ROLL OR DIE

This week’s guest has a surname that is Jiu Jitsu royalty in Australia. The wife of one of the founders of BJJ in Australia, Melissa is a pioneer in her own right. Starting on her journey in the 1990s, Melissa’s time on the mats has spanned more than 30 years. In this episode she shares stories of the earliest days of jiu jitsu, how she persevered through, including spending more than a decade as a blue belt. She offers some amazing advice and this is a cracker of an episode!

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

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This week’s guest is Ben Butler-Bonice who started his journey in Bendigo and graded from white-black belt under Stewie’s House of BJJ. Since 2016, he has been coaching at John Jacque Machado in Melbourne and in 2018, he took on academy ownership. A qualified physio as well, this is a great podcast where we discuss strength strategies for training and how to get the most out of your time on the mats. Make sure to check out @jjmmelbourne on IG regarding upcoming seminars; Jay Zeballos on 1st September (gi) and Dean Lister No Gi Leg Lock seminar on 12th September.

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

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This week’s guest has participated in five Olympics, winning bronze at Sydney and gold at the Commonwealth Games and is perhaps our most accomplished guest to ever grace our podcast. Maria and her husband Daniel Kelly run Resilience MMA in Melbourne and resilience exemplifies Maria’s persona. She discusses her early days of judo in Hungary in the 1980s, how she persevered in one of the toughest sports around and what the future holds for judo in Australia. We’ve had many listeners request Maria’s appearance on the show, make sure you tune into this episode!

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

Back for his fourth appearance on the show, in this episode, Thiago discusses how things have changed for him in life and in his academy since his move back to Brazil in mid 2022. We discuss his role as a commentator on FloGrappling and a referee at the Brazilian ADCC events, as well as what the scene is like in Brazil now, compared with when he moved to Australia almost 15 years ago. Thiago is returning to Australia in September and October and you can catch him at one of his seminars - keep an eye on his social media pages for more info.

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

Probably one of the best guys in Australia that no one knows about, “Mini” Dave Marinakis is the head coach at Immersion MMA and one of the most legit jiu jitsu athletes around. In this episode, Dave talks about how skill development is the most important aspect to focus on in terms of how to improve. He encourages his students to seek out those training partners who give them tough rolls and to be open minded and explore in order to improve. Debriefing after rolls or after class is so important and good coaches are the key to a good culture in an academy.

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

This week’s guest started his martial arts journey with taekwondo as a teenager and progressed to black belt. However, he found something was lacking and felt that it wasn’t really truly fighting. He then saw UFC1 and realised he needed to learn to grapple. Izzy candidly shares his love/hate relationship with jiu jitsu and how he wanted more from jiu jitsu than what it initially gave him. Coming full circle now, the former owner of Skamma MMA, shares how his goal is now longevity and he has a much greater understanding that jiu jitsu can be different for different people. A super busy man, with multiple business ventures!

Check out Aussie Pet Doors to support this awesome small business:

https://www.australianpetdoors.com.au/

@AussiePetDoors

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

Tayla Ford is New Zealand’s first female to represent her country at the Olympics. Make sure you tune into this episode to hear how she journeyed from a reluctant young wrestler to a role model for all, especially young women in the sport. Tayla candidly shares her stories of the mental, emotional and financial struggles of being a wrestler, as well as the physical demands it puts one under. Now facing a new challenge of impending motherhood, Tayla shares how she has transitioned to coaching and is passionate about empowering female wrestlers and increasing female representation in wrestling.

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

Back for his second appearance on the podcast (check out #194 for the first time), we chat with the power house who is Augusto. Much has changed since his previous appearance, but what hasn’t changed is Augusto’s passion for jiu jitsu and his desire to always be an example to those around him, including his students at Supreme Art Club. In this episode we talk about Augusto’s attitude towards competing and how you must always believe in yourself and your dreams. A true believer that everything you do will come back to you - make sure you listen to this episode.

Also, Augusto will be back in the cage at @fusionfightingchampionship Volume 9 on September 20th, 2025 - one of the biggest events in Australia!

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

Paul is possibly our highest decorated guest on the show, A third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Paul holds a whopping eight black belts in various martial arts. A combat veteran who joined the military in 1987, Paul has started Kinetic Fighting, an Australia and New Zealand combatives program. A true martial artist, as well as a special forces soldier, Paul talks about how his aim is always to match a force or energy and return it.

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die

Luke Beston is best known for the dirt that he dishes on blue belts online. In today’s episode, he shares multiple stories of his jiu jitsu journey, which stretches back to the 1990s. Marrying into the Gracie family, Luke relates many stories of his time on and off the mats with the likes of Royce, Royler and Helio. One thing he learned is to never get involved in family arguments with the Gracie family - as you will always lose out! Make sure you tune into this episode, where Luke tells us of an earlier time of Jiu Jitsu, when students went over to Brazil to learn techniques and would return home to Australia to share them. An unmissable episode!

P.S. We still have a limited number of high-quality Roll or Die x MANA T-Shirts available in S, M, L & XL - message us to secure yours at $30 + shipping, which is a total steal!

Links to our sponsors making this podcast possible and all our past episodes can be found in our bio via https://linktr.ee/Roll_or_Die_Podcast

Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id1519037518

https://www.youtube.com/@rollordiepodcast9106

https://www.facebook.com/rollordiepodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/roll_or_die_podcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2BHJ2tB4H5GLB8IImRFcXq

https://australian-podcasts.com/podcast/roll-or-die