Diego Brandao and the rise of MMA.

After watching The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 14, it was hard not to be drawn to the story of Diego Brandao. When Diego was just 16 his father passed away and the Brazilian was left with the task of providing for his poor family. His desire to give his family a better life led him to the sport of MMA and his professional debut at age 18. What followed was a 3 year stint in the United States and an up and down MMA career that resulted in a 13-7 record. At the age of 24 however, Diego finally found his break when he was cast as a member of TUF Season 14 reality show. In a knockout style tournament, Diego beat four separate opponents on his way to the top, eventually wining the season finale with one of his now trademark first round stoppages.

It was harder to find a happier face at the post-fight press conference when Diego was told he would be receiving an additional $80, 000 in bonuses for his Knock Out of the Night and Fight of the Night performance. This bonus was added to the 6 figure contract he had already earned with the UFC by winning the TUF 14 season and the inevitable sponsorship deals which soon follow such an achievement. Diego announced that he would return to his family in Brazil and finally fulfil his promise to support his Mother and buy her the house that they had always dreamed of.

 Story’s such as Diego’s are becoming increasingly common in MMA as the sport continues to grow and gain mainstream exposure. It is surely a welcome change for the athletes who have dedicated much of their time and money into the sport to finally be able to earn a much deserved pay check. As fighters are now signing endorsement deals with major sponsors such as Under Armour, Nike, Harley Davison and Burger King, yearly salaries for top fighters have grown into the millions of dollars. There is no telling in fact how big the sport of MMA may become, and if the recent expansion of the sport is anything to go by, only the sky will be the limit.

 

Geoff Girvitz is the owner and director of Bang Fitness and is also a strength and conditioning coach to a number of professional fighters.  We had a chance to catch up with Geoff and talk to him about his tactics and ideas on strength and conditioning for fighters.

MM: You have worked with a number of different athletes from various sports.  What is your primary focus when it comes to training fighters versus other athletes? Do you do anything differently?

GG: I’m not sure I do anything differently.  Our goal at the end of the day is to teach movement quality and teach it to the extent that it holds up under extreme duress.  That might mean a heavy external weight, or it might mean a highly stressful emotional scenario like a fight.

MM: What do you see as the fundamental issue with fighters when they come to work with you?

GG: Number one is they have to get stronger.  Guys often have great conditioning, or great strength endurance but in terms of absolute power or absolute strength, there is often a disconnect.  So we have to juggle two fundamental things: to get someone as strong as is practically possible without jeopardizing their ability for high output during an entire fight.

MM: Could you clarify to our readers what you mean by absolute power?

GG: One of the primary attributes we are looking for in an athlete is relative strength.  Relative strength is what we can express relative to our own body weight, or what we can put out relative to our own body weight.  For example, 315lbs is not exactly a world record deadlift, but when you weigh 135lbs it is pretty substantial.  Absolute strength would be without regard to bodyweight how much you can put out.

MM: Now you have done various martial arts yourself in the past.  How necessary do you think it is for someone in your position to understand the movements that an athlete does, through first-hand experience?

GG: I think that good mechanics are good mechanics and are universal.  You do not need to practice a sport in order to achieve those movements.  But in terms of strategy development I think because of my background it has helped.  I would argue for MMA it is more important because there is no standard operating procedure unlike better established sports such as baseball or hockey.

MM: What do you feel is irreplaceable in terms of actual exercises and do you feel that there is a core set of lifts that are essential to success?

GG: I don’t think there is anyone exercise that will make or break a strength and conditioning program for an MMA fighter.  There are important tools such as the Olympic lifts, but your program has to be adaptable, because we are working with fighters at many different levels of athletic development.

MM: Now if readers don’t know you advocate Olympic lifts such as the clean and snatch.  How do you feel these lifts which are considered sports in their own help other athletes?

GG: They are good tools.  We’re not training guys to compete as Olympic lifters or power lifters, so it’s important to get as much benefit as we can without getting muddled down by other types of rule sets or less relevant approaches.

MM: Injuries occur quite frequently throughout the sports world.  What are your thoughts on rehabilitation and taking time off from training?

GG: Our job as strength and conditioning coaches is to minimize the statistical likelihood of injury.  Keeping athletes training as consistently and effectively as possible is the best thing we can do for their long term careers.

If you would like more information and would like to get in touch with Geoff you can find all the information right here.

Following both BJ Penn and Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic’s losses over the past weekend at UFC 137, we saw the end to two of the most storied careers in MMA history.  Penn found himself battling a game Nick Diaz to a gruelling decision loss and in what at first looked to be an even match but tuned into a very one-sided affair. As Diaz pulled ahead of Penn using his classic volume boxing tactics and furious pace, the Hilo native was left with a badly swollen eye, a purple face but worst of all for Penn, his damaged pride. The result of the fight prompted Penn’s post fight comments in which he said to Joe Rogan “this is probably the last time you’ll see me in here…I’ve got a daughter. I’ve got another daughter on the way. I don’t want to go home looking like this.”  And with that, we are possibly saying goodbye to one of the greatest talents the sport has ever seen, in which Penn, at different times in his career, held both the 155 and 170 pound UFC titles. He beat the likes of Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk and Renzo Gracie utilizing his quick hands and world championship level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Not only was he hard to fight, but he was even harder to finish.

Although Penn’s talent and ability were never questioned, his work ethic and motivation leading into fights were constantly scrutinized.  At times we would see a Penn that was in shape and hungry for the fight, like he was against Sean Sherk, and at other times he almost seemed like he was just moving through the motions.  Whether Penn actually stays away from competition remains to be seen.  We have seen others like Randy Couture be drawn back into the sport by the thrill of competition and the desire to do again what they love.  Maybe one day we could even see the former Mundial champion return to the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu scene, nothing with Penn can be deemed out of the realm of possibility.

As for CroCop however, this does seem to be the end of the line for the 37 year old Croatian kickboxer on all competitive fronts.  A highly touted career in K1 which spanned from 1996 to 2003 and an MMA career from 2001 to 2011 CroCop has seen the all the highs and lows of the combat sport world.  A decorated K1 kickboxer he held notable wins over French kickboxer Jerome Lebanner, Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts, Mark Hunt and Glaube Feitosa to name a few.  As a southpaw CroCop brought a vicious left high kick to his game which led him to coin the phrase “right leg hospital, left leg cemetery”.  Although he had success in K1 he never was able to clinch the coveted Grand Prix title.  This would become much the story of CroCop’s career as being one of the most dangerous fighters to not hold a title.  His transition to Pride would prove to be the same with him losing via submission to Minotauro Nogueira after dominating much of the fight for the interm heavyweight title.  The same would unfold as he took on Fedor Emelianenko for the heavyweight title losing a one sided decision to the Russian standout.  It was not until his run in the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix that CroCop was finally able to clinch a title defeating the likes of Ikuhisa Minowa, Hidehiko Yoshida, Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett.  After the win CroCop headed stateside with a small stint in Japan to compile a record of 6-6 with one no contest.  With his performance becoming ever lackluster and as a true sportsman knowing that he could not compete at the level necessary to win, called it quits after a TKO loss to Roy Nelson.  Definitely to be remembered as one of the fiercest strikers in mixed martial arts, it seems likely the CroCop will begin to direct his focus to politics in his native Croatia, to which he is already a part of.

With two legends gone, it will be intriguing to see what the new breed of fighters will bring to the game.  And with the sport so new, it is likely that we were able to be a part of something special, the first generation of hall of famers who truly were the first crop of complete mixed martial artists.

 

**Update: BJ Penn possibly open to coming back.  Talks about taking time off and enjoying life and seeing whats comes out of it.**

Caio Terra is arguably one of the best BJJ practitioners competing today.  Fighting in the lightest weight category Caio consistently puts on Jiu Jitsu clinics using superior technique to win matches.  He is a multiple time winner and medalist at the Mundials in both Gi and No Gi.  He has also put out one of the best half guard instructionals.  We had a chance to recently catch up with Caio and gets his thoughts on the future of the BJJ landscape, BJJ in Mixed Martial Arts and his future plans.

MM: You are a three time silver medalist in Gi (2009, 2010, 2011), World Champion in the Gi (2008) and three-time World Champion in No-Gi (2008, 2009 & 2010) all in the black belt divisions.  What makes you push forward and continue competing?

CT: I compete to get better, to make my technique evolve. I don’t compete for results. I shouldn’t have lost in 2010 and 2011, and in 2009 I had my opponent on the triangle but ran out of time to submit him, I certainly learned a lot in all these experiences so I am glad I competed and that I am still able to compete.

MM: You didn’t compete at the ADCC this year.  Would you care to elaborate on it and how you think you would have done in such a deep division?

CT: To be honest, I wasn’t training and I am and was hurt really bad so I am not sure on how I would do, but definitely I would try to complicate my opponents. I just think they (ADCC) didn’t act right by not inviting a lot of the top competitors nowadays.

MM: With so many great competitors in your division at the ADCC what would have been your strategy?

CT: I never come with a strategy. I feel comfortable in any position and I feel that most of the times I know more than my opponent, which gives me time, and in a certain way, makes me relaxed to use the right moves at the right time.

MM: Touching on a similar note, who would you like to compete against the most outside of your weight class and why?

CT: I would like to test my Jiu-Jitsu against the best people. Roger Gracie would definitely be one of them, I am sure I would learn a lot.

MM: We have seen over the last few years guys making the jump from high level BJJ to MMA; guys like Jacare and Roger Gracie.  Have you considered ever making the jump to MMA? 

CT: I have and started training, but I injured myself way too many times this year. I think I trained less than 45 days so far in this year. I still have been competing but I know I should not be doing it.

MM: We have seen a lot of top flight BJJ practitioners have great successes in MMA; Werdum submitting Fedor, Demian Maia dismantling opponents, Jacare and until recently Roger Gracie.  Who do you think has the best Jiu Jitsu for MMA and why?  Also can you think of any guys competing in BJJ right now who you think would have success in MMA?

CT: All these guys have an awesome Jiu-Jitsu for both BJJ tournaments and MMA as well. The problem is that you have to be compete in everything.   The rules make it very hard for Jiu-Jitsu competitors. But in a street fight I am sure these guys would handle anyone that they lost to. I would like to see how Rafael Mendes would do in MMA in the future, he’s has a lot of discipline and trains very hard, I am sure he could pick it up pretty easy.

MM: Which position or positions from BJJ do you feel are underutilized in MMA?

CT: There are a lot of positions in Jiu-Jitsu you can’t do in MMA but it’s a matter of adapting your game.

MM: We have seen a number of new positions and guards over the last few years.  Some hailed a miracle and others a step back for Jiu Jitsu.  Where do you feel sport BJJ is headed in the next few years and what positions do you feel will be used more and more?

CT: If you are talking about 50/50, people only say it’s a stalling guard because they don’t know how to play with it, but it’s like any other guard.  If you know it and the other doesn’t, you can control your opponent. I do Jiu-Jitsu because I like the sport and if changes I am sure it will be for the good and safety of the athletes.

MM: You have worked with so many great people over the years and have had a great opportunity to learn different games.  Who do you really look up to in terms of accomplishments both on the mats and as an instructor?

CT: I like to look up to the ones that have won big tournaments because I know they have the experience to teach me how the moves have worked and not worked for them. Having all my coaches and training partners was a blessed and I am always trying to get better to show them that our team work was successful.

MM: Final question.  With 2011 almost up what can we expect to see of Caio Terra come 2012?

CT: I want to keep proving that Jiu-Jitsu is the only Martial Art in the professional level that a small guy can beat a bigger one using technique. I will drill and study a lot to come out better next year.

 

Innovation in any line of work is usually due to, in part, the necessity of finding a different means to a common end.  Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is fundamentally based on this idea.  Unlike other martial arts which claim an absolute in forms and a delusional idea of superiority, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu demands innovation, new schools of thought and evolution.  Not only in techniques, but the overall lifestyle of which a BJJ practitioner lives.  And among the thousands of practitioners there stand a few who really changed the idea of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; how we play the game and live the lifestyle.  Although there are some missing this list by no means is to belittle those not on it; it does allow us to reflect on those who have paved the way for us and those who still are.

Rolls Gracie

Although Rolls’ record and documented accomplishments as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor are at best sparse, it is well noted that he held most major titles during his competitive years and was without a doubt the best BJJ practitioner during his time.  What set Rolls apart from most other competitors at the time and some would argue even today, was his curiosity in cross training and bringing techniques from other disciplines to his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game.  The idea was most likely to do with his time spent with Carlson Gracie and his emphasis on being more than just technique. Rolls tried various disciplines including Judo, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling and Sambo.  He also varied his strength and conditioning; known to even partake in Olympic gymnastics to improve his conditioning and flexibility.  Rolls was instrumental in promoting two key figures to black belt in Jiu Jitsu today, Romero Calvacante (founder of Alliance Jiu Jitsu) and Mauricio Gomes (Roger Gracie’s father).

Ricardo De La Riva

A black belt under Carlson Gracie and a part of the powerhouse Arrebentacao team, Ricardo De La Riva at first glance did not appear as intimidating as his teammates.  Known for being relatively small and flexible De La Riva found himself on the mats with fighters who routinely smashed through guards like they were made of paper.  Given the size difference De La Riva decided to develop a new guard, at the time it was referred to as “pudding guard” for the way it broke down an opponent’s base.  However, after his successful runs through tournaments and his development of the position it was quickly referred to as the De La Riva guard.  De La Riva had massive success with the position beating Royce, Rolker and Royler Gracie (De La Riva was the first person to hand Royler a loss in competition).  The position also opened doors to the development of an open guard system.

Wallid Ismail

 

There might not be another person as controversial and eccentric in the BJJ community as Wallid.  Another black belt under Carlson Gracie, Wallid was known for being tougher than nails with a gritty guard passing game and the ability to finish matches consistently.  However, this was not what really made him instrumental in growth of BJJ as a professional sport.  When Wallid had arrived to train at Carlson’s academy he did not have enough money to pay for training.  And although he was allowed to train for free money had to be made for the essentials of life.  Wallid in turn found people willing to sponsor him in return for advertisements on his Jiu Jitsu Gi.  He created a base by which people could train the sport fulltime and make a living from fighting.

 

 

Marcelo Garcia

 

Marcelo is arguably one of the best Gi and No Gi competitors of our time.  If it is to be won you can be rest assured Marcelo Garcia has won it.  A multiple time Gi and No Gi champion in the Mundials and a multiple time champion in the ADCC, Marcelo’s technique is known to always be the cutting edge.  Most notable of his techniques was his introduction of the X-Guard as a full attack system.  The position uses the legs of the guard player in the shape of an X, to completely elevate his opponent either forcing a sweep, a back take or a finish.  The talk about the position and practice took off, prompting Marcelo to even release a book on the position.  Constantly trying to improve on the position Marcelo worked ways around defences that people started to formulate against the position.

 

Roberto Magalhaes

 

Magalhaes commonly known through the BJJ world as Roleta, literally translated to Roulette, is one of the first people to effectively master the inverted guard position, used frequently by current competitors like Roberto Cyborg Abreu (a modified half inverted guard) and Ryan Hall.  Roleta received his black belt in 1996 and was expected to face off against Carlson’s prized student in the Meio Pesado division Wallid Ismail.  Wallid known for being an aggressive guard passer was caught towards the end of the match with a sweep allowing Roleta to win his first World Championship.  He would go on to win the title 3 more times.  The position again helped to create a new facet of the BJJ game otherwise fairly unknown or studied.

 

Carlson Gracie

Carlson Gracie is one of the greatest competitors, coaches and personalities in Jiu Jitsu history.  Not only did he win multiple Vale Tudo matches solidifying the Gracie family as the top of the food chain, but he also helped to developed multiple world champions as well as form one of the most feared teams on the planet, the Arrebentacao Team.  Among the world class black belts he made commonly noted are Murilo Bustamante, Mario Sperry, Ricardo De La Riva, Marcus Soares, Andre Pederneiras, Allan Goes, Ricardo Liborio and Wallid Ismail.  He was also instrumental in developing MMA stand outs such as Vitor Belfort and Miguel Torres.  The biggest differentiating factor between Carlson and other schools of thought was that he put a heavy emphasis on conditioning as well as technique.  It showed in almost all of his students who had a superior top game and powerful guard passing techniques.  This style even to date holds particularly well in all forms of competition from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to Mixed Martial Arts.

Last weekend in Japan, Miyuu Yamamoto made her long awaited return to the freestyle wrestling circuit at the All Japan Women’s Open Championship.  In the first of three tournaments to reach her Olympic dreams, Miyuu dominated her division and clinched the gold medal.  Putting on a clinic in her first two matches she was able to pin both opponents in the first round.  Miyuu did not have to see the second round until her third and final match which was to a very game opponent.  But even with her opponent coming out strong and aggressive in the final round, Miyuu was able to show that her experience, technique and tenacity would be too much, beating her opponent on points with only moments to spare.  We had a chance to speak with Miyuu recently on her win, training and thoughts on what she wants to accomplish.

MM: You have had quite some time off from wrestling how was it getting back into competition?

MY: The last time I competed was in 2004, so I got a bit nervous but I expected it to happen.  Mentally I felt a lot stronger than I did in the past.

MM: You have trained in Japan for most of your career.  What difference did you feel training at Mecha MMA in Toronto?

MY: Things are a lot more organized.  When I was in Japan I just wrestled, it was not the best program; a bit directionless.  In Toronto I learned a lot more on a technical level.  I was able to learn how to move my body differently, learn new techniques from positions I was not too comfortable in before thanks to Nick Johnson.  My conditioning was a lot more organized as well thanks to Bang Fitness and Geoff Girvitz.

MM:  Of all your matches which did you find the hardest?

MY: The final was the toughest.  In the first and second matches I finished in the first round pinning both opponents.  In my last match I spent a lot of energy in the first round trying to finish.  In 2004 I might have given up but this time I felt a lot stronger.  My teammates in Toronto give me a lot of support, constantly telling me that giving up is not acceptable and that whatever challenges there are I can push through it.  That made a big difference for my game mentally.

MM:  Obviously you will be working on things once you get back to training.  What do you feel you need to work on?

MY:  I actually trained this evening.  I feel like my power, my speed, my mental game, everything needs work.  Hopefully next month I can take part in a tournament possibly in New York or Vancouver as a tune up.  I need a little more experience before my next qualifying tournament in December.

MM:  Now you were working heavily with Nick Johnson, what were the biggest things you picked up?

MY: He taught me a lot of new techniques from the clinch.  Almost like a hybrid of freestyle and Greco.  I was never comfortable in the clinch until I worked with Nick.  In fact in my second match I managed to throw my opponent and pin her from the clinch.  He is really good at motivating me through training sessions, really makes me believe I can do anything.

MM:  In your match what did you feel was the biggest difference from previous competitions?

MY:  I didn’t really do strength and conditioning before, I just wrestled.  Even if I was doing conditioning it was just light running and lifting weights from time to time.  I move a lot when I wrestle, constantly trying to find angles and shooting a lot.  Until now I would get tired very fast and lose my wrestling stance.  But this last tournament I didn’t feel that fatigue.   I was able to push through. I could stay low through the entire match and keep my feet moving.

MM:  Thanks again for your time Miyuu, is there anything else you want to say?

MY:  I love my team.  I want to make them proud.

When watching combat sports we tend to admire fighters for their courage, skill, dedication and drive to excel in sport which is gruelling on so many levels.  What we fail to see is past the fighter to a group of individuals who work as hard, if not harder to produce a finely tuned athlete.  From the perspective of MMA that would include a Jiu Jitsu coach, a wrestling coach, a striking coach, a nutritionist, a strength and conditioning coach and usually a head coach to orchestrate the chaos.  Consider it like a well-functioning machine and each coach has their role.  It is not uncommon to see coaching staff run over hours of footage, both of their fighter and opponent, to find weaknesses and strengths to strategize the best possible game plan to win.  And that is just the beginning.  Coaches typically create a camp for their fighter that can be anywhere from 8 to 10 weeks, with at least a 2 to 3 week lead up.  In this time they are looking to close holes in their fighter’s game, as well as ensure that they will peak when it comes time to fight.  The camp structure is to guarantee that the number one priority is to get the fighter ready.  In certain camps sparring partners are brought in on request to help with specific techniques, or unusual tactics that an opponent brings to the game.  Those arrangements, along with others, are typically made by coaching staff.  There is also a large amount of coordination in terms of timing training sessions and determining how to split hours in the day to get the most work out, without burning out the fighter.  Typically we see fighters training 6 days a week twice a day; with some opting for three times a day.  Most if not all these sessions are supervised by a coach who scrambles to deal with all of that while still trying to run their own life.  They have hectic schedules for travel when fights are close to each other.  They are there during the dreaded weight cuts, rehydration and warm-up prior to the fight.  They will wrap their fighter’s hands, go over last minute details, all before a rep from the fight commission tells them they are up.  They will walk behind their fighter to the cage, shout advice over the noisy crowds, calm a fighter between rounds and hope that they get to see their fighter come away with the win.  In the event their fighter falls short they are there to support them, pick them up dust them off and get them back in the gym.  It tends to be a thankless job with dreadful hours.  But to the lucky ones, the students of the game, their coach wants to see nothing more than for them to succeed.  And although they may not step into the limelight, you do have to admire that they will give a boost to whoever wants to get there.

Congratulations Alex Ricci on your win at The Score Fighting Series tonight in Hamilton! Second round TKO in dominating fashion, bell to bell!