Explore every episode of the podcast The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Demian Maia discusses performance anxiety in combat sports. He explains how it impacted him early in his career and how he overcame it. He also talks about the love/hate relationship elite athletes can have with their sport due to the pressures of winning.

Jake O'Driscoll joins the show to talk about creating a training environment that breeds champions. He talks about the importance of coaches dedicating themselves to studying the game to help their athletes succeed. He also talks about straight ankle locks

Alberto Crane returns to talk about his life in Jiu-Jitsu since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He talks about how exploring Neurology has helped him and lessons he's learned. He also talks about the early days of being an American in Brazil!

Colton Crawford is a BJJ Brown Belt and the banjo player for the very successful Bluegrass band The Dead South. He talks about learning how to learn and the similarities between pursuing music and Jiu-Jitsu! 

Dallas Niles returns to talk about teaching and the fact that you do NOT have to be a champion to be an elite instructor. He also talks about heavy metal and getting sick overseas, and the value of simplifying your game. 

BJJ Black Belt Michael Heinz joins show show to talk about how meditation has impacted his journey in the art. He explains how to use meditation concepts before, during and after training to achieve better results. 

Glyn Powditch is a leading voice in Jiu-Jitsu on breathing and breathwork. He explains how something as simple as learning how to manage your breathing during training and competition can have a tremendous impact on your cardio and performance.

Shawn Williams joins the show for the first episode of 2026! The topic for this episode is how to coach athletes. Shawn talks about providing relevant information, game-planning, managing nerves and strategy from the coach's chair. He also talks take downs!

Kurt joins us for the final episode of 2025! We talk about the potential alien craft near Earth, conspiracy theories, and how AI consistently fools Kurt on Instagram. Kurt also takes questions from the listeners and spreads Christmas cheer. 

Jeff Curran returns to share what its like to start and run a grappling tournament from scratch and life after professional fighting. He also opens up about growing up in poverty and a violent home and how Jiu-Jitsu changed the direction of his life

Roberto Godoi returns to talk about competition for Masters athletes. He covers mindset, conditioning, tactics and conserving energy. He also explains how being "starstruck" when competing against a famous athlete is something to be completely avoided!

Shawn Melanson joins the show to talk about running a gym specifically for competitors, how anxiety has impacted him on and off the mats, and developing take downs. He also shows his impressive reptile collection (check out the video episode on YouTube) 

Robert Drysdale joins the show to share his latest research on the history of BJJ. He also discusses the ways that commercialization has helped and hurt the art and his thoughts on professional grappling's influence on the culture and future of BJJ

Chris Wojcik joins the show to talk about goal setting, finding purpose, the value of regret and removing self-doubt from your mind. He also talks about his beginnings as a wrestler, his passion for writing and his recent performance at CJI 2! 

Malachy Friedman returns to talk about his recent shift back into coaching high level athletes. He talks about competition mindset, how to gameplan for specific opponents and implementing your game intelligently. 

Roy Dean returns to talk about ego-less training, the balance of ego for competitors and how to process losses in a healthy way. He also details his nomadic teaching lifestyle and talks about his recent trip to Japan, where he trained at the Kodokan!

Kurt is back! In this episode, Kurt responds to lots of questions from the listeners, we talk music and the passing of the legend Ozzy Osbourne, Kurt breaks out his Boston accent and he talks about his desire to start a new cooking show! 

JFlo is back! In this episode he talks about building good habits on your feet. He shares valuable insights for older or injured grapplers that breaks the traditional Wrestling meta; to not fight for positions so hard and yet still be dangerous.

Rick Ellis joins the show to discuss Jiu-Jitsu for older guys! He talks about what your goals should be and reframing your mentality as you age on the mats. He also talks about pitfalls to avoid like not regulating your intensity and comparing to others

Renato Canuto joins the show fresh off his professional MMA debut! He talks about his experience stepping into the cage, balancing grappling competitions with his MMA training, and gives a detailed breakdown of the 100 men vs a gorilla question! 

Living legend Murilo Bustamante joins the show to talk about his dedication to guiding the next generation of competitors and students. We discuss "old school" BJJ, creating pressure and surfing. Murilo also talks about learning to be patient as a coach.

Eric Silver is one of the early Americans to study Jiu-Jitsu and one of the first to open a gym on the east coast. He talks about learning directly from Rickson Gracie, challenge matches, how to preserve energy as an older practitioner and Half Guard.

Brian Glick returns to talk about the importance of strong communication skills as a teacher, the skill of simplifying complex concepts to make them more digestible and why he chose Judo over Wrestling for BJJ. He also breaks down escaping back control

Jason Rau returns to talk about growing his schools, the ethics and etiquette of filming training sessions, and how to track your own progress on the mats. He also gives a deep breakdown on his guard passing system!

Kyle "The Bull" Sleeman joins the show to talk about the BJJ scene in Canada, making competition second nature, developing a well rounded game and weight training for Jiu-Jitsu. He also details the road to becoming the #6 ranked athlete in his category!

Kurt is back! He talks about his health, lifting weights, "old guy" Jiu-Jitsu and conspiracy theories. He also takes questions from listeners, which include dealing with people who fight dirty, dealing with gym drama, dumb tattoos and learning to teach. 

Matt Castaneda is a white belt who recently used Jiu-Jitsu he learned from BJJ Fanatics instructionals to defend himself and protect others from a violent attacker at his job. He shares the full story in detail!

Anthony Budion shares his story of training with prominent UFC fighters and his years with the NYPD, NYFD and USAF. He also shares insight on growing a school. Other topics include pizza, the heavyweight rodents of NY and using the Crabride for counters! 

Tom DeBlass joins the show to talk about bullying, being consistent in training while battling depression, and some final thoughts on his recent debate about the Ecological approach in Jiu-Jitsu. He also gives some technical insight on Half Guard!

Charles Harriott returns to talk etiquette when visiting another school, the pros and cons of running a tournament, advice for future promoters, knee bars and how growing up in Florida has prepared him to battle some of nature's most deadly creatures! 

Neil Melanson returns to talk about attacking structures in grappling, funky gyms he's visited and the origin of the K Guard. He also shares the story of dying and coming back to life recently. Other topics include Bigfoot, Mothman and predatory birds

David Petrone joins the show to talk about the increasing physical intensity seen in competitive grappling. Clubbing collar ties, neck cranks, smother chokes, and the psychological warfare side of grappling are all discussed in this episode!

Roger Machado joins the show to talk about the zen side of Jiu-Jitsu. Topics include ego-less training, mindful teaching and he explains how Yoga has had a dramatic impact not only on his body, but the way he approaches Jiu-Jitsu.

Tomer Alroy returns to discuss competition strategy and tactics. He also shares how a well-prepared competition training room should feel very much like the actual competition so that the athlete is completely prepared. He also discusses the mental game

John Machado joins the show to share his insights on what the "BJJ Lifestyle" means in modern times. He also shares stories from the old days in Rio De Janeiro as well as old stories from the early days in the US. 

Robson Moura returns to talk about the keys to remaining consistent on the mats, finding motivation to train later in life and he hints at a possible return to competition! 

Kurt is back! He gives an entertaining recap of the Olympics, ADCC and CJI. He also takes questions from listeners and talks metal bands, craziness in California and eating exotic animals. 

ADCC Champ Adele Fornarino joins the show to share her story! Topics include advice for smaller grapplers, managing distance, competitive personality types and steroids in women's Jiu-Jitsu. She also discusses Fortnite and dangerous Aussie wildlife! 

Flavio Canto joins the show to talk about overcoming losses, competing on the Olympic stage, how he benefited from learning Jiu-Jitsu during his Judo career and developing the Canto Choke. He also talks about his social project "Instituto Reacao" 

Joel Tudor returns to talk about recently getting his Judo black belt and how the art has changed his perspective on grappling. He also talks about balance and injury prevention.

Silverfox is back! In this episode we discuss injury prevention, selecting your rolls, being mindful of training partners and using the armbar to its full potential! He also talks about the importance of instructors having the ability to read the room.

Henry Akins joins the show to talk about the importance of defense in your game. He covers several defensive categories and explains how ultimately, a solid defense allows you to be free in the way you express your Jiu-Jitsu. 

Travis Stevens returns to talk about the current state of American Judo, his thoughts on BJJ athletes crossing over to Judo competition and the pros and cons of tradition in martial arts. He also talks about mindset and assessing your skills honestly.

Shintaro Higashi joins the show to talk about applying Judo techniques in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. He also explains how to train safely and "trade wins" for optimal results. He also discusses how to break the linear learning cycle commonly seen in BJJ 

If you've ever considered opening your own gym, this episode is a must-listen! Master Fabio Gurgel shares knowledge he's collected from decades of running one of the largest teams in BJJ. He covers best practices, costs and income potential for gym owners

Rigan Machado joins the show to talk about Old School Jiu-Jitsu, the importance of keeping up with modern trends in the art and Jiu-Jitsu in film choreography. He also talks about what he feels BJJ needs to do to reach more mainstream viewers. 

Shawn Williams returns to talk about ADCC vs CJI, the standards of a black belt, overcoming self-doubt and developing sliding skills. He also covers effective coaching methods and dives deep on the body lock! 

Adam Wardzinski joins the show fresh off his history-making World Championship. He talks about the lifestyle and work ethic it took to achieve this accomplishment and he gives advice to aspiring future champions. He also talks about the Octopus Guard!

Kurt is back and in better shape than ever! He talks about lifting weights, setting up take downs, using swords in a street fight and CJI vs ADCC.  He also takes questions from listeners and gives tips on fighting both wild animals and leg lockers! 

Paul Schreiner joins the show to discuss the various methods that are being used to teach Jiu-Jitsu. He shares his thoughts on what has worked best for him and his students. We discuss the ecological approach and linear method and their differences