The BJJ Fanatics Podcast
Ryan Ford
Our mission with this podcast is to help YOU grow on the mats! We do this by presenting deep, insightful interviews every week with the best athletes, coaches and legends of BJJ and Grappling. Whether you're looking to expand your knowledge about technique, BJJ culture or the history of the art, every episode is loaded with advice and lessons from the best in the game. The host Ryan Ford conducts each interview in a casual setting, which makes it easy to see the human side of the stars of our sport and get to know their story while also learning more for your own development. New episodes are available every week, and we have over 500 episodes for you to enjoy as well, which is over 800 hours of entertainment and knowledge! We hope you enjoy it!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 22, 2018 • 1h 45min
Episode 274 - Amal Easton
Amal Easton joins the show to talk about being one of the first Americans to travel to Brazil to learn BJJ in the early 90's, meeting Renzo Gracie, BJJ for every day people and training for longevity. He also discusses some of BJJ's cultural nuances
Mar 20, 2018 • 1h 23min
Episode 273: Jackson Sousa
Jackson Sousa shares his powerful life story, from beginning his life in the Favela (slums) in Rio to becoming a decorated champion. He also talks about Terere's influence on him and for the first time in an interview opens up about beating drug addiction
Mar 15, 2018 • 55min
Epiosde 272: Luiz Palhares
Master Luiz Palhares joins the show and talks about BJJ in Brazil in the 1970's and 80's, Training under Rolls and Rickson Gracie, Vale Tudo in the 90's and why he is a firm believer of training in the gi. He also talks about teaching Navy SEALS
Mar 13, 2018 • 1h
Episode 271: Mike Palladino
Mike Palladino joins the show and discusses how Pro Wrestling led him to BJJ, learning from Vlad Koulikov and Formiga, online learning, why you shouldn't worry about rank, and competition mindset. He also talks about self defense and sport grappling.
Mar 8, 2018 • 1h 13min
Episode 270: Anthony Ferraro
Anthony Ferraro is a NJ State Greco Champion, An accomplished high school wrestler and a Judo brown belt. He has accomplished all this despite being blind. He is the focus of the film "A Shot in the Dark" and shares his inspirational story
Mar 6, 2018 • 1h 20min
Episode 269: Kurt Osiander
After a brief hiatus, Kurt is back! We catch up with him and talk about his upcoming Asian tour, his new drum room, rock stars fighting with fans, options for going bald, Kurt's mustache and his naked arrest story. Kurt also gets triggered by toothpaste.
Mar 1, 2018 • 1h 41min
Episode 268 - Robert Drysdale 2
Robert Drysdale has been traveling all over Brazil and Japan gathering historical data for the documentary film "Closed Guard". Some of what he's found may make you question what you thought you knew about BJJ's history!
Feb 27, 2018 • 1h 2min
Episode 267 - Jon Calestine
Fresh off winning the EBI Featherweight championship, Jonathan Calestine joins the show to recap the event and talk about his rise in the sport. He also talks about the struggles of being a full time grappler and managing injuries.
Feb 22, 2018 • 1h 44min
Episode 266 - Matt Kaplan
Matt Kaplan joins the show for a hilarious and entertaining episode! Topics include pro wrestling death matches, pro wrestling moves in MMA, leg locks, punk rock and rolling drunk. He also talks about training with Garry Tonon and Eddie Cummings.
Feb 20, 2018 • 1h 12min
Episode 265 - David Aguzzi 2
David Aguzzi is back to talk about the growth of Grappling Industries, the BJJ ban in Montreal and training referees. He also gives a deep breakdown of what it costs to run a tournament and why entries cost what they do for competitors.
