Tim from Inside BJJ, Matt Freeman, and Ernest Mello sit down with Rose Gracie to talk about the recent Gracie National’s submission only tournament and the upcoming Gracie Worldss submission only tournament in San Jose, CA. Renato Laranja makes a surprise call in to the show and proceeds to argue with Rose Gracie about the merits of her tournament rules and philosophy. The ensuing insults and humor cannot be described only listened to. Rose talks about Eddie Bravo as an unlikely source of support for her submission only tournament. Later, Rose talks about Ernest’s missing $400.00 from the 2010 Gracie ProAm and prank phone calling her uncle Relson. Do not miss this show.

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Follow Rose Gracie on Twitter

Register for the Gracie Worlds in San Jose

Show Credits

• Tim Freeman
• Matt Freeman
• Ernest Mello

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Tim from Inside BJJ, Matt Freeman, and Ernest Mello sit down with Lloyd Irvin for an in-depth discussion about the 2012 Houston Open, Lloyd’s revolutionary training methodology, and PED’s.

Lloyd talks about his training program, how he prepares his athletes, philosophies on BJJ, and his new plans to modernize BJJ preparation.

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http://lloydirvin.com

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• Tim Freeman
• Matt Freeman
• Ernest Mello

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Show Summary

Join us for Episode 4 of the Inside BJJ Podcast. Host Tim Freeman sits down with Matt Freeman and Ernest Mello to talk about UFC 143 Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, Gracie Nationals, UG Kindness, and weirdos in BJJ.

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Show Credits

• Tim Freeman
• Matt Freeman
• Ernest Mello

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Show Summary

Join us for Episode 3 of the Inside BJJ Podcast. Host Tim Freeman sits down with Crosley Gracie Black Belt Ryan Murphy and United Grappling Federation (UGF) founder Mike Uhlinger for a discussion on UFC Fox Evans vs. Davis, the inside story on how the UGF was created from founder Mike Uhlinger, a small recap of the Europeans, and Mike sheds some light on the UGF rules and scoring system.

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United Grappling Federation website

United Grappling Federation Rules Video

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UGF on Facebook

Show Credits

• Tim Freeman
• Ryan Murphy
• Mike Uhlinger

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Join us for Episode 2 of the Inside BJJ Podcast with Tim, Ernest Mello, and Matt Freeman. We talk about Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, steroids,  the Lion’s Den and old Jiu-Jitsu stories. Thanks for the listen and we hope you enjoy the show.

Hosts

• Tim Freeman
• Matt Freeman
• Ernest Mello

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Ernest, Tim, and Matt

Welcome to the first episode of the Inside BJJ Podcast. In this episode, we sit down with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ryan Murphy and brown belt Ernest Mello.We talk about wrestling singlets, habitual guard jumpers, Mickey Mouse medals and tough guy dogs. Thanks for the listen and we hope you enjoy the show.

This is the very first Inside BJJ podcast so please excuse the imperfections.

Hosts

• Tim Freeman
• Ryan Murphy
• Ernest Mello

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]]> http://www.insidebjj.com/2012/01/17/bjj-podcast-episode-1/feed/ 1 http://www.insidebjj.com/2012/01/08/united-grappling-federation-rules-video/ http://www.insidebjj.com/2012/01/08/united-grappling-federation-rules-video/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:16:54 +0000 insidebjj http://www.insidebjj.com/?p=77049

The UGF is back for an action packed 2012. Check out their schedule and rules for upcoming events.

Download the rules document here.

]]>

DRILL OF THE WEEK

This week we feature Draculino’s 54 Perfect BJJ Techniques in 12 minutes. Everyone knows to get better, you have to drill. All the cook kids are doing it.

“The secret of this sport is, while you’re the nail, hang in there, let them hit you, until the day you become the hammer, then you smash them back!”

-Renzo Gracie

This week we have two questions. The first is about getting motivated to start training and the second is about Sambo. Whether you are doing BJJ or Sambo or any other type of fight training it is important to have realistic expectations. Recently I was rolling with a white belt who impressed me when he passed my guard. I was amazed at how quickly he was improving. I later overheard him tell one of the instructors how depressed he was that he didn’t submit me and that he got submitted. I thought this was really strange that he would be so upset since I was shocked that he had been able to pass my guard so well. His expectations were clearly too high.

When I was a white belt I remember this guy who brutally smoked me every time we rolled. He was bigger, more athletic, much more experienced and always trained hard. My first goal was to just get him into my closed guard one time during a roll. Then it was to survive a roll without getting submitted. My goals advanced until one day out of the blue I submitted him twice. I feel that is what it means to embrace being the Nail. If your goal is to be the hammer you will eventually fail. If your goal is to be the best Nail there is, you will always succeed and motivation won’t be a problem.
On with the questions:

I love jiu jitsu. I’m not training right now. My lack of dedication
and motivation [made me] quit.

How can i motivate myself in order to not quit?

I’m planning to start all over again.

Rene

Hi Rene,
The first thing I will say is that some people just aren’t into BJJ. However, you say that you love BJJ so maybe you just have had trouble getting into it.
You don’t really give too many details about your reasons for quitting so I can only guess. Some people live too far away from their school and it can be hard to get motivated to make the drive all the time. If that is the case you could try to train closer to where you live. Some find renewed motivation when BJJ is just 5 minutes away instead of 45 minutes away.

Some people also have trouble with their ego, they think that when they start BJJ they should be beating everybody, but just like with any sport they need to understand that there is a learning curve and the BJJ learning curve is higher than most other sports. You wouldn’t expect to be swishing threes on your first day of basketball. If that is the case you just need to stick with it and learn to embrace failure. Failure is a good thing it means you have identified an area you can improve.

You can also focus on small victories. Maybe you got submitted, but you managed to escape three submissions this time instead of just one, or maybe you managed to get your opponent in your guard twice in a roll. Those are both great beginner goals that are attainable unlike say, submitting a tough blue on your first day. As you do this you will see small progressions and they will add up quickly over time. Before you know it you will be submitting blues and getting your own blue belt.

Finally, I just want to say that this column is called Ask the Nail for a reason. That reason is that everybody who writes answers has been the Nail hundreds and thousands of times. The only way to get better is to embrace being the nail and let the experience mold you into a tough BJJ player. Nobody makes it in BJJ without going through the mental and physical crucible that is BJJ. When you come out the other side you will be glad you did.

Keep training and let us know how it goes.
The Nail

What is the differences between sambo and bjj? All things equal,
Can they compete on the same level?

Bob

Hi Bob,
My personal experience with Sambo is very limited. I have always heard people say that Sambo is all about the leglocks. I once rolled with a blue belt who claimed a Sambo background. After we rolled he claimed that because of his Sambo background he could have heel hooked me at anytime, because BJJ practitioners don’t train leg locks. To prove him wrong I challenged him to a leg locks only match, but he said he had to leave.

I also have a teammate who fought a Sambo guy in a local BJJ tournament in the blue belt division. My teammate beat him twice by submission, the second submission was a calf cutter/toe hold combo. I know that neither of these stories is very representative of high level Sambo though. After watching some highlight videos I would say that Sambo focuses more on high amplitude throws and leg locks. Of course if one only watched highlight videos of BJJ one might think that BJJ is all about flying armbars and tornado guard.

After reading the tournament rules it seems that Sambo is actually more similar to Judo than it is to BJJ. There are three styles of Sambo that are practiced: Sport Sambo, Combat Sambo, and Freestyle Sambo. Sport Sambo is the most restrictive disallowing many different chokes and joint locks. Combat Sambo is the least restrictive, even allowing punches. Freestyle Sambo is a mix of both Sport and Combat Sambo. It is less restrictive than Sport Sambo allowing more types of submissions but does not allow punches. Freestyle was formed by the American Sambo Association in an attempt to attract competitors from Judo and BJJ to enter Sambo tournaments. According to the ASA website the only points allowed are from take downs or a twenty second pin. After a takedown competitors are only allowed 60 seconds to work for a submission after which the referee stands them back up. These rules  make Sambo much closer to Judo than BJJ which does not restrict time on the ground to work submissions.

Your question about all things being equal can they compete on the same level is difficult. There have been some MMA fights featuring BJJ and Sambo competitors with mixed results. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club grappling tournament attempts to provide a neutral proving ground for different grappling styles. A quick search shows that representatives of Sambo have competed at ADCC before, however none have won a gold medal to date. BJJ practitioners have won the lions share of gold medals. I have heard some blackbelts say that the reason for this is that Sambo does not emphasize position before submission as much as BJJ does. They say that Sambo practitioners often, for example, attempt leglocks instead of passing the guard or give up top position while trying to finish leg locks. To venture a guess I would say that this is probably a result of the limited time allowed on the ground in Sambo tournaments and the Sambo rules not rewarding different positions like mount or back as in BJJ.  Some claim  ADCC champion Dean Lister as a Sambo guy. However, it would seem that he has only cross-trained in Sambo and as a BJJ blackbelt and amateur wrestler I would say he is more representative of those styles than Sambo.

As a BJJ guy I am biased, I would prefer to train jiu-jitsu, but if for some reason there were no BJJ available in my area I would be willing to train Sambo to get my grappling fix. I enjoy training takedowns and leg locks more than most jiu-jitsu guys so that emphasis in Sambo would not bother me at all. Of course takedowns and leg locks can lead to injuries, so that is something to be aware of.

To summarize, I would say that Sambo is a mix of Judo and wrestling and is probably pretty close to catch wrestling. While Sambo does allow submissions, I think that the limited ground time that is allowed has a negative effect on Sambo’s ability to compete on the same level as BJJ. I think that a Sambo practitioner’s effectiveness against BJJ competitors is going to directly relate to how much time they spend training on the ground.

The Nail

Renato Laranja

Inside BJJ
What is your background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? How did you get started? When did you receive your black belt?

Renato Laranja
I started a long time ago when I was eight years old. I was raised in Rio De Janeiro. I was a street kid. I was wild. I ran around the favela. I did a lot of things that was illegal. I didn’t have a lot of supervision. I had a Dad but he was like from that song, “Papa Was a Rolling Stones”. On the street, he sold gum and stuffs like that. He was a street vendor.

I was having some hard times. I was one night very hungry. I was very cold. I was curled up in the corner next to some garbage can. My little legs was very skinny and I was just wear some shorts. And I don’t have a shirt. I was shivering. And then, all of a sudden, I see a face come close to me. It was a man. He cover me with something. But it was not a blanket, it was a gi top. He put the top over me like a blanket to tuck me in. And I look that man and I think at first he was the guy from the movie, Evil Dead 2, Bruce Campbell. Also now he’s on the show Burn Notice. The man was Murilo Bustamante. He take me under his wing. That day was the change for my whole life. He take me to train. He teach me how to live. I was no longer do bad things. Before I was experiment with some “Heefer” and with some smoke. Also I was sniff glue. And I was also do what they call huff paint. But now I do everything good. I learn to fight. I learn how to train. I learn how to take some natural foods for my body. I take to jiu-jitsu like a fish take to…jiu-jitsu.

It was a very natural for me from the beginning. The natural progression for me was to get into Vale Tudo. When I was about seventeen, they start to put me in some fights. That’s why when a lot of people ask if I do MMA, I say I’ve did so many fights in MMA but back then it was called Vale Tudo. They don’t keep the “hecords” for that. I would fight anywhere. I would fight anybody. I would fight in some empty swimming pool. I would fight in a “Haquetball” court. One time I fight in the studio apartment of my friend.

Inside BJJ
You made a transition into Vale Tudo when you were seventeen. How old were you when you received your black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Renato Laranja
I got my black belt when I was twelve years old. It took me four years.

Inside BJJ
After four years? For most people it’s a big deal to receive a blue belt and that alone can take a year or two. Was it controversial to get your black belt in four years? Did you face any criticisms or challenges?

Renato Laranja
There was nobody to say nothing because I beat all the critics. I would choke anybody who was to say something. Like I said, I don’t back away from nothing. Anybody who was have a big mouth and was say, “you don’t deserve a black belt”, I’m gonna show that guy.

Inside BJJ
Many traditional jiu-jitsu guys such as Andre Galvao, Roger Gracie, and Marcelo Garcia have tried the transition to MMA but haven’t achieved the same level of success they had in traditional jiu-jitsu. Can you talk about the challenges of making the transition from jiu-jitsu to MMA?

Renato Laranja
I mean that’s a problem for those guys because for one reason. They don’t expand their game for the standup. When I was sixteen, I was find that I have some holes in my game. Not in jiu-jitsu but in my standup, so I learned Capoeira. I also trained with some guys for Goju Karate.

Inside BJJ
You had a developed ground game and standup also?

Renato Laranja
I have a lot of things. I also learn how to play the instruments for Capoeira. People ask me how I was play the tambourine so good in that show, “Return of The Deathknuckle”, I learn tambourine from my Capoeira background.

Inside BJJ
You’ve been a martial artist since Bustamante tucked you in with his gi?

Renato Laranja
God knows where I would have end up if that don’t happen that night.

Inside BJJ
Who were your toughest opponents?

Eddie Bravo

Renato Laranja
I fought the best. I don’t know who was the toughest but I’m gonna tell you the easiest fight that I had my whole life and that was in my fight with Eddie Bravo. He beat Royler so I’m think that guy have something in his sleeves. That guy just try a lame takedown so I put him in a north south choke. It was easy. I put him to sleep with that. That was a surprise to me. That was shock me because I don’t expect that.

Inside BJJ
Eddie Bravo was an easier fight than you expected? Why did Royler Gracie lose to Eddie Bravo?

Renato Laranja
I think he was probably sick. He don’t think too much about Eddie Bravo. He was probably think about some other thing that day. I think it’s like the same thing like Buster Douglas.

Inside BJJ
Eddie Bravo lost to Leo Vieira the very next match.

Renato Laranja
Of course he’s gonna lose. He’s gonna lose every time because he’s a fake.

Inside BJJ
What about the criticism Eddie Bravo has received? He built his name from winning one match. He hasn’t launched any major competitors. He renames existing techniques as his own?

Renato Laranja
You just say everything I think. He has some guys? Who does he have? Vinny Magalhaes who just win ADCC but who cares about that you know? That’s just one guy. He has some UFC guys. Who cares about UFC guys.

Inside BJJ
In the US, there’s a debate regarding whether or not traditional gi training is necessary for MMA. Traditional schools focus on the gi and don’t really stray from it. What are your thoughts on training in the gi for MMA?

Renato Laranja
It’s like if you gonna marinate some food. You can marinate some chicken breast. I gonna marinate that at home. Then when I’m take it to the barbecue, the people don’t have to see the marinade. All they have to see is the chicken. The chicken already have the flavor.

Inside BJJ
I’ve never heard it put that way.

Renato Laranja
That’s why you come to me. Because you’ve try everybody else. Now you come to the real thing.

Inside BJJ
Does the type of gi matter when you’re preparing for an MMA fight?

Renato Laranja
I’m gonna tell you the truth. I have some kimono companies who pay me to wear their gi. But if you wanna know what I’m wearing right now in my house, that’s MKimono. I like because they’re made by real Brazilian people who love the sport and the philosophy behind jiu-jitsu.

Inside BJJ
Do you think there’s a difference between jiu-jitsu in America versus Brazil?

Renato Laranja
Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil versus America is like the same thing as soccer in Brazil versus America. It’s very weak here. A lot of guys do stuffs they don’t know what they doing. They do a lot of wrestling moves. You have some Armenian guys who do some leg lock but that’s not jiu-jitsu. That’s a different thing. Maybe that’s why you call it 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu because it’s come from another planet. You have to be so high on “Heefer” or mushroom to believe that stuffs is jiu-jitsu.

Inside BJJ
Do you have a problem with people who open academies and are not black belts?

Renato Laranja
You can open anything you want. The problem is gonna be for the students who gonna waste their money. Why you gonna train there when you can train with real black belt. You go to some guy in Omaha who don’t know nothing. He’s  never been in a street fight.

Inside BJJ
You mentioned your extensive Vale Tudo experience and in some of your videos online you have talked to Joe Rogan about the UFC. You seem to feel like Joe Rogan blows you off in the video. If I was Dana White right now, what would say and who would you like to fight in the UFC?

Renato Laranja
Dana White and Joe “Hogan” is aware of me. He know my skill because he seen with his eyes what I can do. They wanna make Brazilians to look bad. They don’t wanna have another Brazilian champion. They don’t like me because I’m speak such good English. They don’t want a young Brazilian guy who can speak perfect English like me. I’ve worked so long on my accent that its appear seamless. It’s like I don’t even have an accent. They don’t want to see a positive image of a Brazilian. Dana White know who I am. Joe Silva know who I am. Joe “Hogan” know who I am. They can only duck from me for so long.  Chael Sonnen has a big mouth. That’s gonna be my first fight. I hear that he’s talk alotta stuffs. I’m gonna do a seminar in Portland, Oregon soon and I’ve heard through the grape line that he’s gonna try to crash the party. He’s gonna see that I’m ready for that.

Dana White and Joe Rogan

Inside BJJ
It’s interesting you bring up Chael Sonnen because I wanted to ask you about him. In particular, he had a fight with Anderson Silva where he was on his way to winning the fight up until the very end. Give us your thoughts on that fight? How would do in a fight against Chael Sonnen?

Renato Laranja
That’s easy fight for me. Anderson Silva only looked bad in the beginning because he had some broken “hibs”.

Inside BJJ
He had broken hands?

Renato Laranja
Hibs!

Inside BJJ
He had broken hips?

Renato Laranja
No, hibs! You ever hear that song from Chili’s, “I want my baby back, baby back, baby back…hibs!” Also, there is Tony Homa’s, a place for hibs. What I’m speaking? Chinese?

Inside BJJ
Oh ribs! I understand now. I thought you said hip.

Renato Laranja
I’m sorry you misunderstand that. Anderson was weak and he still put a triangle to that guy. Chael Sonnen’s jiu-jitsu is so bad. Matt Horwich can submit that guy. It’s embarrassing that guy’s jiu-jitsu. I can do anything I want to that guy.

Inside BJJ
What technique would you use?

Renato Laranja
Probably to add insult and put injury for him, I would use a triangle. He’s the poster boy for triangles. He should be on the cover of Pink Floyd’s next album because when I see him, all I see is a triangle.

Inside BJJ
What is your opinion of him as a competitor? He has a controversial track record.

Renato Laranja
Chael Sonnen is famous for being a big mouth wise guy who is a “Hepublican” who talk alotta stuffs. He talk a lot of stuffs but he also have a lot of losses. If he try to bark on the wrong tree, he’s gonna lose again.

Inside BJJ
What do you think about his Testosterone Replacement Therapy? I don’t know if you’re familiar with the IBJJF and the talk of potentially testing for performance enhancing drugs? What is your opinion of drug use in MMA and jiu-jitsu?

Renato Laranja
I’m not afraid of that. If I come in shape, that guy can be on any thing he want. He can be on steroids. He can be on “heefer”. I’m still gonna win. The most controversial thing about Chael Sonnen is his “Heal” Estate techniques. I’m a worried about his “Heal” Estate license. I don’t know how he got that. He’s a shyster.

Inside BJJ
I don’t know if he’s still in real estate.

Renato Laranja
I’m hope not.

Inside BJJ
You mentioned the US has good wrestlers. We’re starting to see a trend in the UFC where wrestling is becoming a primary base where it used to be jiu-jitsu. What do you think about guys who dabble more in wrestling than jiu-jitsu?

Renato Laranja
I don’t think so much for those guys. Look at Brock Lesnar. The last time Brock Lesnar fight he was “dabble” in losing. You can still bring any of those guys. I can fight “Hic” Flair. I can fight Ko Ko B. Ware. I’m not afraid of that black guy. He also have a big mouth and flashy clothes. That’s kid stuffs. jiu-jitsu is number one in my book. The night of the fight I’m gonna show that.

Inside BJJ

Ko Ko B Ware

I’m surprised you have a knowledge of Ko Ko B Ware and wrestlers from that era. Changing gears a bit, there has been talk of Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake having a homosexual relationship. What are your thoughts on that?

Renato Laranja
With a name like Brutus the Barber Beefcake, I’m not surprised by that. I was always wonder about Adrian Adonis myself.

Inside BJJ
He had the Flower Shop.

Renato Laranja
That’s right. Also, the jury is still out on Tugboat.

Inside BJJ
Sorry, I’m just surprised you have a deep knowledge of professional wrestling. Did you watch it Brazil?

Renato Laranja
People think in Brazil that we live in the dark ages. Of course I watch those guys. We start to have WWF at least three or four years ago.

Inside BJJ
I want to play a word association with you. I’ll say a name or word and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

Renato Laranja
I can do that.

Inside BJJ
Acai

Renato Laranja
Lifeblood.

Inside BJJ
Fear Factor.

Renato Laranja
Boring. “Hedundant”. Garbage.

Inside BJJ
Chuck Norris

Renato Laranja
Old. Ginger. “Hepublican”.

Inside BJJ
Fruits and Vegetables

Renato Laranja
The best. Strength! Life. Get you fruits and vegetables here.

Inside BJJ
Nick Diaz

Renato Laranja
Talks Tough. Undefeated in hospitals. Wears a wetsuit and a funny helmet and rides a ten speed.

Inside BJJ
Quatoof

Renato Laranja
Horrible. Black. Not funny.

Inside BJJ
Helio Gracie

Renato Laranja
Master. Angel. Prophet.

Inside BJJ
Tiki Ghosn

Renato Laranja
Loser. Jewish American fighter. Hanukkah.

Inside BJJ
Interesting word associations you come up with there. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?

Renato Laranja
Right now I’m so busy. I get so many offers to do alotta things. I’m got allota movie scripts coming in. Also I’m working on a video game. Right now, it’s called Renato Laranja Jiu-Jitsu.

Inside BJJ
That’s the name of the video game?

Renato Laranja
That’s the game for the Playstation. I think it’s gonna be exclusive. Yes, I’m working on a fragrance.

Inside BJJ
A fragrance?

Renato Laranja
A cologne. I’m also working on a home churrascaria grill system to have in the house. I have a lot of stuffs like that. I have some condoms gonna be made. I work on a cartoon for children starring me and Renzo Gracie. It’s gonna be very interesting to watch that. I also do a lot of work with fighters. I’m training BJ Penn, Dennis Kang, Jeff Glover, Kenny Florian, Nam Pham, Ben Saunders, Rich Antonito. I’ve also been working with Vinny Magalhaes. But he has a contract with Eddie Bravo so I can’t talk about that. I work on a lot of stuffs.

Inside BJJ
Is there any chance you’ll be on the Joe Rogan podcast? You tried to call in once but he put the kibosh on it.

Renato Laranja
That experience put a taste in my mouth. I’m not sure I’m gonna go back even if he come to beg for me to do that. I don’t know that I’m gonna do that. People like him is gonna have to learn the hard way. He’s gonna see. He’s gonna come beg like everybody else. So, I’m not sure.

Inside BJJ
It sounds like you a lot of big things on the horizon.

Renato Laranja
A lot. I’ve done so much already but that’s how I keep to be alive. To keep my spirit alive, I have to do these things. I have so much knowledge, so much talent, so much humility. I have to give this back. I have everything – money, fame, and women. Why I’m not gonna give back to some poor losers who don’t have nothing.