Matt Wahlstrom, a 45-year-old black belt under Tom DeBlass and founder of Epic Roll BJJ, shares his journey in Jiu-Jitsu and how he made it this far.

He discovered BJJ through the UFC, despite initial struggles, he became passionate about the sport. Matt’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to start Epic Roll BJJ in 2018, which has since grown into a successful brand with a global presence.

In this episode Matt covers everything from early childhood, to where his brand is at now in 2026!

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Rachel Beauchamp reflects on week four of her bare-knuckle boxing fight camp, highlighting a successful sparring session with her coach and positive progress in her training. She emphasizes the importance of controlled sparring and discusses her approach to rest and recovery, including the use of a massage gun. Looking ahead to week five, Rachel anticipates increased cardio training and a focus on speed, while maintaining her commitment to striking for her upcoming fight.

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Xavier Bermudez, a 22-year-old MMA fighter from South Carolina, shares his story with Beyond the Mats this week!

He discovered MMA in Oklahoma after moving from New Jersey, where he grew up in foster care. Xavier believes his diverse upbringing and past struggles give him a mental edge in fights, allowing him to push through fatigue and adversity.

Xavier shares his journey into MMA, starting with a desire to protect his mother from abuse. He began training at a gym and quickly progressed, fighting in his first amateur MMA fight just two months later. Despite early challenges and setbacks, including a tough fight in New York, Xavier persevered and found purpose in the sport, dedicating his life to it after a pivotal victory.

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In week 3 of Rachel Beauchamp’s Pro bareknuckle boxing camp, she struggles with balancing rest with training. Having a scare on Wednesday, she looks to lock in some well deserved rest time.

Rachel Beauchamp discusses her training camp progress, highlighting improvements in hand conditioning and the effectiveness of Zombie Sport Co balm for healing minor injuries. She acknowledges the need to refine her head movement technique and shares a funny moment about being approached to fight at a local smoker event. Looking ahead, Rachel plans to focus on balancing rest and training, particularly improving her head movement.

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Amateur MMA fighter and Jiujitsu blue belt out of Cies MMA in Colorado Springs, Olivia Romero, joins Beyond the Mats for episode 24!

Olivia discovered martial arts in 2022 first by training kickboxing just for fitness, but a break in changed everything for her. After this moment she found Cies MMA, originally having no intention of ever stepping inside the cage.

Now, at the age of 36, she has competed in multiple BJJ tournaments and MMA fights, one fight already this year and two more coming up!

Truly an inspiring story, thank you Olivia for sharing your journey with us!

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In week 2 of Camp Check In for Rachel Beauchamp’s pro bareknuckle debut, she faces one of the most difficult decisions in a fight camp, especially so early into it.

From recovery to training, Rachel shares with us her 2nd week of camp.

Every Tuesday be on the lookout for Camp Check In to stay up to date with Rachel’s camp, all the way til fight night!

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In this episode of Beyond the Mats, I was honored to speak with Shawn Melanson, owner of Precision Jiujitsu and competitor for the Philly Phenoms. Also known for his Instagram content, you may know him as “Dr. Shawn”.

Shawn breaks down how he found Brazilian Jiujitsu at 19 while chasing an MMA career, and how that path eventually led him to go all in on nogi. We talk about his experience competing with the Phenom’s in Season 9 of the PGF, what it’s like performing on a bigger stage, and how that’s shaped his approach to training and coaching.

He also dives into the biggest mistakes he sees from younger belts, what he’s trying to instill in the next generation of grapplers, and why mindset and intention matter just as much as technique.

And yeah… we had to address it, are leg locks boring?

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Camp Check In is where we have a quick conversation with fighters who are actively going through fight camp. We have a conversation with them every week leading up to their fight!

The first fighter we’re going to be doing this with is Rachel Beauchamp! Rachel has her first ever Pro Bareknuckle Boxing match coming up 7 weeks from when we did this short interview and we’re going to be following her throughout her whole camp.

This is more than fighting, this gives you an insiders look at the mental side of the game. Recovery, Diet, Conditioning, all matter more than you think!

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In Episode 22 of Beyond the Mats, we sit down with Israel Wilkes out of Boone, North Carolina, a 23 year old purple belt bringing a completely different kind of movement to jiujitsu.

Before stepping onto the mats, Israel’s background was anything but traditional. From ultimate frisbee to parkour, he built a foundation around balance, coordination, and body control skills that now show up in his grappling style in a big way. He even taught himself how to backflip, and that same creativity carries over into how he moves, scrambles, and attacks on the mats.

We get into how that parkour mindset translates into jiu-jitsu, how he’s developed an unorthodox but effective game, and why movement might be one of the most overlooked weapons in grappling today.

Israel also talks about his role in the Sunday Service, a nogi jiujitsu workshop that’s been growing, and breaks down what makes it different from a typical class environment.

And yeah, we had to ask about the pink Hello Kitty singlet. There’s a story behind it, and it fits his personality perfectly.

This one’s all about movement, individuality, and building your own style in the sport.

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Episode 21 of Beyond the Mats features Jared Haymon, the founder of Pit Boss Grappling, one of the most unique and intense formats in the game right now.

We dive into how Pit Boss Grappling was created, from the original idea to building a combat environment unlike anything else. Jared breaks down the signature elements that make it stand out: fighters competing in suits, the high-pressure pit walls, and the controversial but strategic use of replica weapons.

We also get into the overtime rules that push athletes to their limits and force action, creating nonstop entertainment for both hardcore grappling fans and newcomers. Jared shares the vision behind the promotion, how the ruleset shapes the style of matches, and where he sees Pit Boss going in the future.

If you’re into innovation in combat sports and want to hear the mindset behind one of the wildest grappling formats out there, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

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