The BJJ Foxcast

Amber Learned is a BJJ Black Belt under Paul Nava and the owner of Amber Star Tattoos in Mesa, AZ. You can find her work on Instagram @amberstartattoo.

Tiffany Gaughan is a BJJ Blue Belt under Coach Alex Martinez, a PN1 Nutrition Coach, Dolce Diet Coach, and a Fitness Coach for Ares East Mesa BJJ.

Richard Bresler is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Fabio Santos and was one of the earliest American students of Jiu-Jitsu under Rorion Gracie. Richard is the author, along with Scott Burr, of Worth Defending: How Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Saved My Life. Get it today at www.worthdefendingbook.com.

Elisabeth Clay is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Osvaldo "Queixinho" Moizinho and a professional Jiu Jitsu athlete. Elisabeth has more than 20 Jiu Jitsu medals and titles including F2W World Wide Champion, ADCC Trials Gold Medalist, 4 time No-Gi Worlds Gold Medalist, and 2022 No-Gi Worlds Middle and Absolute Champion.

Stephen Shackelford is an Ares East Mesa BJJ white belt under Coach Alex Martinez, as well as the co-owner of SAK Gaming, an esports event coordination and broadcast production company. He is also the producer for The BJJ Foxcast!

Colin is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Ares East Mesa BJJ. He has been grappling for most of his life and is one of the Mixed Levels class instructors.   Colin first got involved with the Movember foundation when his dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. 

Movember started out as a Prostate awareness movement but has evolved into a Men’s Health awareness community focusing on both physical and mental health. 

Find out more and consider making a donation at https://us.movember.com.  #bjj #podcast #bjjfoxcast #movember   

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Paul is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Gustavo Dantas in Tempe Arizona.  He has been studying BJJ for over 10 years and went from White Belt to Black Belt under GDBJJ.  Paul juggles a family life, a full time job and time as an entrepreneur.  He is the owner of Roll Union Brand, a gi and apparel manufacturer based out of Arizona.

Paul shares his struggles as a Type 1 Diabetic.  The challenge of managing insulin with food is one thing, but there is also a challenge of blood pressure changes while training, and competing.  

Paul and I had a great conversation and I can’t wait for you to enjoy this podcast.

https://graciearizona.com   

@Gracie Arizona Stream    

Doug is a 4th Degree Black Belt at Gracie Arizona in Phoenix.  Doug and I compete against each other almost every tournament.  We share the competition mats as "rivals" but we have a lot of respect for each other as friends.  I have learned so much from Doug and he pushes me harder than anyone I have ever competed against.  I felt having him on the podcast was a must.    

We talk about preparation for competition and how it starts with the type of food you eat.  Nutrition is so often overlooked in our preparation but it is the most important aspect of preparation.  Recovery is another aspect that is overlooked.  It falls second in my list of importance in preparation for competition.  

Doug found Jiu Jitsu by being a UFC fan and seeing a young Royce Gracie beat much larger fighters.  After watching UFC fights on VHS for a while he decided to give Jiu Jitsu a try.  He searched out Gracie Jiu Jitsu and found Nathan, Gustavo and Megaton were the only names that came up.  Shortly after he started training at Gracie Arizona.  

Doug has a few amateur MMA fights and countless Jiu Jitsu tournaments under his belt.  His Jiu Jitsu knowledge and competition experience is amazing.  I think everyone with get something out of this podcast.

​ @MAT MADE  

https://matmade.com 

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=mat%20made 

https://youtu.be/-1LvSw7BR3Y  

Kenny is a Third Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  He is the Creator and Host of The Mat Made Show.  Kenny is just off of his visit to Arizona where is did multiple seminars and "open mats".  Kenny created the Mat Made Show based on his life story in his book.  

He talks about telling the story of his life in martial arts and the impact it had on his life.  His story of not being the "deal child" but having the mats to keep him focused.    

Kenny travels the world training with other BJJ practitioners and hears their stories about how Jiu Jitsu helped them overcome difficulties or helped them in some way.  And the Mat Made concept was born.  He wanted to give the "common practitioner" a platform to tell their story.    There were some hiccups along the way.  The shut down due to Corona Virus shut the first trip down.  A year went by and Kenny was determined to make the show happen.  With the help of some friends and a determined crew, he made it happen.  

Kenny talks about the future of Mat Made and the excitement it brings to the Jiu Jitsu around the world.  I really enjoyed the conversation and I'm sure everyone will get a lot out of it.

Queixinho started martial arts as a troubled kid in Brazil.  He has been training Judo and Jiu Jitsu since he was very young.  He credits martial arts for giving him discipline and teaching him hard work.   

"Q" is a multiple time World and Pan American Champion and Co-Owner of Ares Goodyear.  He still competes at the highest level as a Black Belt. He is also one of the founders of the Ares Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association.  

Paul Nava is my instructor and has been training Jiu Jitsu since he was 30 years old. He got his black belt from Gustavo Dantas in Arizona.  He is a big influence within the Jiu Jitsu community and a leader in the Ares BJJ Association.    

Paul is a 10 time Jiu Jitsu World Champion and multiple time Pan American Champion. He is the Owner/Operator of Ares Arizona in Mesa, AZ.  

John Cabay is a Black Belt under Paul Nava and won a World Championship as a Brown Belt.  He has worked in several industries and found his true passion and opened his Academy in Paradise Valley Arizona called Greywolf Ares Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  

John is one of my favorite training partners and a true student of the game.    We talk about our origin stories, and the common bond we all share as Jiu Jitsu practitioners.  

These guys are family to me.  This is a podcast that I will not soon forget.  I know everyone will get something useful out of this episode.