Strictly Fighters

The gents are joined by Sensei Emma Wentzel, 4th-Dan black belt in Goju-Ryu karate, who becomes the show's historic first-ever guest! Emma, Chief Instructor at Seishin Martial Arts Academy and South African & Sub-Saharan African champion, brings her wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to the conversation. They chat about her journey in martial arts, why karate is so popular, the beauty & benefits of karate for children, traditional karate vs. sport karate, semi-contact point-fighting vs. full contact fighting and how effective karate can be as a form of real-life self-defence.

A review and preview of Bellator MMA's light heavyweight grand prix tournament gets things going, before the boys dive into the benefits and drawbacks of crossfit training as a fitness and conditioning base for MMA and martial arts in general. Jason prompts Shaun to address a statement made in last week's show - that fighters only fight for the money, which launches a debate that extends through the rest of the episode, which includes a look at the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum & Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren bouts.

The Legends League throws up a banger, and Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson's loss in ONE Championship prompts the hosts to revisit his status in the GOAT of MMA debate. This leads to something of a touchy subject for fighters and non-fighters alike: was Bruce Lee as good as popular culture & public opinion say he was? Jay, Craig and Shaun explore Bruce Lee's impact on martial arts and whether the legend of Bruce Lee as the indomitable, unbeatable super-human is a myth.

Shaun returns, regular programming resumes and order is restored in the SF universe. A comparison between Boxing and Muay Thai kicks things off. Then it’s storytelling time for Craig as he takes us through his philosophy and experience on street fighting and bar room brawling with no martial arts training. A review of UFC260 ensues, where the prospect of Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones at heavyweight leads into MMA’s most fabled debate: who is the greatest of all time? 

In a weird week for the crew, co-host Shaun is out and Jason is down in Durban, on a sugar cane farm in the middle of nowhere. But even with one leg of the tripod missing, the show must go on. Jason and Craig chat about the top 5 best and bottom 5 worst martial arts movies ever, and Craig breaks the first rule of Fight Club, before previewing the massive heavyweight title fight at UFC260 this weekend between Stipe Miocic, the baddest man on the planet, and Francis Ngannou, the Cameroonian Predator.

The guys mix it up with some new fun features, introducing the 'Martial Artist Legends League', before addressing a question from a listener about Aikido vs. BJJ. With the biggest fight in heavyweight boxing recently confirmed, they break down the road to Undisputed for Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, which leads to a dissection of the upcoming boxing bout between Olympic wrestler & MMA fighter Ben Askren vs. celebrity YouTuber Jake Paul, and whether this crossover event could ever pull more viewers than the heavyweight clash. We finish with the 'Celebrity Deathmatch' match-up.

After all the action of UFC259, the guys revisit how big of a role weight difference plays in elite-level MMA competition. Shaun talks about what Adesanya could have done better on the ground and introduces us to BJJ flowcharts. A quick breakdown of the unified rules of MMA give insight into Petr Yan's disqualification and what a 'grounded opponent' is. The conversation moves to Amanda Nunes' dominance and who is left for her to fight. A debate ensues about whether she could beat a male UFC fighter, and whether women could and should compete against men in MMA in general.

The Rozenstruik v Gane fight recap opens the show. Things kick off when Jason and Craig talk about the pros and cons of functional strength from functional training vs. traditional strength from lifting weights in the gym for MMA. The conversation morphs into a discussion about dealing with injuries in martial arts, before breaking down the hype that is UFC259.

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face". A review of this past weekend's Fight Night between Derrick Lewis & Curtis Blaydes leads to a discussion about striking vs. grappling, and Rafael Alves' historic weight miss prompts a deep dive into the advantages and dangers of cutting weight in combat sports (Craig hates it). The gents finish off with a preview of the the upcoming UFC bout between Rozenstruik & Gane.

In the inaugural episode, South African best mates Jason, Shaun & Craig introduce the concept of Strictly Fighters, a new blog-based community of martial artists helping each other to improve using online video. Differing definitions of MMA spark a heated debate about modern martial arts vs. traditional martial arts, the boys chat shit about UFC258, Kamaru Usman, bringing UFC to Africa, previews of this weekend's Blaydes v Lewis Fight Night and Bellator's upcoming light heavyweight grand prix.