New Weight Class, New Challenges

photo by Deive Coutinho.

OK so I am back again with some time and most importantly motivation to sit down and write up another blog entry. I’ve been busy since my last blog entry, I put in a full fight camp and had a fight since I last sat down and wrote an entry—man come to think of it, I do a horrible job keeping this blog up to date, but hey what can I say I’m busy trying to live life. 

SO ANYWAYS  back to the topic at hand—my fight! For this fight I dropped down for the first time to 145 pounds. Not going to lie at first I was a bit apprehensive about dropping the weight. In college I spent the first few seasons cutting a lot of weight the wrong way, honestly I attribute that and and ignorance on proper nutrition to not developing as fast as I should have in my college career. When your focused on nothing but making weight and being hungry it is hard to improve technically. I have seen the same thing here in the MMA world, especially here in Brazil. There are some guys who are making tremendous weightcuts and doing it the wrong way; so when it gets to fight time they look massive and come out guns a blazing but then quickly blow their load and tire out. They gas not because they didn’t work hard, but because they taxed their bodies in such a way that they were unable recover and perform at an optimal level. 

photo by Deive Coutinho.

So with this in mind I started dieting (I normally eat fairly healthy regardless) strictly about 6 or 7 weeks out from my fight, and leaned down to about 155-157 range. From there I made sure I super hydrated and got my body used to flushing high amounts of water from my system. About a week and a half out from my fight I eliminated most all sodium from my diet, and started cutting back on my carbs. The week of weigh-ins and the fight I cut most all carbs (which causes your body to retain water) and about 2 days from weighins I drastically cut my water intake down. As a result there was really only 2 days out of a 6 week fight camp where my direct focus was on losing weight, not an entire camp devoted to it. There is some great info on making weight out there, particularly articles by John Berardi, Nate Green, and Tim Ferris. 

Now the part I did falter a bit was in gaining the weight back, I think I overate a bit on the carbs so I woke up the morning of the fight feeling bloated and my stomach was off. I went back to small meals a ton of water, and got a light workout to crack a sweat and move the food through my system. By the time I got to the arena I was feeling good.

So I got warmed up and felt good physically, but I don’t think I entered my optimal performance state mentally. That said I entered the cage feeling confident and relaxed. The fight started I went out slipped a punch and landed a nice leg kick. When my opponent responded with a kick of his own I automatically dropped in on a shot, and my opponent jumped into a guillotine. I spent the next half of the round on my feet with this guy hanging off my neck as I defended and worked to escape. I escaped and slammed my opponent to the mat, worked a guard pass and finished out the round attacking a straight arm lock and mounting him.

photo by Deive Coutinho.

In the second round I landed a couple of nice strikes and as my opponent clinched I body locked him and stepped over to mount as we hit the mat. The round was with ground and pound passing and scrambling. Even though I dominated the round with pressure and aggression, I felt out of it technically. I didn't settle into my techniques like I normally do, and I felt a bit more winded then I normally do. The judges decided there should be a third round (here in Brazil amateur MMA if 1 person wins the first 2 rounds the fight ends).

At the start of the 3rd I finally felt in my groove; my gas tank was fully there, I felt completely relaxed, and I was in the zone. I circled my opponent into the cage and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks that were tagging him. When I saw the clear opening I shot in on a double, passed the guard, and mounted. I landed some GNP, and took high mount. I passed one of my legs over to work for a mounted triangle, my opponent defended so I took the armbar. I fully had the arm extended, but my opponent refused to tap. There was short time left and could either have rode it out or gone for the break (of the arm that is); well I over wrapped his arm and popped in my hips even more. The guys arm went past 180 and I was waiting for the snap to come when the ref stepped in to stop it, not wanting the guys arm to break. Talk about a tough and resolved opponent. 

It was a good fight and pushed me in new ways. I am happy for the win, but I am more happy for gaining more experience and learning what gaps in my game need to be addressed. This week is has been about healing up a bit, relaxing my mind and seeing what things I learned from my fight. It was nice to setback and have a change of pace, but now I am ready to get back at it and keep moving down the path!

In closing I would like to my team at Rio Fighters and my Coaches, Milton Viera, Dennis Asche, and Rogerio Miranda. All three have provided me with a wealth of knowledge that I am thankful to be able to tap into. I also would like to thank Connection Rio, who has 100% helped me to be where I am today as a martial artist--If it wasn't for CR I wouldn't be here in Brazil (www.connectionrio.com). I would also like to thank Senki Kimonos-- Cost of training gear and kimonos can be high and I am fortunate enough to have such a high quality company backing me (www.senki.com.br)

Promotion to Purple Belt

I am going to start this blog the same way I have started several unfinished drafts of my blog- stating that it has been forever since my last blog. Over the last several months I have started (or at least attempted to start) several blog entries only to leave a blank page or an unfinished document. When it comes to writing I have a real similarity to the dog Doug from the movie UP!. See, I'll start an entry with a vivid line of thought and all of the sudden "Squirrel!"  and I'm off doing something else entirely. So as this is a rainy day hopefully I can avoid getting distracted and can manage to sit long enough to get a blog finished.

The big news of this post is me getting promoted to purple belt in BJJ under Dennis Asche. I had been a blue belt for quite awhile, with my focus on training MMA and Luta Livre I just hadn't gotten a lot of time in the kimono over the last year and a half (2 maybe 3 days a week). for the last couple of months Dennis has been coming in to teach Gi class for everyone at CR nearly everyday Monday-Friday in the afternoon, so as soon as I got off the bus to Barra from training MMA at Rio Fighters I would immediately hop back on the mat for BJJ.

Last week I found out I would be testing for my belt on July 4th in the morning. That was about it, I had no real clue what would be in store for me. Well the morning of the 4th rolled around and everyone from CR and a couple of other friends in BJJ headed to Gordo's for my exam. As I stretched and got loosened up I'm not going to lie I was a bit anxious-it was a big day for me. We started out with Dennis giving me positions to demonstrate technique from. The technique portion lasted about a half-hour, but the end I was pretty sweaty from the Rio heat (and a bit of nerves) Dennis then lined everyone on the wall and then informed me that after doing 100 straight takedown entries, I was going to roll everyone at 2 minute intervals nonstop for the next hour.

I hit my 100 entries, chaining my attacks from one directly to the other. Doing this created a subconscious flow that allowed me to save time and energy. Had I shot one time, then made 2-3 steps to hit another attack I would have thrown off and started to feel tired. I finished up and immediately my hour long shark tank rolling started.

I battled from one end of the mat to the other-working to pass, sweep, defend or submit. Everyone came at me full force (which I appreciated because I wouldn't have wanted it any other way)and the higher belts took it to me to show where I was at, and the lower belts were anxious to attack and show where they were at. I would move and explode into any openings I could find and try the best I could to take the fight to whomever was in with me. It will be interesting to see some of the photos because I started smiling several times during the roll--a habit I started back in high school wrestling whenever our coaches pushed us "through the wall". It's a hard to describe euphoric feeling. Soon(ish) it was called out I had 15 minutes left, then 10, then 5, then the final 2 minutes. The last guy. One of the CR crew came to step out, but I cut him off and asked Dennis to roll, and everyone mat side erupted with cheers. My "calling" him out wasn't a disrespect thing, for me it was the biggest sign of respect I could show. He has taught me innumerable lessons both on and off the mat and I couldn't imagine anyone else I would rather have had my last roll as a blue belt with. I finished the hour session as I had started, by attacking and trying to gain the upper hand. Soon the 2 minutes were up, and I got a ton of pats on the back as we lined up. Getting called up and that purple belt tied around my waist is a hard feeling to describe, and writing about it now is bringing up a wave of emotion.

In addition to Dennis I would like to thank Rogerio Miranda and Milton Viera as well, they both have had a huge impact on my BJJ since moving to Brazil. They, just as Dennis does, push me to expand my knowledge and hone my skills everyday on the mat.

The rest of the day was spend BBQing at CR and rehydrating---over the course of my test I lost 3.5 kilos (about 7 pounds). It was a hot sunny Rio afternoon, the perfect day of jiu-jitsu in the cradle of BJJ!

Looking Back on 2 Years at CR

With some of the current CR crew down at Tropa Thai. photo by D. Asche

This past weekend marked a milestone in Nicole and I's time in Rio---two years in the Ciudade Marvelosa! For this weeks post I am going to look back and describe what it has been like to work here at Connection Rio, the world's first true BJJ hostel.

Shadow boxing after training.

First and foremost I have to talk about all the great people that have come and stayed at Connection Rio. Over 1000 juijiteiros have come down to the cradle of jiujitsu to train and experience the BJJ lifestyle with us. One thing that stands out is that there is no particular mold that BJJ practitioners fit into. We have had guests ranging from middle aged white belts with little to no experience to seasoned blackbelt competitors in their young 20's. Our BJJ hostel literally brings people together from all walks of life, and from all corners of the world. I have people I am happy to call friends in multiple countries. Here is just a quick list of only SOME of the countries where I have friends and training partners, whom I otherwise would not have met if it weren't for CR. The UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Malaysia, Jordan, Australia, Thailand, Finland, Germany, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, The U.S.A, Canada, Russia, Korea, Poland, and Bahrain. Not only have I had a chance to get to know these people, but I have also had the privilege to see many peoples jiujitsu grow and dreams get realized. I've heard the phrase (or something similar) many times- "I never thought I would actually be in Rio" or "I've always dreamed/wanted to come down to train". I know these phrases first hand because I myself said something similar my first time in Rio back in 2010. For me that's the greatest part of working for CR, helping people to enjoy their time in Rio.

Besides just the awesome people, let me tell you about the amazing training partners I have had living and working at a BJJ hostel. We have mats here at CR, and I have put a ton of time drilling, rolling, discussing the finer points of technique on them. I have had the "lightbulb" moment with multiple techniques from having a previously unknown detail revealed during a session on our mats. There has not been one person come through that has not been willing to kick off their shoes and step on the mat to help another guest figure out a position. With having so many people from so man
y different BJJ lineages nearly ever person can offer a different insight to training. There aren't to many places in the world where you can lay mats down under a palm tree and drill or roll with an amazing view of a mountain above you. If that isn't the definition of paradise, I don't know what is. Through CR I have trained with legends such as Ze Mario Sperry, Felipe Costa, Braga Neto, and Babalu---and that's just here on the mats of CR! I have surfed (unsuccessfully) with Coral Belt Master Silvio Behring, and toured Rio's Favela's with the elite BOPE-- there is NOWHERE else this would have happened. Not to mention I have stepped onto some of the most revered mats in the world. I've rolled at De La Riva, Carlson Gracie's, BTT, Nova Uniao, X-gym, Gracie Barra Matrix, Rio Fighters, RFT, Gordo's, and academia Strauch and this is just off the top of my head. All gyms and instructors have welcomed me and the other members of CR openly as if we had been training there since day one.

After my UD victory at MFL 4. Big thank you to my
sponsores Connection Rio and Senki Kimonos.
photo by D. Asche

Lastly I want to mention how working/living at CR has created a change in my lifestyle. We like to say Connection Rio is a BJJ Hostel, because its about more than just  accommodation. It is about embracing the BJJ Lifestyle. Time spent both on and of the mat is about enjoying life's journey and continually learning and growing on a personal level. Whether its longboarding through the city beach, swimming in the ocean, or cutting a coconut off the tree and watching the wind blowing through trees on Pedra de Gavea I have the opportunity to tune out any stress and solely focus on the present beauty of life. To be able to wake up, enjoy some fresh fruit and coffee and then work on what I love doing is such an amazing thing. Some people search their whole lives for this, and I am thankful that I am here experiencing it now. Every day here is at CR is a chance to learn something new about myself, the arte sauve, and about life---what more can a person ask for?

Be like water- Relearning the water cycle of training.

Training stand up. photo by Cristiano Justinio

There was a thunderous crack and then bright lights of fireworks fading into black. Everything seems muffled for a minute, everything feels rubbery and stuck in mud. In the distance I see a light coming towards me, bigger and bigger. Finally I'm back to reality in the cage. My sparring partner looks at me unsure of if I am going down after the headkick landed flush. I smile, clap my hands and then land a right straight down the pipe, following it up with a hook and another straight before shooting a double, lifting him off the mat, and finishing the takedown. The rest of the round is a flurry of strikes, scrambles, and working to dominate each other.  Milton yells  out we have 10 seconds left and I quickly move to take knee on belly and finish the round landing strikes.

I am fighting again on Team Nogueira TV December 4th, and I am in the middle of my training camp. Training is going well, and as you can see from the above training is hard. The week before a fight, Milton put the guys with fights through a grueling conditioning circuit after sparring, which pushes us to the brink mentally. But that's what it is all about, breaking you down and building you up again stronger. Come fight time, all the hard work is done and the fight is the easiest part  (and the funnest as well).

Post nogi mma training.

The above part is from a half finished blog from a week ago. It is one of several unfinished blog entries I have been struggling to write. I have been suffering from a MASSIVE case of writers block---scratch that, more like an complete lack of creativity and rhythm.  Unfortunately I felt like this lack of rhythm and creativity carry over to my training. While I have been working hard, always on the grind and having good sessions I have just felt in a funk. I am a huge fan of Bruce Lee, one of my favorite quotes of his is the following:

  “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” 

See the issue I was facing was it felt like there was no water. So while I've been getting told I'm looking good and having good training sessions, I have been feeling dry. Day after day of going in and doing "good" but feeling like your just taking ass whoopings is frustrating, in fact for me it boarders on heartbreaking. I'd lost sleep, my appetite, focus and my normally joking personality over it.  Overall I've probably been a pretty miserable person to be around (sorry Nicole)

BUT I had a revelation this week. While I have been feeling dry, I've been missing things. I barely noticed that I managed to effortlessly transition to a bicep slicer off a scramble; that perfectly timed straight dart to a counter double, well it ever happened, etc. See, I was only thinking of being like water in terms of a liquid, I completely forgot that water exists both as a solid and as a gas (dropping some science on you this week). So that while I felt completely dry and lacking of fluidity, there was still water there, it may have seemed to have disappeared, it had changed states, evaporating but still ever present. With this realization, and as happens when it is really dry, it began to rain; and when it rains it pours. This weeks training I hit my stride. My transitions felt good, submissions seemed to open up out of nowhere, and I began reading things on the feet much better. The biggest thing is if something wasn't working for me, I changed my form, molding to the situation and overcoming it. I have realized even if it feels like there is no water, it is ever present, you just have to recognize and discover what state its in.

Family in Rio and Competing in RISC

It's been awhile since my last blog, not because I haven't been doing much, but rather I have been on the go for the last few weeks and this is the first time I have had a chance to sit and type up some of the happenings here in Rio. Between family visiting, competing, and the UFC it's been a great few weeks here.

First my dad, mom, and aunt arrived in Rio for close to two weeks. It had been close to two years since I last saw them and it's hard to put into words how great it was to have them here. In addition to my normal training schedule, having them here gave me a chance to enjoy some more of the touristy parts of Rio. We spent an afternoon checking out the Lapa Arches, the Serlarone steps, and Santa Teresa. For those who don't know, Santa Teresa is a more Bohemian area of the city, filled with great restaurants, bars, and art galleries. We also ate lunch and hiked the grounds of Parque de Lage, a huge mansion in part of the Tijuca National Forest. We even made a trip to Rio's Jockey Club and laid a few bets on some of the horse races, my dad was able to give me some good pointers on picking some winners.


During my families trip to Rio I decided to compete in the Rio International Submission Cup, which is a submission grappling tournament held every year in Rio. The competition has a unique set of rules blending together luta livre esportiva and BJJ. Competitors where penalized for pulling guard and there were no advantages, but at lower belt levels all other standard ibjjf rules applied. Since my family was here and I was eating MASSIVE quantities of food I went up from lightweight to middleweight because there was no way I was going to keep my weight down. When the tournament rolled around I had 16 guys from various BJJ and Luta Livre academies in my bracket. In my first match I submitted my opponent in around 4 minutes with an arm triangle. My second opponent, a short stocky guy, spent most of the match battling in halfguard after I took him down. I managed and secure a pass later in the match and won the fight 5-0. In my semifinals match I battled a tough guy from Soul Fighters. There were a few fast scrambles, and my opponent was attacking for submissions. I kept up my pressure and working to pass. He started to slow down and I kept hammering the pace. In the last minute and I half I broke the match open and won 9-0. I was able to watch the guy I had in the finals and watched over and over on how he tied up with his opponent on his feet and made a mental note of it. When the match started, he went to tie up, but I was already countering his tie and shooting in on a single leg. I finished the takedown with a lift and trip, and landed outside of his guard. When he tried to hip escape and reguard I locked in an anaconda choke, made the adjustments Milton was telling me, and got the submission in 40 seconds. I was pretty pumped up after the win, I expected to win, but having my team, coaches, and family there (not to mention finishing the finals with the submission that Milton is accredited with mastering) really made it special.

So it came time for the medal awards, I get up on the podium with the other competitors and Milton put the gold medal on my neck and I look up for the photos. I glance back down at Milton who was still standing there now with a purple belt in his hands! I was completely and totally shocked. It was an amazing moment for me to have him award me with my purple belt, especially with having my family there to witness it. There have been, and continue to be a ton of people who have helped me so far on my journey. First I would like to thank Milton Vieira, who has shown me keys to adopting his unique and technical game of grappling, and who has welcomed me with open arms into his academy Rio Fighters. Next I would like to thank Dennis Asche, who has not only had the biggest influence on my kimono game, but if he hadn't started Connection Rio I most likely would have never ventured to Brazil in 2010--the trip that showed me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I have been fortunate to have other great instructors who have helped me embrace BJJ, Clint Crabtree of GRBJJ, Jim Burchfield, and Jason Fox all come to mind. I wouldn't have made the journey without great training partners, which thanks to CR I have had a near endless supply, Mike Tlalka, Christian Pierce, Andrew Morse and Nabas are a few of the standout; of course all thank you to all my teamates as Rio Fighters. Finally I would like to thank Senki Kimonos, who has never left in want for quality kimonos, shorts, or rashguards, without there support I would be much worse for wear training gear wise (not to mention not as stylish) on the mats.

As I said above this last few weeks have been a busy, so much so it's difficult to get it all into one blog. So for my next blog I will be talking  about watching UFC 179 live and some of my experiences of UFC fight week in Rio.

The Theory of Evolution

After a great training session at Rio Fighters.

It's a breezy lazy Sunday here in Rio. Right now I am lazily rocking in a hammock in the CR garden listening to music and and reflecting on this past week. Besides writing up this blog todays only major task is to go to one of the local restaurant/bar and listen to some reggae. Relaxing days like this are what recharges me for the upcoming grind of training.

As I have been thinking about my training this week a saying that is on the wall of where I trained boxing in Michigan (Trigger Boxing) keeps coming to mind--It's not the strongest that survives, but the most adaptable. In order to succeed the world of bjj/mma a person needs to constantly evolve into the best possible version of themselves. This evolution and adaptation is what will carry you through an unforeseen situation and to new heights.

Just like there is in the biological sense, I believe there are two types of evolution in marital art-- Macro (large scale) and Micro (small scale). When I am thinking of the macro level I think along the lines of how your overall game evolves over time. It's the adding in of new techniques and theories that will transform and bring you to another level. A prime example is the work I have been putting on on refining my BJJ. I have been working on adding new passes into my top game and fine tuning the details of some of the passes I have been familiar with. The new techniques are making me approach positions with a different mentality that opens my game. Where I may have before been content to solely secure a dominate position or stopped thinking offensively, I now approach with the intent of constantly moving to a more dominate position and getting the finish. Speaking of evolution on a large scale, I am now even sometimes committing to playing guard. I even went so far as to choose working from guard with a 100 kilo 4th degree black belt while at the CR academy visit to De La Riva's. My thought was if I can get used to defending passes and working escapes, sweeps, or submissions against a large stronger and more technical opponent when I go against someone my own size and strength I'll feel even more comfortable. Well, in short I spent most of the round getting pummeled, passed, and submitted by this black belt. I never said macroevolution was a quick process.

With Professor De La Riva, at the CR academy visit.

Microevolution of your game involves how you make changes in you game in a given situation. It's how you adapt to a given situation in the moment. Say during a roll your partner keeps burning you with a certain pass, what changes are you going to make in your positioning to stop or counter the pass. A great example would be from my MMA sparring this week. During the spar I noticed that after throwing an inside leg kick he would back out at the same angle and keep his hands a little low. Knowing he would do this, I took the center of the cage and walked him back. After he threw his kick, he had nowhere to back up and I was able to cut him off, land a counter, and then work a takedown off the cage. After a couple of times countering him, he adapted his game and made adjustments, now instead of backing up, he stepped in with punches, catching me good and I had to adapt to his new strategy. Sometimes in competition you can take control from the start, but other times (especially at high levels) this won't work. In these cases you can't keep trying to fit a square beg in a round hole, you have to try something new; you have to adapt.  

Closing out this weeks blog (I have to get going to listen to those irie beats), I am happy to say I am getting back into competition in the coming weeks. Next weekend I will be competing in the kimono at the SJJSAF Sul Americano Championships, and plan on competing in the Rio International Submission Cup. I am also hoping on closing out 2015 with another MMA fight. I really have the competitive drive that I had with wrestling, and I am looking forward to representing Rio Fighters, Connection Rio, Senki Kimonos, and most importantly myself in competition.

Enjoying the Process

Working for the double. photo by mma4ever.

So it's been awhile since my last blog, sorry about that. I have been having a few issues with my laptop which I believe is in its final stages of life. When it takes you well over an hour just to to start up, plug in a spare keyboard, upload, add photos, and post a blog it saps your motivation to do so. Add to that the amazing Brazilian spring and that motivation goes to zero. BUT i figured out a solution (one that didn't include me using Nicole's most prized possession, her macbook) and I am back at it. I am sure most all of you know I won my MMA debut a few weeks ago. Leading up to the fight I had trained so hard and had done visualization work twice a day everyday that when the fight came I was totally relaxed and in another place mentally. Instead of feeling like it was my first fight it felt as if it were my 100th because I had done it all before so many times in my mind. I truly cannot thank my coaches/trainers Dennis and Milton, my teammates at Rio Fighters, my sponsors Senki Kimonos and Connection Rio, and Nicole enough.

It was great to throw on my Senki Kimono and get
some excellent work in with Dennis. Photo by D. Asche

The week after my fight I trained very relaxed and enjoyed eating just about whatever sounded good. It was a great way to rejuvenate my body and mind. Over the last couple of weeks we have had many guys fight both in amateur and professional MMA bouts and we have had a great showing. Win or lose everyone is showcasing great techniques and mental toughness. I think after the month we have had a lot of people have taken notice of Rio Fighters many good things are to come. On a personal note is was great to see many of the guys who fought either show excellent takedowns or takedown defense during their fights. It is a definite reaffirmation that what I have been teaching is working and that the guys are grasping things both technically and conceptually. I got back to 2 training sessions a day this week, but the focus is more on  improving technique and enjoying training. Don't get me wrong I am training hard, but I am working on adding new skills into all areas. During my training camp it was about improving what skills I had and working towards the single goal of winning, so I wasn't working on brand new concepts and ideas. Now I can open up my game, try new things and drill new techniques. Right now is very much a "time spend in the laboratory"  trying to discover new aspects of martial arts. Included in this is a return to training in the kimono. Four of the 11 sessions I got in this week were on the mat with the kimono on. After about 8 weeks of training without a kimono the grip game felt foreign to me, and I frustratingly got my butt kicked most of the week during specific positional training. That said by the end of the week things began to click a bit more.

photo by mma4ever

As I said above I have been making sure that I have just been having fun with my training. I am trying new things and enjoying the process of making improvements. If something doesn't work or I get in a bad position/submitted, it's not a "I have to close up this weakness or avoid doing this because in a few weeks I can't make that mistake" moment but now I have time to reflect on what I did wrong and what I can do in the future. There is no immediate rush, at this point I can just enjoy the process and carry on down the path. Which in my opinion is what being a martial artist is all about.