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A Lawyer in Long Beach pt 4 : Clash of the Titans

June 5 & 6, 2010 – CLASH OF THE TITANS Saturday at the Mundials was the real beginning of the “Clash of the [BJJ] titans.” The junior blue-belts divisions, the purple-belt male and female open divisions, as well as the brown belts and the lighter-weight black belts (my favorite divisions of course) were on the docket. The bullpen, the stands, and the surrounding areas were flooded with BJJ royalty. I arrived at the venue extra early to support Mike Atkin, who is, as most people know, like family to all of us.

As we had done for three days before, Cathy and I placed our bags in a prime location – center seating on the right side of the arena. Initially, it was just Cathy and I, amongst hoards of referees, vendors, and press getting ready for the biggest two days in BJJ. However, this time one thing was noticeably different. Unlike the random seating arrangement of the fans in the first three days, the seating choices of the patrons on this morning were clearly deliberate. In fact, directly behind me I noticed a pack of supporters and athletes from Alliance – Gabi Garcia in the lead handing out black and teal Alliance t-shirts. Directly across the arena I noticed a similar gathering of Gracie Barra supporters huddled around the unmistakable Romulo Barral. Atos members were to the right of them – most of them, including Rafael & Guilherme Mendes and Gilbert Burns, in clean white Atos polo shirts. To my right was a pack of Gracie Humaita competitors, spectators, and family members led by Saulo Ribero. I had heard that Saturday and Sunday were huge, but this was more than I had expected. Cathy and I grabbed our bags and moved our seats to the soon-to-be Lloyd Irvin section (just in time to allow the Alliance Banner to be spread directly over our old seats).

The sights and sounds of the days 4 & 5 will be forever branded into the synapse of my brain. There is simply no way for me to explain how exciting it is to be in seated in a pre-determined section in a packed arena surrounded by the TLI family, many whom have already become world champions, Master Lloyd, and coach/mentor/friend Julius, surrounded on all sides by the power-quad of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teams.

Mike Fowler and JT’s Fights were amazing.  Tracey “the submission machine” Goodell looked as though her game plan could be called “shock and awe.” Andris killed it. Brad was on fire. Jon, Mike Atkin, Willie, and Roberto, and “Bro” Huffman fought their hearts out. Everywhere I looked I saw new takedowns, sweeps, guard-passes – it was complete sensory overload.

Submission Machine Tracey Goodell won the Purple Belt Open and Weight Class

One of the most notable things about the packed stadium was the know-how of the crowd. The crowd was silent when the matches were still and roaring at the slightest of advantage or scored points. It was similar to what I have seen of the crowds in Japan watching the famed “Pride” matches. There is something special – something energizing – about the noises in being in unison with the flow of the matches; something that I will never forget.

We ended Saturday with a team dinner at a Long Beach Greek restaurant where we ate, drank, and celebrated three days of unbelievable achievements.

Sunday was the biggest day in BJJ for the year of 2010. The black belt finals and open division. On the previous days, as I have mentioned, the arena floor held 12 rings. On Sunday the mats were re-arranged to hold six large rings. A fourth tear of stadium seats had to be lowered from the pyramid ceiling to allow for the extra seating required for the big event. (no – the seats did not drop down in our presence like some sort of freak show). Even more strategically than on Saturday the teams’ plots were staked. Alliance had their banner facing Atos and Humaita staged themselves in the new-seating area (Saulo set up an enormous iconic Gracie banner as well). TLI had a large group directly to the right of Alliance facing Atos and to the left of Humaita. The stage was set:

Here is the breakdown of what I was privileged enough to see live – A breakdown of what you could see in 2011

Rooster Weight Finals: Caio Terra vs Bruno Malfacine (my favorite match of the tournament for obvious reasons) Caio started pulling guard, then went for a footlock then tried the sweep Caio was very offensive off his back, going for Omoplatas and triangles, while Malfacine kept on pushing for the pass. Malfacine won by advantage and was the champ for the second year in a row. He ran to his team and jumped the rail – his 126.5 pounds easily hoisted into the roaring crowd. An amazing sight to see.

Light Featherweight Finals: Pablo Silva vs Samuel Braga: As they are from the same team, they did not fight. Pablo was awarded the honorary gold. However, they ceremoniously met in the center of the ring with their team banner and gave respect to their coaches.

Featherweight Finals: Cobrinha vs Rafael Mendes (4×4 points; 2×4 advantages) Lot’s of 50×50 guard action with 2 sweeps each and a lot of footlock attempts. In the battle of the toe holds, Rafael got the better and won in the advantages (4×2). I really enjoyed this match in that I feel it was a good game plan on display.

Lightweight Finals: Michael Langhi vs Celso Venicius (referee’s decision) In a very uneventful and even match, Langhi got the judges decision. Langhi was quite fun to watch as he has entertaining celebratory antics. I think he bit the pin off an imaginary grenade and threw it into the crowd at the conclusion of this match.

Medium Heavyweight Finals: Tarsis Humphreys vs Romulo Barral (Submission) Tarsis pulled guard and attacked Barral’s leg causing Romulo to injure his ligaments and give up the fight. Tarsis is built like some sort of machine from the terminator movies. Inspired I was!

Heavyweight Finals: Alexandre Ribeiro vs Bernardo Faria (0×2). Admittedly not knowing as much as many of my teammates about professional BJJ, I have really liked Faria since I watched his matches during the Pan Am live stream. Faria pulled halfguard and played an offensive game off the bat. He tried hard to sweep but could not get “Xande” over. Faria pulled half guard again on the opposite side, trying to find holes. He finally got the hard fought sweep and takes the title.

Super Heavyweight Finals: Roger Gracie vs Ricardo Abreu (13 x 2) Roger dominated the fight, got the back and tried his trademark choke that didn’t work so he executed another trademark move, his cross choke from the mount. Abreu survived and showed how resilient he is. If I had been on bottom I would be dead.

Super Super Heavyweight Finals: Cavaca vs Roberto Abreu. Cavaca submitted Cyborg with an achillies lock. Trainspotting has done this to me twice since the worlds – so I guess he was inspired.

Absolute Finals: Roger Gracie vs Romulo Barral. Romulo couldn’t fight due to injury (mentioned above) and Roger Gracie was crowned champion yet again. Roger is the first fighter to reach 3 Open Weight titles in the black belt. Roger may not be from this planet.

Roger Gracie's dominance is Insane!

Women’s Finals – Lightweight: Luanna Alzuguir vs Kyra Gracie (1×1 – advantages) Kyra took gold on the judges decision.

Women’s Finals – Absolute/Open Weight: Luanna Alzuguir vs Gabrielle Garcia – Fighting from the same team, they decided not to fight the final but did the banner dance and got much deserved praise from their team.

Again, it is impossible for me to express in writing the impact that this trip had on me personally, athletically, and professionally. Prior to June 3, 2010 I said to everyone “I am going to the Mundials.” From now on, I will say that “we” are going to the Mundials. I saw the biggest teams in BJJ battling at the highest level. I also saw our team, a much younger and smaller team, making an enormous mark. I was blessed with the opportunity to compete in this event but even more blessed to have found Julius Park, Baltimore’s Crazy 88, Team Lloyd Irvin, and all of my wonderful friends and teammates. I have the very unusual privilege of traveling and fighting alongside my wife, Ms. Cathy, who also competed this year. BJJ has brought us closer together – giving us a bond and teammates in life but also teammates in our beloved sport. I want to thank everyone that helped me get to the World Championship of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2010 and thank in advance those same people for already helping me prepare for 2011. It is my hope that this article will at very least inspire one more person to take the challenge to better him or herself and our legendary team.

A Lawyer in Long Beach pt 3 : Once the Dust Settled

June 3, 2010 – Once the Dust Settled

I spend the remainder of June 3 watching Team Lloyd Irvin’s amazing list of white belt, lighter-weight blue belt, and female competitors. As the divisions were called, and the hands around the sacred arena were raised, it was quite clear that Team Lloyd Irvin (may as well be called Team America) was making a serious mark. The infamous TLI chant reverberated across the sloped ceilings as if was intended by design. Never had I been more proud to be part of our team. The blood, sweat, and tears we all shed in the months before had absolutely paid off, just as our coaches assured us it would.

Team Lloyd Irvin Was Under the Lights All Tournament!

There is one last thing worth mentioning about June 3, 2010. That was the rush of energy I received from having my first real/hot meal in four weeks. I will never forget the rush of energy that surged through my veins after gorging myself that evening. Galo/Rooster means 126 lbs with a GI on. Thus, my pre-tournament diet (four weeks long) was strict and consisted of approximately five proprietary items. During the two weeks before June 3, never was I full. I embraced the agitation it caused and used the hunger pangs as constant reminder of what I was preparing for. Once the dust settled from my final match, I had my first real bowl of the famed Sambazon Acai (since the US Open), which was followed by another, and another, and one more. That night we all met at a local Long Beach Thai/Japanese restaurant. I believe it was a table for 14. After a large plate of beef pad-Thai, a dozen soft-shell crab sushi rolls, and a plate of mango sticky-rice, the first phase of my Mundial experience had come to a very pleasant gut-busting end. We retreated back to the rooms to rest and prepare for the next days series of events.

The Secret to Jiu-Jitsu According to David Zwanetz

June 4, 2010

One might think that once his or her fights are over at the Mundials that the experience would be over as well. However, at least for me, the days I spent in the pyramid after my fight day were equal in value to my time on the mats. The heavier blue-belts were up on the second day, as well as our purple-belts. After an early morning trip to the buffet for another intense feeding we headed back to the venue. As each of our teammates was called, we would move in packs to his or her particular mat/ring. At the slightest positive movement from our teammate, we would bellow the reassuring, and probably patented, team yell. I lost my voice by 1:00 p.m. – more Acai was ingested to soothe my vocal cords.

Mid-way through day two it became abundantly clear just how large of a hurdle our American team had to jump to make an impact on the team score-board. However, time and time again on day two, our teammates hands were raised. The stands began to fill and the holy trinity of BJJ teams began to take their places in the stands (more on this to come in part 4).

Team Lloyd Irvin's DJ Jackson Took Silver in Blue Belt Middleweight and Bronze in the Open

Later in the day we came up with a plan whereby each fighter from Crazy 88 Jiu Jitsu preparing for a fight would be assigned an assistant who had fought the day before, to make sure they had everything they needed. It was an honor to be able to assist, in what little way I could, in a teammates’ preparations. SEVEN (7) Lloyd Irvin competitors became World Champions on June 4, 2010 and, at least four others medaled – two of them coming from Crazy 88.

Results aside, everyone fought their hearts out and left everything on those blue and yellow mats. I spent a full day at the venue on day 2, coaching, screaming, yelling, cheering, nail-biting, and laughing. But most importantly, I spent my day absorbing the sights, sounds, styles, and techniques of world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I have heard time and time again that one fierce tournament can be the equivalent of months of training. What then would a full twenty-four hour immersion into BJJ-land bring me? I was not quite sure at the time, maybe still not 100% clear, but I knew one thing – this day had improved my BJJ and my life immeasurably. Not since Law School have I learned so much in such a short period of time. And with that, we headed out for another celebratory meal with our teammates and friends.

Crazy 88 Brings Baltimore, Maryland its First Adult Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion

A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championships – Part Deux

Wed, June 2, 2010

Cathy and I left for BWI for a direct flight to LAX. I suffered a neck injury the week before and thus packed in my carry on all the niceties I felt I would need to cure my neck during the five-hour flight. Slathered with Arnica (for those of you who don’t know what this is, see me), tiger balm, dosed on Ibuprofen, and with ice packs taped to my body we got on the plane. Coincidentally, our Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teammates, Evan Gideon and Tom Shrum were on the flight as well.

Our rendezvous with Team Gideon in Long Beach went off without a hitch!

We had an uneventful flight and arrived at LAX unscathed – my neck was feeling a bit better (from the Arnica of course). We picked up our rental vehicle and headed for the hotel. Halfway to the hotel, we got a call from Evan’s father who lived in Long Beach 30 years prior and thus thwarted all modern technological navigational advancements and instructed us to meet him on the corner of some miscellaneous Long Beach street. We found Evan’s dad, gave him a cartoon style map that we got from Thrify Car Rental, and Evan was off to Venice beach to spend some quality time with his father before his fights on Friday.

Evan Gideon was able to make it to The Pyramid despite Thrifty's Terrible Map

Cathy, Shrum and I were set to fight June 3, the next day, and thus wanted to get down to business and get mentally preparing. We checked into our very nice hotel suite and on our way to get a bit of salad for dinner, as we were all exactly on weight, found Bro Huffman (15 year old teammate from 3rd Law) wondering the streets of Long Beach outside our hotel. Of course, we picked him up and took him with us to get lettuce and tour Los Angeles. We got some salad on the waterfront in Long Beach and then went to Hollywood (to take a picture in front of Michael Jackson’s star on the walk of fame) and then to Rodeo Drive to get some quality American Express points.

After an enlightening tour of Los Angeles, we went back to the Hotel and all hit the gym for a last minute weight cut. We each ran approximately three miles and cut around four pounds. Kim Rivers made it to the room around 7:00 pm and as Roberto Torralbas (3rd Law proprietor and figurehead) was stuck in Atlanta and was in charge of the second room, we all hunkered down in the Zwanetz suite making makeshift beds. Shrum, forever taking crap from all of us, was left without blankets and slept wrapped in our GIs on top of two couch cushions, he says, to help foster a subliminal edge for the tournament. I fell asleep listening to a murder mystery book on tape and had insane dreams as the voice of the author piped scenes of gore into my ears while my subliminal mind refused to let go of the stress and anticipation of the pending tournament. I woke up at 4:30 am thinking I had missed the Worlds and was on the run from the law.

Aung La Sleeps in Full Jiu Jitsu Attire to Prepare for the Tournament

Thursday, June 3, 2010 – White & Blue

We arrived at the famed Walter Pyramid around 9:00 am. When we pulled up to the giant blue structure the reality of what I had been working for set-in. The giant staircase in the Arena’s front brought us into stadium’s upper deck. Upon walking in, I stood at the top looking down on the immaculate 12 ring set-up with impeccable iconic blue and yellow mats. 5000 empty seats surrounded me as the staff, reporters, photographers, and vendors scampered to prepare for the biggest four days in BJJ. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins and the thump of my heart against my sternum.

We went immediately to the scales in an attempt to get at least one of our many concerns out of the way. All in our group were on weight (due to our running the night before). We placed our bags in the area of the stadium that the famed Alliance team would own the very next day and throughout. From 10:30 am I sat and pondered my game plan – mentally battling my way through the nineteen-man bracket. My body felt good, my cardio had been tested through six weeks of circuit training, my hands were immaculately taped, and my ipod was shuffling through a playlist made weeks before for this time (a schizophrenic mix of sonatas by Frederick Chopin, hits by Lil Wayne, and oldies by Phil Collins). Minute by minute the bleachers began to fill and the divisions began to be called. Finally, at 1:00 p.m. on June 3 “the voice” called all blue belt Rooster/Galo weights to the bullpen. I don’t think a needle full adrenaline delivered directly to my heart by Vincent Vega himself could have produced the surge of life that those words produced. Off to the bull-pen I went.

Dave Z Marvels at the Superiority of the IPad vs. His Blueberry

After waiting in the bull-pen for what seems like a day, I heard my name and saw the representative from Mat number nine waiving me to the scales. My Gi was checked and my weight was verified. Three pounds under despite the Acai bowl I ate to quench my hunger pains only two hours before. I was escorted to my mat and on the way was able to make eye contact with the team that ran to the rails to coach. “Fighters are you ready,” “do you have any questions before you begin,” “shake hands,” “fight.” I establish my grips and sit-guard, a small scramble ensues but I am able to quickly stand, reposition, and re-pull, I slap on my left hand overhook, and begin to fish for my opponents right wrist. I can hear instructions from Julius and Jon and see nothing but my opponents forearm across my face. I feel a space on the right side and latch on a triangle (the focus of my plan). I pull my opponents head and squeeze my knees so hard that I feel random cracking of joints. I remember hearing the reassuring “AYYYY” coming from my teammates as my plan progressed. Then I felt what I had been waiting for “a flurry of taps on my thigh.” I had won a match at the Worlds. There is no greater high than the traditional hand raise that comes with a win.

Squaring Off for Match at the BJJ World Championships!

My second match went exactly like match one. I was one step closer. At this point I had to have a teammate massage the lactic acid from my arms. The second my third match began, I knew it would be different. The grip position that had worked for me in the last two matches was torn off by my opponent in a quick controlled burst – he was fast and strong. I immediately switched to my plan B game plan centered around sweeps. Match three was a battle! Master Lloyd’s distinctive voice along with familiar voice of Julius guided me through the match. After seven minutes of high pace action I prevailed – winning on two points. I was entering the finals at the 2010 Mundials.

I was told that I would have ten minutes to prepare. I could do little more than shake-out my arms and rehydrate. The match began with a double guard pull, something that we had worked repeatedly during the training camp. I immediately popped up for the advantage and was able to score another two during a scramble. Just as things were going my way, my opponent locked on a kimora. With the fierceness I would expect in the Finals of the worlds, my opponent wrenched my arm backwards. I attempted to roll out of the move and in mid-air I could feel my tendons stretching against my opponents’ push and my counter pull. Simultaneously I heard and felt a pop – my shoulder popped clear out of its circular cradle. Fierce pain followed and just like that my run at the title had ended. Medic to mat eleven.

I did not win gold at the 2010 Mundials. However, I learned more in my four matches than I could ever express in any blogpost. I became a more confident in my jiu jitsu and overcame many hurdles relating to the mental aspects of competing. The experience I obtained, the lasting memories that will forever help me in all things that I do, are the real value that I attribute to my trip to the Worlds. The silver medal is an amazing tangible reminder of what went into Thursday June 3, and the years before. However, the most important thing that I see when I stare into the shiny medal is my own reflection. I have always said that “when one points their finger at someone else they should pay very close attention to the four fingers are pointing back at them”. When I look into my medal, and stare into my own eyes, I am reminded that I won three matches in the biggest tournament in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but also reminded that I lost one as well. This image, these fingers point back at me, are going to assist me in this new season prepping for the Mundials 2011, where I will again leave it all on the mat yet again and get one step closer to the ultimate goal.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Glamour Shots

A Lawyer in Long Beach : My Experience at the BJJ World Championships by David Zwanetz

As most people know, the “Super Bowl” is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the premier association of professional American football. It was first played on January 15, 1967, as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two leagues’ champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was consummated in 1970. After the merger, each league became a “conference”, and the game was then played between conference champions. Super Bowl I was played in 1967 to determine the championship of the regular season played in 1966, and the last super bowl, Super Bowl XLIV was played on February 7, 2010, to determine the champion of the 2009 regular season. It would be hard to imagine anyone born within these years in the United States that has not at least watched one Super-Bowl game, if not all.  In fact, the day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a de facto American national holiday. “What are we doing for Super bowl Sunday,” is a question I have asked, or been asked, since I can remember being old enough have independent thoughts. It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving, and a day when there is enough beer consumed in the United States to fill every swimming pool in the west coast.

Now, imagine you played amateur or even semi-pro football, or to make matters even more realistic, were simply an enormous fan of the sport and practiced three times a week with other semi-pro football players in attempt to hone your skills. Imagine further, that you got a phone call RIGHT NOW from your coach and he informed you that you could, if you chose, attend Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Your coach explains that, “for the price of the ticket to Texas, a rental car fee, a hotel, and a $60.00 ‘spectator’ fee you can get a front row seat and watch as the world’s greatest NFL athletes collide in the famous venue, on the famous field, whereby you could watch history in the making.”

Don't Settle for This!

I would imagine that seconds after said call you would go to your calendar and pencil off those days – and as you have one-years notice you would save the money it would require to pay the nominal fee to get yourself to and around Texas for the event. The excitement would build in you, you would tell everyone you know, you would count down the days until the big-event, you would probably lose sleep thinking about the big day, as the anticipation of being part of history would slow the time clock in your mind.

Lets up the ante a bit, and take this visualization exercise a step further:

Before getting off the phone with you, your coach adds, “by the way, if you do all that is necessary to perfect your skills, and play and win as many local games as possible, you can play at the next Superbowl, in Texas, on the same field as the greatest in the game, immediately before the main event, where you will be matched with other players/teams at your skill level, and you will have the chance to also become a Super Bowl Champion” – – “with all the prestige and pride attached, and even the famed gold championship ring.” “You have the chance to be and NFL Super-Bowl Champion!”

I have a feeling that anyone who is a real fan of football would immediately plan to go as a spectator, and anyone who is real fan of playing football, after they regained consciousness from passing out during the initial conversation, would begin the training required to prepare for and accept this colossal challenge.

Even BJJ White Belts have the Opportunity to Compete!

The World Championship of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (also knows as the Mundials) is the Super Bowl of Brazilian JiuJitsu. It is the most prestigious Jiu Jitsu tournaments in the world. The Mundials are hosted annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). It is held in an historical venue, on historical mats, and competing are without a doubt historical figures and historical teams. The first Mundial tournament to be held outside of Brazil was in 2007 at the California State University in Long Beach, California. This trend continued with the 2008 Mundials, once again in Long Beach in 2009, and this year as well. The first World Championship was held in 1996 at the Tijuca Tênis Clube (still the location of the Brazilian Nationals) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has since grown tremendously, with over 2000 competitors (including 250 foreign athletes) fighting before a crowd of over 4,000 spectators.

Tijuca Tenis Clube - Home of the Jiu Jitsu World Championships 1996-2006

Long Beach Pyramid - Home of the BJJ World Championships since 2007

My hope is that this article will serve to put everyone on notice that the opportunity exists to be, at a minimum, a spectator of the Super Bowl of BJJ and supporter of Team Lloyd Irvin (the winningest American Jiu Jitsu TEAM in history) at the Mundals 2011. More importantly, if you accept the challenge, to encourage you to fight alongside the sport’s elite athletes, your teammates, and the creators, innovators, and supporters of our beloved sport – to put you on notice that you can make history!

I accepted this challenge in 2010 after my coach, mentor, and friend, Julius Park asked me to confirm and memorialize my personal goals for 2010 (I believe this was a request made for the entire Baltimore Team Lloyd Irvin Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team). Realizing that the opportunity, as described above, was something I simply could not pass up, I wrote Julius a letter listing “winning at least 1 International IBJJF medal” and “attending the ‘Worlds’ as a representative of TLI” as two of my prime goals:

I shall do my best to recount the experience, which for me was life changing…

UFC 114: Rampage v Evans Review by Jon Delbrugge

UFC 114 was a Mayweather style hyped card. Two of MMAs best light heavyweights finally fighting each other after 15 months of well publicized trash talk. The under card had some relatively unknown fighters as well as some well known names here and there. All in all the card displayed some very solid MMA fights. As the sport is getting more and more popular with fans all over the world, something else is happening. The fighters are getting better! MMA fighters are evolving in to legit professional athletes. The only problem is the general public has not seen a change like this in any mainstream sport because they have all been around so much longer than MMA. In the 40’s, pro football was played with leather helmets and no shoulder pads, while the lineman were barely over 200 pounds and the fastest guy on the field ran pedestrian like times in the 40 yard dash. Now look were the game is. They used to not even where helmets in hockey! Anyways, my points is that these MMA fighters are evolving into athletes and are no longer the brave “brawlers” that everyone thinks these guys are.

When it comes down to it, MMA is a thinking mans game. The fighter that can clearly execute a game plan will usually be victorious and the guy that wants to “stand and bang” no matter how scary and strong they might be will find themselves loosing to these smart methodical fighters. This does not sit well with a lot of MMA fans. The boos from the crowd before and after the fight and the backlash on the Internet made it clear. The fans don’t want to see technical fights. They want blood. I can easily see where they are coming from. Finally something as entertaining as pro wrestling comes along and its actually real. Guys are kicking, punching and slamming each other around a cage and its not fake. In the beginning of Mixed Martial Arts, a lot of fighters had no real skill sets so the fights were often one sided beat downs or slugfests that made for very entertaining match ups. However, what you have now are Olympic level athletes fighting each other and you really have to appreciate the technical aspect of fighting to enjoy these types of exchanges. While the general analysis of Saturday nights card is pretty harsh, I have a more optimistic in depth view of UFC 114.

John Hathaway def. Diego Sanchez via Unanimous Decision

TUF season 1 winner Diego Sanchez was the heavy favorite. It was his first fight back in the welterweight division after taking the worst loss of his career to the hands (and legs) of BJ Penn for the lightweight Championship. His opponent, unknown yet undefeated welterweight John Hathaway from England. with an impressive 14-0 record he seemed like a perfect fight for Diego’s first bout back at 170. An opponent good enough to warm Diego up for the prime time players at WW.   Hathaway had different plans, landing a knee to Diego’s face in the first round almost finishing the fight. Diego was able to recover but was clearly never the same throughout the fight. Hathaway impresses everyone and remains undefeated. I can see a fight with Mike Swick or maybe even John Howard in Hathaways future. As for Diego, he is in a rough spot. He recently moved back to New Mexico and switched teams again. He is now saying he is “going back to his roots” something a lot of fighters do after taking a devastating loss. Diego has a very thin lower body, not a lot of power coming from his legs and just like any other sport strong legs are the source of power. Diego is suited for 155 but he is in between weights. Not strong enough for 170 and a little to hard of a cut for 155. Either way Diego’s record stands 21-4, still very impressive. He is in no danger of being cut by the UFC and depending on what his plans are for the future it is hard to guess who Joe Silva will match him up with.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Def Jason Brilz via Split Decision

Brilz took this fight on three weeks notice after Forest Griffin Pulled out. A lot of people were disappointed with this fight before it happened because they thought this was chalked up to be an easy win for Lil Nog. That was not the case. Brilz was very tough and showed a strong top ground game as well as a strong and patient stand up game. Lil Nog took some big shots from Brilz but did not go down. Once on the ground Lil Nog put on a half guard sweep clinic. Brilz was so strong that he would sweep Nog back by using just a guillotine choke from. The fight ended with some controversy. I did think that Brilz controlled the majority of the fight, but the judges did not. He ended up losing a split decision and the fans let Nog have it. They booed so loudly that you could not hear him talk to Joe Rogan after the fight. Brilz next opponent needs to be against a big name in the division like Jardine or Bader, while Nog on the other hand should be slated against Griffin again or maybe even Rampage.

Mike Russow def. Todd Duffee via KO rd 3

The classic example of what happens when a fight stays standing too long. The UFC’s “next big thing” Todd Duffee was no doubt supposed to not only win this fight but also showcase some of his talents. Joe Silva puts Todd Duffee a huge specimen of a fighter against Mike Russow a very soft looking shorter version of Josh Barnett minus the ground game and extensive experience/ steroids. What happened? Duffee threw everything and the kitchen sink at Russows face for two and a half rounds. Russow just took the punishment without even getting rattled once, and sure enough half way through the third round he delivered a straight right the sent Duffee to “imagination land”. Russow was easily the most surprised person at the MGM that night. The bottom line, Duffee got too comfortable on the feet and paid for it. For Russow, I would like to see him fight Matt Mittrione. And maybe a match up between Duffee and Gabriel Gonzaga could be in the future.

Michael Bisping def. Dan Miller via Unanimous Decision

Well. I fell asleep during this fight. Dan Miller is rumored to have really good Jiu Jitsu but in this fight he chose to keep it standing. Maybe it was a good game plan. In every single one of Bispings fights he has been rocked with a shot at least once, but on Saturday he was able to outbox Dan Miller very well and even kept his takedowns at bay. Bisping is one of the UFC’s favorite fighters and is treated very well by the management. He wants a rematch with Wanderlie Silva and Joe Silva will oblige him. I don’t think that is a good match up for Bisping. I think he should fight Damien Maia to really test him self against the top guys at 185, risking another highlight real KO is not smart for him. As for Miller, I don’t know how much longer he will be in the UFC. This is his second loss in a row and he isn’t a big draw for the fans, he is in danger of being cut.

Rashad Evans def. Quinton Jackson via Unanimous Decision

Finally the fight everyone has been waiting for. Most people thought Rampage was going to knock Rashads head off with an over hand right. After seeing Rampage on the UFC prime time show screaming at the pads and his sparring partners he did look very upset. Meanwhile Rashad looked like he was preparing for the next Olympics. His training partners were the “WHO’S WHO” of the top UFC fighters and I dont think he has ever been in a better training camp. The fight started out with Rashad flooring Jackson with an over hand right and a take down. For the majority of the fight Evans showcased excellent level changes, lightning fast footwork/head movement, control in the clinch, and great take downs. Rampage on the other hand came out flat footed, he did not mount any offense until the third round where he hit Evans with big shot. Rampage found him self on top of a dazed and confused Evans but seemed too tired to capitalize on the opportunity. Evans eventually recovered, got up, got a take down and finished the round ground and pounding Rampage against the fence to seal a UD victory. Was the outcome surprising? Not at all. Rampage is coming off of a 15 month lay off and didn’t seem like his heart was in it. After all he has said many times himself that he in fact “hates” training and at this point in his career who knows if he can rely on his old regime to be a top fighter anymore. So where does he go from here? I actually think Machida is a terrible fight for Rampage. The speed and elusiveness is too much for him to handle. However Rampage vs Lil Nog would be a good match up for him. Machida and Shogun spell disaster for the howling brawler. As for Rashad. He is next for a title shot and I am interested to see what kind of game plan he will employ in his fight vs Shogun.

Blogging About Brazil by Tye Ryan

Enjoying the View from Barra Bella

Something like a paleontologist excavating his first fruitful site or a young astronaut making his first step on the moon, my dedication, sacrifice and embracement of the brazilian jiu jitsu lifestyle had culminated into a great opportunity. I was headed to Brazil to compete in the Brazilian Nationals, better known as the Brasilero’s. Every serious bjj practitioner dreams of an opportunity to test themselves against they who created, cultivated, refined and dominate our beloved sport and my chance had arrived.

When preparation meets opportunity, success is highly likely and I was ready. My body was strong from early mornings and late nights of training on the mats supplemented with a strength and conditioning regimen. My focus was unwavering leading up to the tournament. Meditation and visualization are powerful mental tools I employed to give me an athletic edge. I was prepared. A Swiss vault could not bottle my excitement to compete. The beach, beautiful people and the tropical climate were just an after thought, a mere luxury to enjoy after competition. It was time to put my blue belt on the line.

Day 1 saw me off from BWI to ATL and then an over night flight directly to Rio de Janiero. We landed early in the morning, collected our bags and headed off to find Roberto Torralbes and Mike Fowler. A cab driver correlated Jon’s bleach blond hair and his jiu jitsu t-shirt with Fowler’s signature look and he whisked us away to Barra Bella, the hotel that the team was staying at. After much confusion and a serious language barrier we landed an apartment for 4 days, 3 nights and put our luggage in the unit.

Waves -1, Team Lloyd Irvin - 0

Roberto, Mike and crew were nowhere to be found so we hit the beach for some sun and to test the waves. Lets just say the waves owned us. They sucked us up, tossed us around, crashed over us and showed us who was boss. It was fun though. Heading back to the hotel we found the team and we stopped at a local food and drink spot for some fresh coconut water directly from the fruit and some icy cool acai. They are two amenities that you have to have when visiting Brazil. Acai blended with banana, granola and honey serves as a great meal replacement when watching your weight for a tournament. I am convinced that Jon can live off of it.

After the beach we cleaned up, visited Barra shopping, stopped at Bibi Succos for a bite to eat, trained at Tata’s to work off the calories we consumed and then ended our night at Copacabana in the flea markets looking for grass root souvenirs for family and friends. We turned in early that evening to rest well for competition.

Bibi Sucos

We woke early to head to the venue. We had a 45 minute drive up and around the mountain through some beautiful scenery to reach the venue, Tijuca Tennis Club. It was a long day at the venue as the kids and teens hit the mats prior to the adult blue and purples. You could feel the deep rooted tradition of many a battles waged on those signature green and yellow mats when you walk into the arena.

The Battlefield

I sat in the bullpen for an hour after they called my weight class. There were many competitors and I had a first round bye so I sat for a while, warming up, stretching and visualizing my game plan. My first opponent was tall, athletic and nimble. I bullied my opponent on the feet to which he jumped guard. I opened the guard still standing and pressured passed. The match went as such: pressure pass, to half back, to the bottom, an x-guard sweep and back on top, a guard pass, back to the feet, another guard pass and finally a back take for a big point win. You can check this match out on my facebook page, search me as Tye Ryan.

My second opponent was observant and pulled closed guard immediately. The match was uneventful in that he was cautious not to open his guard and I worked diligently to do so. The match ended with me opening the guard, smashing down in half and then a scramble to finish. No points or advantages were awarded to either player and the decision was contentiously handed to my opponent.

Reflecting on my experience brings me both frustration and motivation/inspiration to make the trip again. The middle weights in Brazil play a different game than their American counterparts. My opponents were quick, not so much muscular as they had lean wirey frames and the game was about mobility and technique. I found myself having to cut off the ring and stalk my opponents and once the match hit the mats the guards were intricate and a pleasure to dissect. My opponents were patient and calculating. There was little barbarism in their game. I must admit that even in defeat I enjoyed the competition and various styles I was up against.

In retrospect I truly believed that I was going to win my weight class. I left it in the hands of the referee and I was not the hometown competitor. I must refine my transitions to dominate positions and execute finishes more fluidly and more frequently. I felt great physically but I can be better. I was mentally prepared but I can still push the limits of my mental game to new heights of concentration and focus. I left Tijuca with an internal fire of desire ablaze inside me. As we descended down the mountain back to the hotel, I soaked up the scenery knowing that I would be back soon to perform and to perform better as a better me.

STRIKEFORCE: Heavy Artillery Review

-Jon Delbrugge- In today’s mainstream MMA we have an oversaturation of the blood splattering, lightning bolt, tribal tattoo designed logo appeal to it. I like how Strikeforce is trying something different they are going for the complete opposite.

Saturday night’s Heavy Artillery card had different audiences, different fighters, different TV deals. The production of the Strikeforce shows go back and forth; the production team at CBS is a little better than Showtime but neither is really able to connect the viewer at home with the electricity of the live crowd. The Heavy Artillery card had a very anti-climactic feel to it. Unfortunately, no matter how good the card or production is, the bad commentary will always serve as a drag on the action by over compensating for the the uneducated fan with wrong information.

Despite the card’s shortcomings, Saturday night was very entertaining. The card featured five televised bouts with the Heavyweight belt on the line in the main event. One thing is clear; in Strikeforce they are going after the highly qualified athlete to ensure good fighters. Not the “bar room brawler” that will “stand up and bang” for “a good fight”.

Heavy Artillery was loaded with talent. Too many times the public is told that certain fighters are “world class” but really they have never competed in a international level event. On the Heavy Artillery card alone Strikeforce Featured real Olympic level athletes competing. Roger Gracie, Jacare De Souza, Vitor Sholin, K-1 Star Allistar Overeem, even Kevin Randleman, although he never reached his full potential as an MMA fighter, has more wrestling credentials than the beloved Randy Couture, who is portrayed as one of the best wrestlers ever. The Strikeforce Organization has without a doubt the fighters with the best credentials, as far as Kickboxing, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu goes.

The Fights that stood out:

Overeem vs Rogers– Brett Rogers is very new to MMA and is not yet good at any particular skill set to make him a threat to a highly skilled fighter. Overeem is that highly skilled fighter and it showed Saturday night. Rogers couldn’t get anything started. He could not defend Overeem’s stand up and eventually was thrown on the ground with a school yard headlock throw and pounded into unconsciousness. Although sad for Rogers, Overeem now looks like a legit fight for Fedor.

Alistair Overeem Demolished Brett Rogers

Roger Gracie vs Kevin Randleman– Current IBJFF Black Belt World Champion Roger Gracie made his Strikeforce debut. In the Brazilian Jiu-JItsu community this fight was huge because Roger is truly a representation of BJJ in MMA. Even Bj Penn and Damian Maia don’t even compare to this guy. Although Kevin Randleman is by all accounts out of his prime, he still posed a threat to Gracie. BJJ fighters arent exactly kown for their awesome stand up techniques, but Roger showed that he has been working on his boxing by putting together some very nice combinations even dropping Randleman with a knee and eventually finished the fight with a choke from the back in round 2.

Kevin Randleman in his Collegiate Wrestling Days

Jacare vs Joey Villasenor– Villasenor was on the defense for all three rounds losing a unanimous descision. Jacare looked great for his second fight in a row earning him self a shot at the middleweight title. For the first two rounds Jacare controlled the fight on the feet as well as the ground. Villasenor seemed to gain a little momentum in the third round but he was unable to even steal the round in the judges eyes.

Andrei Arvloski vs Antonio Silva– Everyone was waiting to see if Arvloski was going to go to sleep if he took a hard shot to the chin including Arvloski himself who intentionally took shots directly to his face after the fight saying “I proved I can take shots off my chin” even though he was not knocked out he still lost a one sided fight. Silva rebounded from a loss in November while Arvloski suffers his third L in a row.

Andrei Arlovski in Happier Times

All in all the Mixed Martial Arts community can expect to see some interesting match ups in the near future from this up and coming organization. Heavy Artillery was supposed to be considered a small card but had some big names. Lets hope that Strikeforce does something about the commentating soon so that we can continue to see these athletes fight in front of a large TV audience.

2010 Team Lloyd Irvin Pan Jiu Jitsu Roster

A-Team

• Blue Belt
  • Pena
    • David Wool
    • Logan Bender
  • Leve
    • Kenny Degenharght
    • Chris Bennett
  • Medio
    • DJ Jackson
    • Tye Ryan Murphy
  • Meio Pesado
    • Evan Gideon
    • Frank Camacho
  • Pesadissimo
    • Willie Leonard
    • Kenneth Brown
  • Female Pluma
    • Kim Rivers
  • Female Leve
    • Tracey Goodell
  • Female Medio
    • Sijara Eubanks
• Purple Belt
  • Pena
    • Bryan Tidwell
  • Medio
    • Roberto Torralbas
  • Meio Pesado
    • Jordan Sullivan
    • Jon Delbrugge
• Brown Belt
  • Pluma
    • Jason Scully
    • Cory Robinson (might be Pena)
  • Female Pluma
    • Nyjah Easton
• Black Belt
  • Leve
    • Brad Court
    • JT Torres
  • Medio
    • Mike Fowler

Running a Large Martial Arts School vs. a Small One

I’ve had the opportunity to be a student at “small” academies that grew into big ones and also have had the good fortune of watching my own Howard County Martial Arts academy develop into a “big” school as well.  One thing that I’ve noticed is how different it is to run a successful big program vs. a successful little program (in terms of developing students).

Running a successful small program is fairly easy, if the instructor is (A) Not crazy, (B) Actually qualified to teach, and (C) Wants to produce skilled students (as opposed to just make money).  When there are 50 students in  your program, its easy to keep track of everyone’s progress.  If you need someone to improve their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, just spend some more time with them.  You know everyone’s weaknesses and strengths and can adjust the training regimen accordingly.

Now, running a successful big program is a little different.  When there are 500 students to keep track of, you better have a SYSTEM because there is no way you are going to effectively apply your time on a one-to-one basis to all 500 students.  The inability to break the link between the head instructor’s time and the effective teaching of the students is one of the main reasons why there is a trend for programs to develop their best fighters at the START of their business. If you think about it, this is very strange because you would expect that with more income coming in (with the larger student base), the later students in the program would be better than the first few; after all, the school probably has more classes, more advanced students, more sponsorship activities, more instructors, more training partners, etc. etc.

Developing this system is very difficult – as evidenced by the number of schools that have seen an inverse relationship between their school growth and “talented” student level. Of course, there are schools that have done it i.e. Lloyd Irvin Camp Springs.  Lloyd had a few good competitors when LIMAA was a small school and as his school has grown, his competition team has not only gotten bigger but also began competing at higher and higher levels (Brandon Vera in the Ultimate Fighting Championships).  Because of the success of his school, he can provide his students with a large professional facility, expansive schedule, and job and sponsorship opportunities so the dedicated students can continue to develop their skills and pursue their competitive goals.

more on this topic tomorrow…

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