Jiu Jitsu Idiots

Jiu Jitsu Idiots Greg & Russ recorded multiple interviews at Midwest Finishers 12 last weekend. The tournament was hosted by 10th Planet black belt Omar Ocasio at his gym 10th Planet Lombard here in Chicago. You can watch the entire tournament replay on FloGrappling. We interviewed the Champ Champ Andre Porfirio who won the absolute bracket to secure his second belt at MWF. We also talked to Bernie from Top Level MMA, Claire North from Tipping Point Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Courtney "Cutie Pie" LaBuy from Primal MKE. We had a lengthy conversation with Ben Schultz co-founder of Primal MKE who is doing a new "ecological" approach to jiu jitsu. We ended the podcast by interviewing Omar Ocasio who created this event spotlighting talented jiu jitsu practioners and paying out serious prize money.

Jason Bender is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Carlson Gracie. He is the owner and head instructor at Bender Martial Arts here in Chicago. In addition to BJJ they also offer classes in wrestling, Judo, Muay Thai, boxing, and capoeira. Greg and Russ recently dropped in on a gi session that focused on a fun and methodical approach to takedowns from guard. Jason has an energetic and thoughtful approach to both jiu jitsu and life. This is a great conversation with tons of laughs and genuine takeaways for making yourself a better human.

Bernadette "Bernie" Ambubuyog is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Adem Redzovic and she owns Top Level MMA here in Chicago. In addition to jiu jitsu Bernie is a black belt instructor in Krav Maga and also teaches Muay Thai, boxing, and MMA. Her gym is located in Niles offering multiple classes per day in various martial arts. She is also an avid MMA color commentator and has deep roots in the Chicago mixed martial arts world. We had a fun conversation and can't wait to have her on the podcast again soon.

Chris Wojcik is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Jeff Serafin. He is currently ranked #13 in the world in no-gi at 170 pounds. His most recent instructional titled, "Sloth Style Leglocks" can be found at www.jiujitsux.com and he just recorded a yet-to-be released intructional focused primarily on wrestling for jiu jitsu. Chris is also an avid writer and consistently delivers jiu jitsu related content on his Substack "The Grappler's Diary" as well as his Twitter. He also has a match coming up soon on Grapplefest which can be seen live on the FITE app. This is a fun and insightful conversation with one of the best jiu jitsu practioners on the planet.

Sali is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Fit 2 Defend Academy in Lake Bluff, Illinois under black belt Scott Gave. She is a licensed massage therapist with a focus in sports/injury rehab, movement, structural integration, ashiatsu, craniosacral, cupping, reiki, singing bowls, and yomassage. Sali started her jiu jitsu journey at R-Team Deerfield and used to train with Greg & Russ at 10th Planet back in the day.

Jeff Yumul is the owner of Iron Jiu Jitsu and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Pete The Greek here in Chicago. Jeff's student Victor who instructs beginner classes also joined us on the podcast. Jeff also offers weekly yoga classes and recently hosted Nicky Rod for a no-gi jiu jitsu seminar. If you are in Chicago then you definitely need to stop by his Saturday Open Mat from noon-2pm that is free to everyone.

Omar Ocasio is a 10th Planet black belt under Eddie Bravo and owner of 10th Planet Lombard here in Chicago. He recently opened a second location 10th Planet Naperville as well. Omar also created the Midwest Finishers tournament which has their 12th event coming up on February 11th, 2023 and will be hosted live on FloGrappling. The biggest and best weekly open mat in Chicago can also be found at 10:00am on Sunday's at 10th Planet Lombard and is free to anyone that loves jiu jitsu.

Melanie "Mel" Iverson is a purple belt under Jeff Serafin and a very active jiu jitsu competitor. She has competed on the Fight 2 Win stage here in Chicago and travels around the world to compete in tournaments. Mel received her purple belt in December of 2022, but prior to that she was ranked #1 in IBJJF at blue belt. She also teaches a womens-only class at Serafin Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Check her out on instagram @meliverso

Greg is a brown belt in 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu under Josh Passini. Russell is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu under Jeff Serafin. We recorded this podcast during a blizzard in Chicago a couple days before Christmas. We discuss various pathways from rubber guard as well as some realistic use cases for jiu jitsu as self defense if you find yourself on the ground being attacked by an opponent. Greg also shares his recipe for traditional homemade Polish lemon vodka.

Blake Klassman is a black belt under Jeff Serafin and an instructor at Fit2Defend in Lake Bluff, IL. Blake trains both gi and no-gi jiu jitsu and competes regularly. We have a ton of laughs and discuss a broad range of jiujitsu topics including wristlocks, Gordon vs. Nicky Rod, and the fiasco with USADA at No-Gi Worlds.