Jayzen Yap grew up small in Waipahu and knows what it feels like to get picked on. Those early experiences helped push him toward boxing, MMA, wrestling, and eventually jiu-jitsu.

Today, Jayzen is a purple belt training at UFC Waikele, but this conversation goes well beyond belts and competition.

We talk about how wrestling shaped his mentality, why he deliberately worked on becoming “comfortable being uncomfortable,” his belief in drilling and mastering a smaller number of techniques, and what he learned from cutting weight and competing at the Honolulu IBJJF event.

But one of my favorite parts of our conversation is about being a dad.

Jayzen’s six-year-old son is now doing jiu-jitsu, and Jayzen admits it can be difficult to turn off the competitor and coach inside him. Sometimes the best thing he can do is step away, let the coaches coach, and remind himself:

He’s six. Let him have fun.

We also talk about balancing training with marriage and raising two boys, competition nerves, his wrestling background, and his goal of eventually having enough knowledge to help others on the mat.

He learned to fight. Now he’s learning to let go.

#JiuJitsu #BJJ #HawaiiJiuJitsu #JiuJitsuDad #Wrestling #BrazilianJiuJitsu #SmallManPodcast

Christian Taipin began training jiu-jitsu at around 13 years old because he wanted to become closer to his older brother.

After years of competing, dealing with pressure and injuries, and eventually reaching blue belt, Christian became burned out and stepped away for roughly four years. When he finally returned to Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu, he discovered that his love for the art had never completely disappeared.

Now a brown belt and assistant instructor, Christian finds his greatest fulfillment helping teach the academy’s kids. He joins the Small Man Podcast to talk about brotherhood, competition, burnout, returning with a healthier mindset, and the possibility of one day helping carry Sunset Beach Jiu Jitsu forward.

Dan Nagata grew up competing in judo and wrestling, but the pressure to win eventually made him walk away from grappling.

Years later, he found his way back through jiu-jitsu. That journey eventually led him to Workshop Honolulu and helped him become part of building Praxis Jiu Jitsu alongside his friend Scott.

Dan shares how getting submitted by a white belt changed where he chose to train, why competition still creates anxiety for him, and what representing Praxis means to him.

More importantly, he talks about how his childhood experiences influence the way he raises his daughters. For Dan, success in youth sports isn’t about trophies or becoming a professional athlete. It’s about effort, improvement, friendships, education, and learning lessons that will matter later in life.

A real conversation about fatherhood, competition, coaching, longevity, and learning that success means more than winning.

“I never thought I was going to make it past 25.”

Mo Fernandez spent years battling addiction, going in and out of prison, and doing everything his own way. After nearly losing his life to liver failure, a promise to a friend finally brought him into a jiu-jitsu academy.

That decision changed everything.

Jiu-jitsu helped Mo rebuild his life, regain his family’s respect, earn his black belt, and become the kind of instructor his students can depend on.

Today, he runs Lions BJJ from his garage on Kauai—not because he couldn’t build something bigger, but because he values family, connection, and purpose more than numbers.

This is an honest story about recovery, faith, forgiveness, mentorship, and refusing to give up.

Listen to the full conversation with Mo Fernandez on the Small Man Jiu Jitsu Podcast.

#MoFernandez #JiuJitsuSavedMe #LionsBJJ #KauaiJiuJitsu #HawaiiJiuJitsu #AddictionRecovery #BrazilianJiuJitsu #SmallManPodcast

Leah Villarin is a brown belt from Trickster Studio, a mother, a masters competitor and a survivor.

At approximately 38 years old, Leah went to the emergency room after experiencing what felt like a dull ache in her chest. Bloodwork revealed that she was having a heart attack caused by SCAD—a spontaneous tear in a coronary artery.

Leah talks about the recovery that followed, why she couldn’t completely stay away from jiu-jitsu, and how training with a heart-rate limit unexpectedly taught her to become a calmer grappler.

About a year later, she returned to compete at the IBJJF Masters tournament, reached the podium and was promoted by Jeremy Ramos.

We also talk about finding jiu-jitsu through her son, balancing motherhood and competition, women’s empowerment, and the community that grew around Trickster Studio.

For Leah, the medal wasn’t really about winning. It was about surviving and making it back.

BFK — the Big Friendly Korean — joins me to talk about his journey through jiu-jitsu, fatherhood, coaching, and building Nightmare Jiu Jitsu in Honolulu.

Nightmare started with only a handful of kids and has grown to more than 40 in less than a year. We talk about the struggles behind that growth, the people who helped along the way, and taking nine kids from Hawaii to compete at ADCC in Austin.

But this story is about a lot more than competition.

BFK shares why he believes jiu-jitsu can teach kids confidence, discipline, humility, respect and lessons they'll carry with them long after they leave the mats.

We also talk about raising his own kids through jiu-jitsu and what he hopes Nightmare Jiu Jitsu will look like ten years from now.

This is a story about building more than competitors. It's about building good humans.

#SmallManPodcast #NightmareJiuJitsu #BFK #JiuJitsu #HawaiiJiuJitsu

John Pangilinan didn't start jiu-jitsu because he dreamed of competing.

He started because of his kids.

After spending about two years watching his son train, John finally stepped onto the mats himself at 43. What began as a way to understand what his children were experiencing eventually became his own journey through training, competition, coaching, better health and community.

John talks about learning to balance being a parent and practitioner, experiencing competition so he could better understand the pressure his kids felt, and why he never wants medals to become more important than enjoying jiu-jitsu.

We also get into his return to competition at the 2026 Honolulu International Open, where his first tournament as a blue belt ended with double gold.

But this conversation ultimately becomes something much bigger than competition.

It's about fatherhood, family and recognizing how quickly the time with our kids goes by.

Longtime friend Vincent Tabaquin joins me to talk about a martial arts journey that almost came to an end.

From karate and judo to the early UFC Gym Waikele days, Vince spent years training and competing before injuries and COVID eventually led him to step away from jiu-jitsu.

An invitation from Oi and Miguel brought him back to the mats and eventually introduced him to Brian and Mel Wong at Jiu-Jitsu Therapy—where Vince began looking at movement, recovery and jiu-jitsu in an entirely different way.

Today, Vince is a newly promoted black belt.

We talk about injuries, ego, competition, longevity, mentorship, the old UFC days and why sometimes moving forward requires being willing to start learning all over again.

This was a good one with an old friend. 🤙🏽

un toward your giants.

Brandon Gross is a black belt, father, coach and owner of DVG Jiu Jitsu. In this episode, we talk about his journey from baseball and backyard grappling to discovering jiu-jitsu in 2007, earning his black belt 14 years later and eventually opening DVG.

But this conversation goes far beyond Brandon's own jiu-jitsu journey.

We talk about the responsibility that comes with being a coach, working with kids others may have given up on, coaching his own children, overcoming injuries and learning that sometimes the biggest victories in jiu-jitsu have nothing to do with medals.

Brandon also explains the meaning behind DVG — David vs. Goliath — and the philosophy he tries to teach his students:

“We don't run from our giants, we run towards them.”

His goal for the next ten years says a lot about what he's trying to build: 1,000 impact stories from people whose lives have been changed through jiu-jitsu.

This is a conversation about jiu-jitsu, fatherhood, coaching, leadership, faith and trying to leave people better than you found them.

From Waimanalo to Florida, Kalo Lopez has carried Hawaii with him every step of the way.

Kalo is a third-degree BJJ black belt and the owner of Mana Jiu Jitsu. We talk about leaving Hawaii at 17, discovering jiu-jitsu in his late 20s, building academies across the country, helping develop Estevan “The Giant Slayer” Martinez and why he's now putting so much of his energy into developing kids through jiu-jitsu.

We also talk about something close to both of us—the strength of the Hawaii jiu-jitsu community and why so much talent from the islands never gets the recognition it deserves.

Kalo may live in Florida now, but his roots are still planted firmly in Hawaii.

“I always try to stay strong to the roots no matter where I'm at.”

🥋 Kalo Lopez — Small Man Jiu Jitsu Podcast