Come get some training in Wednesday!

10:00am – BJJ 101
4:30pm – Little Ninjas
5:15pm – Little Spartans
6:00pm – BJJ 101
6:30pm – Muay Thai 101
7:00pm – Open Mat

Greg J. Wins the Silver at Grapplers Quest

NJ United Mixed Martial Arts purple belt Greg J. continues to rack up the medals in NJ grappling tournaments, taking home the silver medal Saturday against some tough competition. Greg was able to defeat a very tough Jimmie Rivera by a score of 6-3 in the opening round at Grapplers Quest in what was a very entertaining match. Rivera is a very accomplished MMA fighter holding a black belt and a professional record of 13-1. Greg J. was able to get Rivera’s back standing to score 4 points to pull out the win at the end of the match.

Greg J. went on to defeat another tough opponent in second round of the men’s advanced lightweight division who had submitted his first opponent with a nasty foot lock. Greg J. won his semi final match 11-0 making it to the finals where he came up short, ending up with the silver medal. I’m looking forward to Greg J. winning the Gold in many NJ grappling tournaments to come!

Some good fights for tonight’s UFC fights on Fox. The lighter weights are always exciting. So much speed and technique!

Johnson vs. Benevidez
Faber vs. McDonald
Mendes vs. Lentz
Lauzon vs. Danzig

UFC Georges St. Pierre just vacated the welterweight title… Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler fight for the title at UFC 171. It will be interesting to see how the 170 pound division pans out after one of the most dominant champions in UFC history steps away from the fight game. Hopefully we’ll see GSP back soon, hope he’s ok…

The finals of the 2008 IBJJF Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships pitted two of the greatest BJJ competitors of all time against each other. Xande Ribeiro and Roger Gracie battled it out in one of their many memorable matches. I remember being out in California and watching this match from the stands… Awesome stuff!

Check out 2013 IBJJF No Gi Jiu Jitsu World Champion JT Torres teaching some nice details on how to submit your opponent from the back with a Bow and Arrow Choke.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt David D. wins his semi-final match last month at NAGA’s North American Championships in West Orange, NJ. Competing in the Blue Belt Heavyweight division, David showed his solid technique defeating his opponent with a nice mounted triangle choke. The submission is not a common technique usually used in competition as it is a more difficult one to execute. What makes it even more impressive is that David competes in the Heavyweight division, a weight class that typically does not see such advanced techniques at the Blue Belt level. Great job David!

Bibiano Fernandes is one of the most accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors and MMA fighters in the world today! I remember watching Bibiano compete in the ’06 Pan American Championships in California when I was a purple belt. He won the GOLD in the Black Belt division and was definitely one of the most impressive competitors out there. His style was aggressive and he was always looking to be on the offensive. Bibiano is one of the top bantamweights in the world today with a 15-3 Mixed Martial Arts record, holding championship titles in DREAM and One FC. He also was a 3x Pan American Champion (Black Belt), and a 3x World Champion (Black Belt). Enjoy this highlight video of some of his MMA fights from Japan.

Two Legends of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu battle it out in the finals of the 1997 Mundial World Championships in Brazil. Mario Sperry and Roberto “Gordo” Correa are two very influential BJJ athletes who are pioneers of the sport. Sperry was a 3x World Champion and fought MMA all over the world. His 2001 win by arm triangle choke in Pride over Igor Vovchanchyn was huge as Igor was one of the most feared strikers in Mixed Martial Arts at the time. His MMA instructional videos are also legendary! “Gordo” was the first guy to use the bottom half guard as an offensive position. “Gordo” started to utilize the half guard after sustaining an injury that prevented him from playing the closed guard. The backstories of how certain positions became popular is just another part of what makes BJJ such an awesome art.