Andre Galvao’s combination of charisma and Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizardry has made him one of the most popular characters in the world of BJJ. Although he is now focusing on mixed martial arts and has a fight coming up in DREAM against Jason High next month, the jiu-jitsu world is still abuzz about Atos Jiu-Jitsu, the team Galvao created with Ramon Lemos which performed very, very well at the recent 2009 BJJ World Championship.

In this episode of our humble BJJ internet radio show, we were able to sit down with Andre Galvao here in San Diego as he prepares for his upcoming MMA fight and learn more about Atos. We were also able to ask Andre many of the questions that we received for him on our Twitter page from the Mighty 600,000. If you have ever wondered about how Andre Galvao feels about diet, drilling, his upcoming book and DVD, or who he thinks is the best jiu-jitsu practioner he has ever rolled with, this is the episode for you!

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[mp3] Download the show

Jon, a member of the Mighty 600,000 from North Carolina is sidelined with an injury and cannot train at the moment. So what did he do? He still attends jiu-jitsu class, but since he cannot train, he takes notes on all the moves and details that were taught during class.

Jon called our toll free number 877-247-4662 and is curious if the rest of the Family does the same thing, and I’m pretty interested too. I have seen plenty of guys who take notes at BJJ class. I think a lot of the BJJ blogs out there are often people’s online repository of what happened in class that day for them. (Slideyfoot’s Training Log is just one example.)

So what about you? Do you maintain a notebook or diary of what you learn in jiu-jitsu class? Let us know in the poll above, and be sure to leave a comment below!

The BJJ Police, a loosely organized internet-based group devoted to maintaining the purity of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and known for aggressively investigating suspicious claims of BJJ achievement, admitted this week that a case of mistaken identity was behind a recent BJJ Police effort. The incident caused no small amount of frustration to their suspect, Chip MacDougal, whose appearance in an online photo wearing a karate uniform years ago triggered the investigation. “Several phone calls, many romoshops, and one internet challenge later, come to find out we were barking up the wrong tree. He’s clean,” said a BJJ Police investigator who goes by the screenname OMGWTFBJJ. Citing an ongoing threat to jiu-jitsu however, the BJJ Police remind the public to report any suspicious black belts to their nearest Brazilian jiu-jitsu internet forum.

About KTJJN

Warning: this post is not so much about Brazilian jiu-jitsu as it is about our family of BJJ sites. No hard feelings if that’s not as interesting to you.

A typical email we get here at TheFightWorksPodcast.com headquarters here in San Diego is a very kind note. We hear about people’s suggestions for new shows, and maybe some kind words about the work we do. But not every communcation we receive is a compliment. Sometimes they’re recommendations, like this one we received from Europe regarding our new sister website, BJJMap.com, a directory of BJJ schools and BJJ school reviews.

One comment about the bjjmap site. Could you please add “Country” field to the submission form. It is allways a bit annoying to put your country to the State field - as we are not part of the United States….

Great suggestion! I’ve made the fix already. Here’s another comment about BJJMap.com we received from a long-time listener, Ross Finlayson.

Caleb,

Great idea, but a *terrible* UI. (For starters, there’s no ‘map’ at all…)

Ross.

Good old Ross! Back in 2007 he was the first to email me after I posted an interview with Cesar Gracie that was un-listenable because of poor audio quality (I was so upset I pulled it from the site and transcribed the whole thing). Ross’ comments compelled me to find a new audio recording service and since then I think we have done a pretty good job in that department.

This time around he voices another legitimate issue. Because of the domain name BJJMap.com, he was expecting one giant Google map showing all schools everywhere. As I was writing this very post, a training partner of mine here in San Diego offered a similar critique. The domain name BJJMap came about because the site already existed under different owners who appeared to cease work on it and let the domain expire. So I apologize if that was misleading. It was certainly not intentional.

Unfortunately, I’m no software coder. My web development skills are a bit like my top game in jiu-jitsu: limited So regrettably I don’t have the resources to display the giant map you guys ask for. If any one out there is a really smooth web developer and has time and an urge to volunteer some assistance, we’d love to talk.

In the meantime although it is admittedly not perfect, I do think BJJMap offers some utility to the jiu-jitsu community. Remember that in addition to offering a searchable index of BJJ schools (currently over 400 in 14 countries), you can leave and read feedback about the schools to help make decisions about where to train. There are already a handful of such reviews on the site, but I am excited about the information it will provide once there is a little more inertia in the reviews.

I hope this clarifies things a bit. Regardless, keep the feedback coming!

Last weekend in Paris, Atch Productions held a 16-man submission grappling tournament, the Grappling Masters VIP with a $5,000 prize for the winner. The FightWorks Podcast received this report from the tournament winner, Gracie Barra’s Braulio Estima, who entered the contest alongside his younger brother Victor Estima:

This weekend saw the Estima brothers competing in Paris for a prize of $5000. The event featured big name grapplers from Europe and Brazil, all competing to claim the cash prize.

Victor put in a very impressive display in the quarter finals, submitting the winner of the 2009 ADCC European Trials, Kassim Annan, via leg lock. Braulio beat the first fighter by arm triangle and then the French Tonton via points.

The brackets put Braulio & Victor against each other in the semi-finals, with Victor stepping down to allow Braulio through to the finals against Gregory Bouchelaghem who beat Lagarto in the quarter finals by judges decision (a match which ended in a controversial decision as the French didn’t get the minus points for stalling).

The end came 4 minutes into the final, with Braulio submitting Bouchelaghem with a slick triangle to claim the prize money.

Congratulations to Braulio and Victor. The two were very busy last month. At the 2009 BJJ World Championship, Braulio won the gold medal in the heavyweight division after sweeping Alexandre de Souza (Gracie Florianopolis) in the finals, and Victor placed third in the medium heavyweight division. The two were also organizers of the British BJJ Open (review, results) just a couple of weeks ago.

Images of the Grappling Masters VIP can be found here.

Braulio Estima changes the light bulb at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Who doesn’t want a new gi? Most of us probably don’t need a new gi but I think most jiu-jitsu people are always eager to have another one in our arsenal! Well here’s your chance to get one shipped to your doorstep!

Yes, it’s time for another contest here on TheFightWorksPodcast.com! Unlike Brazilian jiu-jitsu techniques, which have seemingly infinite layers of details, winning this brand new Isami gi is really a pretty simple process:

• Write a review of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament for us to publish in our Tournament Review Tuesdays column and you’ll be entered into the contest!
• Multiple entries are allowed! Compete and send us five TRT columns and you’ll have five opportunities to win!
• Yes, if you’ve already written a TRT piece in 2009, those count as entries.
• We will draw a winner at random from the entries in December and soon after you will have this new Isami gi on your doorstep.

So what are you waiting for? Find a jiu-jitsu tournament on iCompete.org, and let us know how it went!

Many, many thanks to ChokeSports.com for their generous contribution of the Isami gi!

We’ve all heard those commercials on television from local lawyers asking, “Have you ever been injured in a car accident?” Now imagine that same voice in your head asking, “Have you ever been injured and had to take a break from Brazilian jiu-jitsu?” As in any sport, at some point or another we would all probably answer “yes” to that question.

This week on our BJJ internet radio show, we speak with someone very familiar with the physical and emotional issues jiu-jitsu practitioners face when they are prevented from training because of an injury. LivingDefense.com’s Danny Dring is a Nova Uniao black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Andre Pederneiras. Dring was sidelined from his very active lifestyle with a major hip surgery and went through the doldrums of jiu-jitsu withdrawal and even faced the possibility of never training again.

Dring will share tips on overcoming medical and psychological roadblocks to training jiu-jitsu when injured and getting back on the mats, where every member of the Mighty 600,000 wants to be!

Many thanks to John Graybeal for connecting us with Danny!

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show

We received a voicemail from Aaron from Massachusetts, a member of the Mighty 600,000, who was driving around and couldn’t help but reflect on how many more Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools there are in his neck of the woods.

Now keep in mind, we are curious about genuine BJJ schools. As Aaron mentioned in his voicemail, there are plenty of traditional martial arts schools who may now advertise some grappling or even mixed martial arts instruction, we want to know whether your area now has more genuine jiu-jitsu schools than in the past.

So let us know in the poll above! And if you have any comments, leave us a message at (877) 247-4662!

At this point in our humble Brazilian jiu-jitsu internet radio show’s history, the income we earn from on-site banners and the occasional paid audio commercial is still probably less than I pay annually for hosting, travel, and other services used to make The FightWorks Podcast. When you add in the hours required every week to put together a show, it doesn’t come close to justifying itself, much less being a revenue generator.

And that is fine. The emails and messages I get from you, The Mighty 600,000, prove to me that what I do is valued. It really feels good to produce something that makes others happy. So it’s a true statement that the emails and voicemails we receive from you are the fuel that powers The FightWorks Podcast.

Don’t get me wrong. No part of what I wrote above is me asking for donations, and I am not soliciting ideas on a new business model for podcasting. (Although if you really think you’re on to a new idea, feel free to email me). What I am saying is that your feedback is really important to us here at The FightWorks Podcast, so please keep in touch!

An experimental program to cure grapplers of their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu addiction was going well until eight minutes into the first meeting when the conversation topic turned to purple belt Sandra Warden’s inability to think about anything other than her problems finishing a certain collar choke. As the participants eagerly began to troubleshoot Warden’s issue, the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Anonymous meeting slid from psychologist Chad Trotter’s control and suddenly degraded into a full fledged open mat session. According to the therapist, “Sandra explained her problem about correct hand placement when choking from the mount and the next thing I know I have four pairs of people grappling in front of me.” With group therapy no longer a viable treatment for jiu-jitsu addiction, experts are now calling for the return of more controversial therapies like electroshock and the prefrontal lobotomy.

About KTJJN

One of the most common question that appear in online forums for Brazilian jiu-jitsu is, “Where can I train BJJ in __insert town here__?” Well we thought we would attempt to lend a hand for anyone asking that question by developing BJJMap.com. At the moment you can find hundreds of Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools all over suing the site. Currently the majority come from the United States, but there are even listings from Ghana and Spain!

It should go without saying that the site does not list every single school in the world. But our goal is to list as many as possible. In fact I have a big list of schools to add to the site that I have not gotten to yet but I decided there are enough in there now to get started and I can fill in the rest as time allows. To that end, if the school where you train jiu-jitsu is not in there, you can add your jiu-jitsu school and we will make it a priority to include it as soon as possible!

The other thing to note about the site is that you can leave reviews of the schools that are listed there. So if you have visited a jiu-jitsu gym and want to let the world know about your experience, you can leave a comment there for others to see. Don’t worry - if the point of someone’s comment is just mischief, it won’t make it on the site. We’re looking for credible information that the community can use.

So from now on, there’s no need to bother the forum by asking where to train jiu-jitsu in a certain town. Go to BJJMap.com! (Of course, if you’re looking for jiu-jitsu tournaments and seminars, head over to iCompete.org!)

About a week or so ago I was invited by the gang at BudoVideos in Los Angeles to put a voice to their results video for the 2009 BJJ World Championship. So after a long day at work I made the 2 hour drive from San Diego and made it to Budo headquarters in Los Angeles as the sun was going down.

I had little idea what to expect when I arrived but the guys from Budo were pretty laid back and basically said I could go nuts with the narratives for the matches. Lots of jiu-jitsu talk and a few hours later we called it a night and I left the Budo Videos crew with a bunch of audio they could use. I won’t go so far as to say that I nailed each recap on each match’s first take, but it really wasn’t much different than recording an episode of the show back at FightWorks Podcast headquarters.

As for the way home late that evening, well… during our live play-by-play at the 2009 BJJ World Championship itself, lots of folks were cheering me on and telling me to grab an energy drink that rhymes with Bed Pull. I never got a chance to refuel with one during the Mundial itself but you can bet I made it back to San Diego that night with one!

In any case I think the video turned out pretty well! What do you think?

by Seymour Yang

The cancellation of the annual Gracie Invitational in the UK this year led many to call for a big replacement event. Up stepped world champion Braulio Estima and his Gracie Barra team in Birmingham to stage the British BJJ Open. With over 620 competitors spread out over 8 mats, this event did not disappoint in terms of size and scale.

Fresh from his gold medal win at the 2009 Mundials, Braulio Estima hosted the tournament with his characteristic smile and geniality. Everyone here was made to feel welcome. Anticipation was high in the preceding few weeks and days as the numbers of entries were adding up and rumours were speculating as to who would be fighting.

The venue chosen was the Cockmoors Wood Leisure Centre in Birmingham, UK, which is only about 2.5 hours drive from London. One slightly odd arrangement was the placement of blue belts right at the end of the day, after all the white, purple, brown and black belts had finished. As a side note, it was amusing to see the reactions of a small aikido class being held in a glass fronted room surrounded by swarms of BJJ competitors waiting to enter the main hall. A case of old skool being given rude and loud awakening by the nu skool.

The crowd had plenty of great fights to see. All eyes especially were on the hot young British talents on display today. 19 year old Stephen Martin, wearing a brand spanking new purple belt (awarded after his Bronze medal win at the Mundials) fought brilliantly to make the purple lightweight final, only to lose on points to Oli Geddes.

Another brand new purple belt was Omar Rashid who wasted no time in despatching his opponents to claim the purple belt mens featherweight division. And the blue belts too had some very technical and exciting matches especially those involving Daniel Agard, just 17 years old and a blue under Felipe Souza. Daniel fought with flair and mastery way beyond his years to reach his final, finally running out of gas. We’ll see a lot more of him in the future.

For such a big event, the whole tournament ran incredibly smoothly and pretty much on schedule. A minor gripe could be made perhaps regarding the incomprehensible PA louspeaker and the overall lack of space. But there was a general air of excitment and the buzz was good among competitors and spectators alike. Everyone got a free t-shirt and fightgear was awarded to all gold medal winners.

The UK proudly boasts two current black belt world champions (Roger Gracie and Braulio Estima) who base their academies here. The success of today shows that the UK can comfortably host a big competition that draws an international cast of participants. Perhaps one day soon, the UK could host the IBJJF European Championships? My congratulations to Braulio, Steve Fan and all the crew for organising a brilliant tournament.

Christine McDonagh (bottom) attemts a triangle choke on Dominique Vitry in a womens blue belt match.

- Caleb

UPDATE June 23 at 12:13PM Pacific: we received the following from Braulio Estima…

If you are a tourney organizer, we encourage you to send us the results of your Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling events too. If you are a competitor, feel free to send us a write up of your competition experience as well! Details are here.

BLACK OVER 80KG
RICHARD MARTIN CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD
ARLANS SIQUEIRA SILVER
EDDIE KONE ROYLER GRACIE ACADEMY BRONZE

BLACK UNDER 80KG
ALEXANDRE IZIDRO ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
MARCUS NARDINE NARDINE BJJ GLASGOW SILVER
HENRIQUE SANTA GB JOINT BRONZE
LEOPOLDO PIRES GB MARIO REIS JOINT BRONZE

BROWN ABSOLUTE
LUCIANO CRISTOVAN RGA GOLD
ANDY COSTELLO ITALO FERREIRA SILVER
MICHAEL RUSSEL BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOINT BRONZE
DIMITRI OLIVEIRA RGA JOINT BRONZE

BROWN FEATHER ADULT
TOM BARLOW GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
SIMON MCGOVERN GB STOKE LAGARTO SILVER

BROWN LIGHT ADULT
MICHAEL RUSSEL BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL GOLD
DARREN YEOMANN ITALO FERREIRA SILVER
DIMITRI OLIVEIRA RGA BRONZE

BROWN LIGHT SENIOR
LUIZ RIBEIRO CHECKMAT GOLD
EAMONN MADI BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL SILVER

BROWN MEDIUM HEAVY ADULT
YURI SIMOES RGA GOLD
LUCIANO CRISTOVAN RGA SILVER
ANDY ROBERTS RGA ANDY ROBERTS BRONZE

BROWN SUPER HEAVY MASTER
GNAT PRZEMO DRYSDALE JJ GOLD
ANDY COSTELLO ITALO FERREIRA SILVER
JACKSON FORTUNATO BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL BRONZE

PURPLE FEATHER ADULT
OMAR RASHID RICK YOUNG ACADEMY GOLD
CHANAKA WEERASINGH ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER
WESLEY TREVELLYAN GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
MARLON MORAES ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE FEATHER ADULT FEMALE
CAOIMHE SUITOR GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD
JENN WEBB BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL SILVER

PURPLE HEAVY ADULT
PIOTR KAPRAL GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
RORY PALMER ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER
LEE ANTHONY HOWES GB NEWCASTLE BRONZE

PURPLE HEAVY MASTER
TOM WILSON GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
MATTHEW NORRIS GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER
ED BROWN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOINT BRONZE
STEVEN BRAND BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE LIGHT ADULT
OLI GEDDES RGA GOLD
STEPHEN MARTIN GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER
MAX LIMA RGA VIE ACADEMY JOINT BRONZE
SIMON DAVIES ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE LIGHT ADULT FEMALE
AISLING DALY SBG IRELAND GOLD
ESTHER TANG ECBJJ SILVER
KATIE RODD CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION BRONZE

PURPLE LIGHT MASTERS
DANIEL ECBJJ GOLD
NATHAN ROBERTS GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER
STEVEN WAN GB STOKE LAGARTO JOINT BRONZE
DAVID LEE ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE MALE ABSOLUTE
DOMINIC DEBIA ? GOLD
RYAN SOOSANAZAD GB MARIO REES SILVER
WILLEN PETERS GRACIE BARRA nl JOINT BRONZE
ANTONIO HENRIQUE RGA JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE MEDIUM ADULT
RORY QUARRIER BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL GOLD
ROBERT TAYLOR GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER
NISAR SHAIKH CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION BRONZE

PURPLE MEDIUM HEAVY ADULT
RYAN SOOSANAZAD GB MARIO REES GOLD
WILLEM PETERS GRACIE BARRA nl SILVER
ROB VESTNEY ECBJJ JOINT BRONZE
STUART GWILT GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE MEDIUM HEAVY MASTER/SENIOR
DAVID IVERSON GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
KAROL STASIAK PRETORIAN SILVER
TOM KING SBG BRONZE

PURPLE MIDDLE MASTER
SCOTT PICKERING TEAM SUKATA WARRINGTON GOLD
WAQAR AHMED CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER
ADAM SANDERSON BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOINT BRONZE
AUSTIN GARDENER CHECKMAT JOINT BRONZE

PURPLE SUPER FEATHER ADULT
LUKE COLE GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
MANJIT BHAMBRA ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER

PURPLE SUPER HEAVY ADULT
RAFAEL NERY CHECKMAT GOLD
MISIEK ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER

PURPLE SUPER SUPER HEAVY ADULT
JAMES BLAND GB NEWCASTLE GOLD
ANTONIO HENRIQUE RGA SILVER
GREGG RODGERS GB LAGARTO BRONZE

MURALI PANCHALINGHAM CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD

BLUE FEATHER ADULT
LUCASZ GRATIKOWSKI GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
JAMES DUNAWAY ROYCE GRACIE BJJ SILVER
DANIEL KEY JOINT BRONZE
JAMES GALLAGER JOINT BRONZE

BLUE FEATHER ADULT FEMALE
JULIE MORGAN CHECKMAT GOLD
PIPPA GRANGER ECBJJ SILVER
CHRISTINE MCDONAGH GB BRAULIO ESTIMA BRONZE

BLUE FEATHER MASTER/SENIOR
WESLEY EPHSON LEAO DOURADO UK GOLD
WILHAM SANTOS RGA VIE ACADEMY SILVER
GEOFFREY SAUTNER ?? JOINT BRONZE
RODGER MIDDLETON RGA2 JOINT BRONZE

BLUE HEAVY ADULT
CHRIS REAGAN GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
VASILE PANFIL RGA SILVER
JACK MCDONALDS CHECKMAT JOINT BRONZE
SHAUN PARRY GB SWANSEA JOINT BRONZE

BLUE HEAVY MASTER SENIOR
PAUL WHYMAN COMBAT BASE N/E GOLD
KEITH TAYLOR ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER
DAVE SMITH CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION JOINT BRONZE
JASON BIRTH RGA JOINT BRONZE

BLUE LIGHT ADULT
MARK CURRY SBG GOLD
DANIEL AGARD BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL SILVER
JAMES EASLY GB LAGARTO JOINT BRONZE
ADAM ABBAS MARC WALDER BJJ JOINT BRONZE

BLUE LIGHT FEMALE
SHEENA DAVIS RGA GOLD
SABINE BATTNER KENPOKAN HANNOVER SILVER
PAULA CAROLINA REMES CHECKMAT JOINT BRONZE
EMMA BAKER GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE

BLUE LIGHT MASTER
KARIM SHAH CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER
MARIUSZ BARYLA GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
GRAEME KIDD SBG MANCHESTER JOINT BRONZE

BLUE LIGHT SENIOR
RITHY PRIKER ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
CHRIS RAWLINS GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER
HUGH MALONE GRACIE BARRA NI JOINT BRONZE
JAMES DONNELLY SBG IRELAND JOINT BRONZE

BLUE MEDIUM HEAVY ADULT
LUKE COSTELLO GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
CLIVE STAUNTON STRAIGHT BLAST GYM IRELAND SILVER
DAWID GRANACKI RICK YOUNG SCOTLAND JOINT BRONZE
POVILAITIS MODESTAS VORAS BJJ JOINT BRONZE

BLUE MEDIUM HEAVY FEMALE
HELIN PAARA SBG MANCHESTER GOLD
OLGA LYASHEVSKA CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER

BLUE MEDIUM HEAVY MASTER
SAHID KHAMLICHI GRACIE BARRA MK GOLD
ARTUR SZWED CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER
BEN HEWITT GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
MATTHEW COX GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE

BLUE MEDIUM HEAVY SENIOR
CORNELL VLIJTER RGA GOLD
RICHARD ALLEN CHECKMAT SILVER

BLUE MIDDLE ADULT
DELROY MCDOWELL ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
MARCIN ROZENBAUM LEAO DOURADO SILVER
CRAIG TETLEY GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
BRYAN THOMSON RICK YOUNGS BLACKBELT ACADEMY JOINT BRONZE

BLUE MIDDLE FEMALE
LEONI MUNSLOW ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
SARAH MERRANER CHECKMAT SILVER
LARA WILSON GB STOKE LAGARTO JOINT BRONZE
LISA JAMES RGA VIE ACADEMY JOINT BRONZE

BLUE MIDDLE/MASTER
DONATIS UKTVERTIS RGA GOLD
GAVIN LEWIS GRACIE BARRA SILVER
ZAGHAM YOUNES BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOINT BRONZE
SCOTT MCKAIL RICK YOUNG ACADEMY JOINT BRONZE

BLUE MIDDLE/SENIOR
PHIL TUCKER ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
RICHARD SHORE GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER
ROBERT CASALI ACADEMY 247 JOINT BRONZE
MATTHEW CHECKMAT JOINT BRONZE

BLUE SUPER FEATHER ADULT
AARON AU YEUNG GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
PATRICK HOLOHAN SBG IRELAND SILVER
MATTHEW DUNAWAY ROYCE GRACIE BJJ JOINT BRONZE
MAN YUEN TSANG UNIVERSITY LIMERICK BJJ JOINT BRONZE

BLUE SUPER FEATHER MASTER
ISAAC PEREZ ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
HENRIQUE VALLASENOR CHECKMAT SILVER
VISHAL PATEL GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
SEYMOUR YANG RGA (MILL HILL) JOINT BRONZE

BLUE SUPER HEAVY ADULT
CHRIS BOWE GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
CHRIS KONIECZNY COMBAT ACADEMY HEREFORD SILVER
VALENTINO PETRESCU GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
RICHARD DAVIS PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE

BLUE SUPER HEAVY MASTER/ SENIOR
JASON BELL CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD
WAYNE FAGAN CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER
JASON LEADBETTER GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
LEO RODLEY RGA JOINT BRONZE

BLUE SUPER SUPER HEAVY ADULT
TOMASZ WISNIEWSKI TRUE SPIRIT LEEDS/ OKINININISKI POLAND GOLD
LUKE TAYLOR ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER
MICHAEL WEST GB LAGARTO BRONZE

BLUE WOMEN ABSOLUTE
HELINE PAAVA ? GOLD
OLGA LASHEVSKA ? SILVER
LISA JAMES ? JOINT BRONZE
JULIE MORGAN ? JOINT BRONZE

WHITE ABSOLUTE
JOE ? GOLD
STEVEN PAGE ? JOINT BRONZE
DEMIEN ? JOINT BRONZE
MARCO ? SILVER

WHITE FEATHER ADULT
ANDY LE PAGE GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
SCOTT MCCONNELL GB PLYMOUTH JOINT BRONZE
RICHARD CLARKE RGA JOINT BRONZE
PHIL PATRICK RGA SILVER

WHITE FEATHER MASTER
STUART BOARDMAN BOLTON CATCH BJJ BRONZE
VICTOR FRONTCZAK ECBJJ GOLD
LEO MARCANTONIO BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL SILVER

WHITE FEATHER SENIOR
ERNIE PERRY GB BRAULIO ESTIMA BRONZE
TOBY NORWAYS RGA ANDY ROBERTS GOLD
ALEX TWEEDIE GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER

WHITE HEAVY ADULT
MARCO TOSTA MARIO REIS GOLD
MAX DENNING ? JOINT BRONZE
AMIR MEMARIAN CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION JOINT BRONZE
DEAN BRADBURY SILVER

WHITE HEAVY MASTER
MERV HARRIES GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
SACHA MACKENZIE CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION JOINT BRONZE
THADD WRONEK ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE
PETER KUAPIR ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER

WHITE HEAVY MASTER/SENIOR
JOHN BYLETT BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL GOLD
ANDREW CHOONG CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION JOINT BRONZE
STEPHEN GARSIDE GB STOKE LAGARTO JOINT BRONZE
DENVAR WILSON BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL SILVER

WHITE HEAVY SENIOR
WILLIAM LAI BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL GOLD
PAUL STANFORD RGA JOINT BRONZE
MATTHEW BROWN TEAM LAGARTO JOINT BRONZE
PHIL FLOLET CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER

WHITE LIGHT ADULT
SUSHI AVAZKHNI ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
SAM CHAPMAN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOINT BRONZE
RAPHAEL KITAUCHI RGA JOINT BRONZE
ALEX BROERS ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA SILVER

WHITE LIGHT ADULT FEMALE
EMMA LEAVY CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD
RACHAEL PASSFIELD RGA JOINT BRONZE
RAQUEL MCMILLAN ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE
LAUREN REED GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER

WHITE LIGHT MASTER
MUHAMED ITOUMAINE ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA GOLD
BEN KERSLAKE GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
STEVEN CORTIE RGA JOINT BRONZE
BEN GILBERT ANAJ DOS SANTOS SILVER

WHITE LIGHT SENIOR
MATTHEW SMITH KENPOKAN GOLD
DARREN GREEN GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
STEVEN FAGE ISHIN RYU JU JITSU JOINT BRONZE
RIYAZ ISMAIL RGA SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM ADULT
VINCE SKILCORN CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION GOLD
TOM BOSWELL CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION JOINT BRONZE
CHARLIE MACDONALD SUKATA JOINT BRONZE
BEN ROONIE GRACIE BARRA SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM ADULT FEMALE
TRACY LIMB GB LAGARTO GOLD
DHARMA STEVENS GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM HEAVY ADULT
STUART TYRIE GB SWANSEA GOLD
MOHAMM SAMAD GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
IOANNIS KARACHRISTOS GB GREECE JOINT BRONZE
YUSUF CHECKMAT SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM HEAVY MASTER
JOSEPH SMILES AYLESBURY GOLD
ADRIAN TWEED GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
DALE HESKETH GB LAGARTO JOINT BRONZE
DAVIE OAKES MARC WALDER BJJ SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM HEAVY SENIOR
ROBERT TESNER GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
JONATHAN BROSTER BUSHIDO MMA JOINT BRONZE
STEPHEN SCAIFE RGA JOINT BRONZE
TREFOR COSTER KAMON SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM MASTER
MICHAEL HADAM ? GOLD
ANDRE SACRAMENTO EDUARDO CARRIELO BJJ JOINT BRONZE
MARTIN ASAME GRACI BARRA ? JOINT BRONZE
DAVID OKAI CHECKMAT SILVER

WHITE MEDIUM SENIOR
JOHNNY MOUNTNEY ?? GOLD
RICK MOOR BOLTON CATCH BJJ JOINT BRONZE
IAN FINCH GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
DAVID O’NEIL CHECKMAT SILVER

WHITE ROOSTER ADULT FEMALE
LEILA SMITH ECBJJ GOLD
CHUN YEE CHENG RGA SILVER

WHITE ROOSTER ADULT MALE
LEE CHAMPION MASTER ST JAMES BB ACADEMY BRONZE
SEAN MCDONAGH GB DERBY GOLD
MARK BOOT GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER

WHITE SUPER FEATHER ADULT
DAVID PRESCOTT GB TEAM LEGARTO GOLD
SIMON HARMER RGA JOINT BRONZE
BRENDON MAY ZE MARCELLO/ PEDRO BESSA JOINT BRONZE
PAUL JUGANATH RGA SILVER

WHITE SUPER FEATHER ADULT FEMALE
CAMILA PARKER CHECKMAT JOINT BRONZE
KEELIN MCGORY RGA JOINT BRONZE
SOPHIE COOK CANTON MA SILVER

MEGAN MCGREGOR ROYCE GRACIE BJJ GOLD

WHITE SUPER FEATHER MASTER
MARK TAYLOR BOLTON CATCH BJJ GOLD
ROY DAVIES GB BIRMINGHAM JOIN BRONZE
MATTHEW DELAUNEY GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
REZA DAUHOO CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER

WHITE SUPER HEAVY ADULT
STEPHEN CHRISTE NOVA FORCA GOLD
JOHN PSYLLAS ABERDEEBN MA JOINT BRONZE
ADAM KIELY JOINT BRONZE
DANIEL BUCKLEY GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER

WHITE SUPER SUPER HEAVY ADULT
MOHAMED LLIAS BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL GOLD
CHRIS CAMERON BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL JOIN BRONZE
ROBERT STEEL GB BRAULIO ESTIMA JOINT BRONZE
PIOTR WOLEK CARLSON GRACIE REVOLUTION SILVER

WHITE SUPER SUPER HEAVY MASTER
ALEKSANDER GUSTYN RGA GOLD
MATTHEW JACKSON RGA JOINT BRONZE
SAMUEL SANGIORGI RGA JOINT BRONZE
PHIL CLEGG GB BRAULIO ESTIMA SILVER

WHITE SUPER SUPER HEAVY SENIOR
PETER DUTTON GB BRAULIO ESTIMA BRONZE
DARRYL SHAW GB BRAULIO ESTIMA GOLD
MARK STERLING BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU SCHOOL SILVER

Team results
based on 9pts = gold; 3 pts = silver; 1 pt bronze

1st GB Braulio Estima = 173 pts
2nd Ze Marcello/ Pedro Bessa = 102 pts
3rd RGA = 89
4th Carlson Gracie = 85

Last month when the cohost of The FightWorks Podcast Dan was invited by the Art of War to cover their mixed martial arts event, we knew he would come home with great interviews from the jiu-jitsu world but we did not know how good! This week’s show will feature a sampling of some of the conversations he was able to capture while in Beijing, China. All three interviewees this week are pioneers in spreading Brazilian jiu-jitsu to different parts of the world.

First off is the legendary Rickson Gracie. Rickson needs no introduction and in the conversation you will hear in this episode, Rickson talks about his role in the jiu-jitsu world at this point in his career, as well as his Invisible Jiu-Jitsu seminar series.

From there Dan’s interviews take us to Indonesia, with Niko Han. Niko has been the pioneer in bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to his corner of the world and is now a black belt. We will hear all about the interesting passage of BJJ to Indonesia from Niko himself.

Carlos “Carlao” Santos has a similar story of being a jiu-jitsu disciple in a foreign land. Santos accepted a temporary offer to teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United Arab Emirates and has been there ever since, fostering the adoption of BJJ in public schools and the military, as well as organizing the star-studded World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship which took place recently.

Finally we bring on 2009 black belt gold medalist Penny Thomas to answer an email we received from one of the Mighty 600,000 . (Email us or leave a message at 877-247-4662 if you have a question for our guests!)

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This Saturday’s installment of our weekly BJJ Poll was just something that occurred to me the other day when I got a call from someone asking me about Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools in San Diego. This person wanted to get their boyfriend a gift certificate to enroll in a BJJ school and we were talking about some of the things that would help her decide a good place to send her boyfriend. It made me wonder about all the factors that affect someone’s decision to train jiu-jitsu in a certain school. Things that might influence your decision about a jiu-jitsu school are its proximity to your house (or in this particular case, the guy’s surf spot), the belt level of the instructor, the vibe of the academy, and so on… Then I realized that to some people, it might make sense to choose one school over another because the instructor is Brazilian.

What about you? Do you think that it is important? Be honest! Let us know by voting in the poll above, and definitely leave a comment below!

And if you’ve got an idea for a poll, leave us a message at 877-247-4662 or email me at caleb @ thefightworkspodcast DOT com!

If you have been a fan of the FightWorks Podcast for any length of time you cannot have missed that we display a lot of jiu-jitsu photos from one of our favorite people, Alicia Anthony. Alicia is a great partner of the FightWorks Podcast and we often carpool up from San Diego together to cover events in Los Angeles (you can hear a time-lapsed conversation from such a trip in episode #130!).

Since the 2009 BJJ World Championship at the beginning of this month, the in-the-know have been impatiently awaiting Alicia’s photo galleries from the event to appear online. I’m happy to announce that they’re now posted!

Alicia is tireless in what are always long days at the major (and not so major) jiu-jitsu tournaments in California and the rest of the southwest United States. All your jiu-jitsu idols appear in amazing detail and in action in this gallery (and others) so please support her, Mighty 600,000! Yes! Buy some photos to decorate your academy etc!!

At a press conference held today in the San Diego neighborhood of Chula Vista, Rodney “Rod” Andrews announced the grand opening of Rod’s Purity Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the first known academy where no clothes will be worn while training Brazilian jiu-jitsu. “Brazilian jiu-jitsu was originally practiced in the gi, and what happened? People then went to no-gi. We take things to their logical next step of rolling with no clothes whatsoever,” said Andrews. “Humans are born naked and we procreate naked, so it only makes sense to defend ourselves naked.” Standing in front of a banner that read, “No Gi? No Board Shorts? No Problem!”, Andrews then stepped out from behind the press conference podium, removed all his clothes and presented himself squarely in front of the audience before asking for volunteers to disrobe and participate in a nude jiu-jitsu demonstration. No word yet on how belt rankings will be handled.

About KTJJN

After returning from Beijing to witness the Chinese mixed martial arts event Art of War, Rickson Gracie will be in Asia again shortly: this year’s Rickson Gracie Cup will take place on Sunday, June 28 in Japan and will feature a tough batch of black belts from various corners of the world. Athletes expected to be at the event include:

• Adalberto “Betinho” Vital (Krazy Bee)
• Kron Gracie (Rickson Gracie)
• Gustavo Dantas (Nova Uniao)
• Rafael Mendes (Atos Jiu-Jitsu)
• Robson Moura (Nova Uniao)
• Abmar Barbosa (Robert Drysdale)

Carlos Santos, the Brazilian Top Team black belt who has spent the last several years bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the United Arab Emirates will also be bringing a contingent of Emirati competitors the event in Hamamatsu, a blue collar factory city full of Brazilians. Moreover, according to the Japanese Jiu-Jitsu Federation, the black belt final matches are scheduled to be broadcast live over the internet! Keep an eye out on their website for more details!

As inevitable as Roger Gracie’s choke from the mount, we bring you our special edition, wrap-up show of the historic 2009 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship that took place last weekend! With the jiu-jitsu Mundial champions we bring you in this episode, there is more gold, silver, and bronze in this show than in a jewelry store. In addition to the conversations we recorded at California State Long Beaches’ Pyramid on Sunday with the champions we list below, you will hear the chanting of Alliance, Gracie Barra, and Gracie Humaita teams that is a major part of the Mundial experience, as well as analysis of the event from Caleb and Dan, the hosts of the show.

We will include interviews with:

• 2009 Black Belt Male Absolute Champion Roger Gracie
• 2009 Black Belt Female Absolute Champion Lana Stefanac
• Roger Gracie’s father Mauricio Motta Gomes
• 2009 Black Belt Male Middle Heavyweight silver medalist Tarsis Humphreys
• 2009 Black Belt Male Middle Heavyweight gold medalist and Absolute division silver medalist Romulo Barral
• 2009 Black Belt Male Middle Heavyweight bronze medalist Victor Estima
• 2009 Black Belt Male Heavyweight gold medalist Braulio Estima
• Fabio “The General” Gurgel, a leader of Alliance, the 2009 Adult Team Champion

And since we cannot neglect The Mighty 600,000, we will also include listener email!

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