu jitsu is more technical, more smooth. There is adrenaline in both but it’s used differently, and you have to learn to use the adrenaline right.

Do you plan on competing in BJJ or MMA again any time soon?

Yea! I’m young I can compete in everything, I have nothing to lose. I am always looking for fights, and look forward to doing  another again.

* Junior will be fighting in Wisconsin September 11th. More information will be up soon!

What advice can you give BJJ practitioners?

We all have those days where we’re not felling good, or don’t have the ‘mojo’. Just go to jiu jitsu and leave your problems at the door. Relax and have fun every day we are learning and changing our game. Don’t be lazy (laughs)

Is there anything else you would like to add or talk about?

Thank you very much for the interview congratulations on your purple belt and like BJ Penn says, “the belt is just an accessory!”