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- Caleb

Nick Diaz signed to EliteXC

In a conference call held today with EliteXC president Gary Shaw, Renzo Gracie, Frank Shamrock and others, it was announced that Nick Diaz has signed with EliteXC. More details are on the way but that was all Shaw would provide in relation to Diaz, who is sure to be a draw. Until recently Diaz was believed to be under contract with the Gracie Fighting Championships.

Other highlights from the call included the EliteXC's desire to someday take part in events which include fighters from other organizations. Shaw emphasized co-promotion's ability to garner more fans and grow the sport based on his experience in boxing promotion.

Also of note is that EliteXC plans on offering internet streaming of the undercard for free the night of the event. Backstage coverage will be included and is designed to make the fan really feel to be a part of the experience.

Shaw also offered the reason for holding the first EliteXC show in Mississippi to be the opportunity to reach a new audience.

#44 Abu Dhabi Grapplers Chris Moriarty & Sim Go

Please head to The FightWorks Podcast for all our news and interviews. Thanks!

#43 Mark Kerr Interview

Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr is an icon in the world of mixed martial arts. After a highly successful collegiate wrestling career, Mark tried his hand in submission grappling and mixed martial arts and later became the subject of a famous documentary, The Smashing Machine. After a hiatus from MMA competition, Mark is making his return to the ring on November 2nd in Portland at the International Fight League's world championship semifinals. We speak with Mark and get his thoughts on his upcoming bout, his return to fighting, and what's next in his career!



Show Sponsor: The Professional Submission League

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#42 Professional Submission League's X-Mission

The final pieces of the puzzle are coming together for The Professional Submission League's second event, X-Mission, to be held on November 17th in Culver City, California. While the card is still subject to change (as all cards are), here's what it looks like the line up will be:

Randy Coutoure vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
Marcelo Garcia vs. Jake Shields
Kron Gracie vs. Bill "The Grill" Cooper
Jeff Glover vs. Shane Rice
Rani Yahya vs. Javi Vasquez
Police Officers Match: LAPD vs. Culver City PD

...and there may be more matches announced by the time of the event. We were shocked by the amount of talent brought together for the last PSL show, and we're just as impressed this time around.

On this episode of The FightWorks Podcast we speak with Rico Chiaparelli, event organizer to give us the details on the event. Rico reveals some terrific options for accessing the event for those who can't make it in person, but you have to listen to find out!


Show Sponsor: The Professional Submission League
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#40 Carlos Machado Interview

If there's another surname that's synonymous with jiu-jitsu along with Gracie, it's "Machado". The Machado brothers, relatives of the Gracies, followed a similar pattern of leaving Brazil to promote jiu-jitsu to the rest of the world in the early 90's. This week we speak with Carlos Machado, the eldest of the Machado brothers and discuss everything from the early days of training in Rio, to his long relationship with Chuck Norris, to minimizing controversy as black belts are formed.



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#39 Jude Samuel and BJJ in Europe

If it weren't for names like Roger Gracie, some folks might forget that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is large in places other than Brazil and North America, as the media spotlight tends to hover on those. We wanted to highlight the bubbling scene in Europe this week, and were able to talk with Jude Samuel, one of the first to receive his black belt in the United Kingdom. Jude's been involved since the beginning as a student of Mauricio Gomez, and helps organize tournaments like the ADCCs and the Gracie Invitational in the UK. Plus, he gives information on an upcoming tournament with a 10,000 euro purse! At the time of this writing, that's $18,709.95!



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Dustin Hazelett, training partner of Gurgel and Franklin now in UFC

Dustin Hazelett, Brazilian jiu-jitsu student under Jorge Gurgel, will be fighting on the undercard on the next Ultimate Fight Night, "Ortiz vs Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter", to air on October 10th.

We interviewed Hazelett in the weeks leading up to his fight against Relson Gracie's son, Rhalan Gracie at the Gracie Fighting Championships in Columbus Ohio last March. It appears that being part of a training camp with strong roots in the UFC already, including Rich Franklin has its benefits, as Hazelett was on the short list to be selected when it was learned that Joe Riggs had to pull out of the fight, which will be against another UFC veteran, Tony DeSouza.

New International Fight League Teams Announced for 2007

The IFL announced today that in 2007, two more teams will be added to the current eight teams in their organization.

Don Frye will lead the Scorpions, based out of Tucson, Arizona, and Marco Ruas will coach the Piranhas, which will call Southern California home.

The IFL was smart to further invest in areas with high interest in mixed martial arts. According to Kurt Otto, the commissioner of the IFL, "The addition of another team training in Southern California and one in an MMA hotbed like Arizona will also help to create a more constant presence for the IFL in two key geographic growth areas."

Next on Don Frye's plate is his upcoming contest against Brazilian jiu-jitsu contemporary legend Roger Gracie, who is set to make his debut against Frye in December of this year.

5th American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship quick roundup

The FightWorks Podcast chief reporter (yours truly) headed up to Torrance, California today for the 5th American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

The tourney was mid-sized. There were four mats total, and most were in use the whole time. There were approximately 28 black belts in attendance (twenty-seven appear on the official list of competitors, and Jeff Glover made his way on to the brackets after the final list was set).

Some of the black belt standout matches of the day:

• Jeff Glover beat Wellington "Megaton" Diaz by an advantage point. Jeff was underneath most of the fight. Marc Laimon was in attendance to coach Jeff in addition to other Cobra Kai characters like purple belt Sonny Nohara.


• Saulo Ribeiro blackbelt Rafael Lovato beat a very game Roberto "Tuça" Camargo. Each had two advantage points going into the closing moments when Lovato was able to take down Tuça with a throw to win 2-0.


• Lloyd Irvin's Mike Fowler beat Rafael Ramos of Gracie Barra 2-0 after spending the majority of the match stuffing Ramos' attempts to pass.


• Knuckleup blackbelt Diego Saraiva, whom you may remember from coverage on The FightWorks Podcast Episode #13 when he faced Xande Ribeiro in the finals of the absolute division, beat an unidentified brown belt but came away with a noticeable limp. The two were matched up as neither had opponents similar in size in their own rank, and Diego apparently won on points but was fighting out of a footlock attempt as the match ended.


• In women's competition, Team Mica black belt Mariana Coelho defeated Luciana Diaz.

We were able to speak with Carlinhos Gracie, the founder of Gracie Barra, and will include our conversation on the next episode of The FightWorks Podcast!

New Professional Submission League website online

The Professional Submission League, who you guys will remember from our episode covering their promotion back in April on episode #23, has made their new and apparently more permanent website public.

They have alluded to having their next event in november 2006 with a rumored match between from Randy Couture and Xande Ribeiro, the current heavy weight world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

We'll do our best to bring you the news as we hear it, and maybe, just maybe, and interview with the PSL folks before the event!

You can see their new site here.

#37 Ruediger vs Guillard UFC 63 Pre-fight Interviews

In this episode of The FightWorks Podcast we talk with two UFC fighters who will be going head to head this weekend at UFC 63, Melvin Guillard and Gabe Ruediger. Guillard was introduced to the greater mixed martial arts community on Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter on SpikeTV. Ruediger, the 10-2 former lightweight champion of the west coast based World Etreme Cagefighting promotions, will be making his UFC debut. Both fighters also weigh in on who they think will come out on top in the fight between Matt Hughes and BJ Penn!

Also in this episode is a coupon code for the online store at On The Mat!



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#35 Jeff Monson Interview

Jeff Monson is a world class grappler and contender for the heavyweight title in the UFC and will be taking on current champion Tim Sylvia on November 18 and joins us on this episode of The FightWorks Podcast! In this conversation the outspoken Monson discusses everything from his upcoming title shot, to almost getting tazered by riot police, to wearing a g-string adorned by a jinglebell-adorned Santa Claus face on the front.

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Busy weekend for MMA: IFL, Malice at the Cow Palace, Total Combat

This weekend will be news-heavy for mixed martial arts fans. Three shows take place on the west coast.

Four teams of fighters from the International Fight League will converge in the Memorial Coliseum in Portland Oregon on Saturday. Matt Lindland's Wolfpack take on Maurice Smith'sTigersharks, and Bas Rutten's Anacondas go head to head against the Sabres in Portland, with a superfight to take place between fight veterans Jeremy Horn and Matt Lindland. Fans of the television series The Ultimate Fighter will remember Alex Schoenauer, who is set to fight Kazuhiro Hamanaka.

In San Francisco, a show titled "Malice at the Cow Palace" will feature recent FightWorks Podcast guest Jake Shields and charismatic Urijah "The California Kid" Faber.

Lastly, in San Diego, Total Combat takes place at the iPayOne Center.

Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fan died

Steve Irwin, the Australian naturalist died today after being struck by a stingray's barb in the chest during underwater filming. Irwin was a noted example of a celebrity who espoused his enthusiasm for mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was 44.

#34 Kid Peligro Interview

Kid Peligro, the most prolific author on the topic of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu joins us on the show. In the early days of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United States, his books served as the only instructional source for many. In this episode of The FightWorks Podcast, Kid Peligro shares his thoughts on everything from the criticism of his book The Gracie Way for being written with bias, the term "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" vs. "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu", getting one's black belt in 3.5 years, and his pet rottweilers. And somehow, Dan and Caleb get to speaking about Paris Hilton and Jay-Z.



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#33 Jake Shields Interview

Jake Shields, Abu Dhabi veteran and current Rumble on the Rock champion and Shooto Middleweight World Champion joins us on the show to discuss everything from his upcoming fight at Malice at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, to vegetarianism, to his training with Chuck Liddell and Cesar Gracie!

Black Belt Corner: Leo Dalla

Plus, a reminder of the risks of MRSA in combat sports.

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#32 Pride FC & the Gracie World Championships

Episode #32

This weekend The FightWorks Podcast was on the road again, heading to the Pride FC media event held in Irvine, California on Saturday, and then to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Torrance, California on Sunday. In this episode we recap both events, and speak with Rener and Ryron Gracie!

Black Belt Corner: Robin Gieseler

Show Sponsor: NHB Gear.com!



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Pride FC Media Event in Irvine, CA

As is no secret, Pride Fighting Championship is making its way to the United States and has been holding fan events all week in southern California to raise awareness of its debut United States event in Las Vegas on October 21st. Despite rumors of involvement in the Japanese mafia, there was a full house in attendance tonight at the Fox Sports Grill in Irvine tonight. Any such allegations were the furthest thing on the minds of the standing room only crowd.



Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko, Mark Coleman, Phil Baroni, Vitor Belfort, and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua were present to get to know American fans who've mostly seen them fighting from Japan to date. Jabs at Pride's greatest North American competitor, the UFC, began early. The announcer asked the fighters to give their thoughts on why fighting in Pride beats fighting in UFC, and Vitor Belfort talked about how the level of competition is higher in Pride, and Phil Baroni wasted no time in exposing his "colorful" personality by telling the crowd he's happy to fight in the USA again because he is "sick of sushi and chicks with no asses". Direct shots were taken at the UFC when it was revealed that a match between Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko and UFC champ Tim Sylvia was offered to the UFC, and Sylvia reportedly turned the fight down.

Vitor Belfort, coming off a rough 2-4 streak in his last six fights, tossed religious pamphlets into the crowd. Here's an excerpt:

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ENLIST YOURSELF IN THE ARMY OF GOD AND BE PART OF AN ARMY THAT HAS NEVER LOST A BATTLE (AND THAT NEVER WILL LOSE ONE) PRAY THE SAME PRAYER THAT I PRAYED. MAY JESUS BLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR FAMILY, A HUGE EMBRACE FROM YOUR BROTHER IN CHRIST,
VITOR BELFORT



Mike Tyson was even present, and wearing a Vitor Belfort shirt. Tyson was given the microphone, which is always a recipe for hijinks, and he told some largely unintelligible story about an episode when he was in Brazil and "a sexual deviant". Tyson's presence seemed to be to help fuel publicity, and no mention of him competing was made.



Offstage, further fueling the Pride vs. UFC fire, was the rumored appearance of Renato "Babalu" Sobral at the event tonight, only to be expelled by Pride officials from the upstairs lounge where the fighters waited for the show to begin. "Babalu" is reported to have left the venue entirely upon being told he was not welcome.

On the matchmaking front, the following fights were announced:

Mark Coleman vs. Fedor Emelianenko - when asked if it will be a title fight, the Pride official said "I don't know"
Kevin Randleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua




The always verbal Mark Coleman proclaimed to the crowd that, "I am fighting for my family, for myself, and for my country", in describing his attitude towards his upcoming confrontation with the Russian Emelianenko, which drew cheap and easy crowd reaction and chants of "USA! USA!". On more than one occasion he referred to Emelianenko as the toughest guy in the sport, but said, "I will figure out a way to beat him".

#31 Xande Ribeiro, Gilbert Melendez & Daniel Moraes Interviews

The new 2006 current black belt world champion at the heavyweight division and in the absolute weight class, Xande Ribeiro joins us to discuss his recent successes, including his match against Roger Gracie!

Our second interview is with Gilbert Melendez, the 10-0 Strikeforce lightweight champion who was recently signed to fight in Pride's upcoming event on August 27th!

Finally, we close out with a call to Brazil for a conversation with Daniel Moraes, who some claim illegally slammed Mike Fowler on his head during the 2006 Mundials. We heard Fowler's version of the story on Episode #30, so now we get to hear Moraes' side.

Show Sponsor: NHB Gear.com!

Just a heads up, our next episode will be delayed a day or two as we'll be taking the show on the road to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Los Angeles, which runs through Sunday next weekend.


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#29 Dave Camarillo Interview and the WFA

Episode #29 begins with Dave Camarillo, a black belt from San Jose, California whose tournament highlight videos posted online have left viewers' mouths agape as they watch his quick and acrobatic submissions. Dave blends elite level judo with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a feared competitor.

We announce another FightWorks Podcast contest. This contest builds off of last week's episode, #28, when we spoke with Gumby from OnTheMat.com about a new feature on their site called the On The Mat wiki. As we discussed, it's like an online encylopedia of knowledge on everything brazilian jiu-jitsu, everything submission grappling, everything mixed martial arts, and so on, and all the content, is maintained by whoever jumps onto the site, logs in, and adds their two cents. You can go in there and add yourself, details about your instructor, notes about a move, anything. So we'd like to incentivize folks' participation by holding a contest, and here's how it works. The two contestants who go to onthemat.com/wiki and add the most content to the site by July 30th, and sends me a note to caleb AT fightworks DOT net with a list of the things you've added to the wiki will win!

1rst place:

- Urban Gorillaz GC Hoodie - Classic Black from bjj.eu.com!
- Practice Truth Fear Nothing Red or Dead Version T-Shirt from bjj.eu.com!
- DVD from on the mat.com!

2nd place
- Practice Truth Fear Nothing Vintage Blue Version T-Shirt from bjj.eu.com!
- Urban Gorillaz Lanyard from bjj.eu.com!
- DVD from on the mat.com!

Lastly we cover results from the World Fighting Alliance which includes photos from the event, including the fights of Bas Rutten vs. Ruben "Warpath" Villareal, Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Lodune Sincaid, and Quentin "Rampage" Jackson vs. Matt "The Law" Lindland!

Show Sponsor: Zebra Mats - Simply Z Best!

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#28 The On The Mat Wiki

One of the earliest sites on the web dedicated to coverage of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts scene, onthemat.com, has initiated a project called The On The Mat Wiki, an online encyclopedia of combat sports where users supply the content. That means you can - and should - jump in and add to the knowledge base by contributing what you can to create an enduring online record relevant to combat sports, and as they say on the site, "you are free to add or edit whatever you think would be relevant to the visitors on the site". Our main feature this week on The FightWorks Podcast we speak with On The Mat's co-creator Gumby about the Wiki and other OTM news.

We also have a chat with the Hawaiian-born winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 3, Kendall Grove, whom we caught up with at Total Combat 15 in San Diego on July 15th.


Show Sponsor: Zebra Mats - Simply Z Best!

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#23 The Professional Submission League

On May 26th twenty of the worlds best submission grapplers gathered for the first event of the Professional Submission League, called LA Sub X in Los Angeles, California for the following matchups:

Megumi Fuji vs. Michelle Mills
Leo Viera vs. Naoya Uematsu
Jeff Glover vs. Robson Moura
Saulo Ribeiro vs. Jake Shields
Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Robert Drysdale
Xande Ribeiro vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Lyoto Machida vs. Rafael Lovato Jr.
Jeff Monson vs. Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz
Marcelo Garcia vs. Cameron Earle
Jean Jacques Machado vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka

We had a chance to speak with Rico Chiaparelli, NCAA wrestling champion and founder of the PSL about how the event unfolded and what the PSL's plans are for the future!

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#22 BJJ & Yoga: Phil Migliarese Interview

Many of us got our first glimpse of the intersection of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and yoga seeing Rickson Gracie in certain exercises on the beach in the movie Choke years ago. BJJ blackbelt Phil Migliarese joins us on The FightWorks Podcast to explain how yoga can increase flexibility, your ability to relax while on defense, and even improve some of your attacks.

We'll also discuss UFC 60 a bit, the Professional Submission League's debut in Los Angeles with its show LA Sub X, and more!

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#16 The International Fight League; Interview with IFL Commissioner

The International Fight League

In the future the year 2006 will be looked upon as another banner year for mixed martial arts for many reasons. One of the biggest will likely be the advent of the International Fight League. The IFL is a team-based league that includes teams of mixed martial artists from all over the globe, and begins on April 29th at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The FightWorks Podcast spoke today with Kurt Otto of the IFL today to introduce the new league, which will air its fights on the Fox Sports Network, and counts Bas Rutten, Renzo Gracie, Maurice Smith, and Pat Miletich as its founding coaches. Check out this exclusive interview in which we learn more about the league, and learn what thick-steel-chain/necklace wearing MMA star will be color commentating for them...

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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Bonus Video Episode!

FightWorks recently put together this advertisement to gain a little exposure here locally in Northern Virginia. Relson is clearly more adapted to the mats than the video camera.

While we're on the topic of advertising, we were recently approached by a company who was interested in sponsoring our show, The FightWorks Podcast. If you're not familiar with The FightWorks Podcast, it's the world's number one internet radio program on Brazilian jiu-jitsu. We realize there are probably other companies out there who would benefit from the exposure they'd receive by sponsoring our show, so we wanted to get the word out. We've put together a pdf document that describes the show a little more, why one would want to advertise on it, and how little it would cost. We think it's a great deal. Shoot me a note at caleb AT fightworks DOT net and we'll get you a copy.

Ok hang tight, there'll be another great episode of your one stop for all your BJJ and MMA audio news posted here soon!

[FightWorks commercial on SpikeTV]

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#14 Brazilian BJJ Teachers Abroad

Coming to America

We love us some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the instructors who come here to teach us. But what about the instructors themselves? Deciding to become an immigrant is not an easy decision. The competition for students here among instructors increases every day, legal issues are complex, and there is no guarantee of success. What makes them decide to take the plunge and start a new life here? We'll speak with Andrew Correa of JiuJitsuNow about what it's like for a Brazilian who wants to come here and teach BJJ in the United States.

Black Belt Corner

Scott Devine, one of Relson Gracie's earliest students upon his arrival in the U.S. tells us his unexpected point of view on what it takes to get your black belt.

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#13 The Gracie Worlds Submission Championship

Gracie Worlds Submission Championship Coverage

According to event organizers, the event saw over 1,000 competitors this year. Our coverage brings you Saturday's gi competition and Sunday's no-gi competition!


Daniel Gracie speaks

Daniel discusses his controversial match against Wes Sims!

Black Belt Corner

We speak with Xande Ribeiro, who won both the gi black belt absolute division and the professional heavy weight no gi competition!

Editorial

What is being measured in a no-gi competition?

Contest results!

Wrapping up this busy episode, we'll announce the winner of the UFC 58 prediction contest!



If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#12 The Gracie Fighting Championships in Columbus Ohio

Reporting from Columbus OH, this episode includes coverage of last night's night of MMA, and includes play by play coverage of the Brennan vs. Ribeiro and Sims vs. Daniel Gracie fights. If you still can, make sure to check out the pay per view!

Team Hammer House (Captain: Mark Coleman) vs. Team Gracie (Captain: Relson Gracie)

Wes Sims vs. Daniel Gracie: Sims withdraws at the end of Rd. 2
Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Leopoldo: Lindland by Rear Naked Choke in Rd. 3
Mike Pyle vs. Gustavo Machado: Pyle by TKO in Rd. 3 of Rd. 1

Forrest Petz vs. Daniel Moraes: Moraes withdraws at 2:33 of Round 3
Jon Koppenhaver vs. Michael O'Donnell: O'Donnell at 4:02 of Round 2 by armbar
Dustin Hazelett vs. Rhalan Gracie: Hazelett by decision


Chris Brennan vs. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro: Brennan withdraws in 3:25 of Rd. 2
Dan Bobish vs. Ben Rothwell: Rothwell by TKO 4:20 in Rd. 1

Carter Williams vs. Gary Turner: Turner by referee decision 30-29 (kickboxing)
Steve Conkel vs. Brion Peoples: Conkel by TKO at 1:02 of Round 1
Pat Horner vs. Phil Cardello: Cardello at 4:26 of Round 1 by armbar

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#11 Kenny Florian Interview

Kenny Florian

Episode eleven brings us a heart to heart with Kenny Florian, Boston Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt and UFC fighter. In our chat we discuss his tips for BJJ folks who want to incorporate stand up skills, what it was like being on The Ultimate Fighter, his upcoming fight with Sam Stout on March 4th, and much more.

New contest!

Send your picks for UFC 58 to caleb@fightworks.net and you could win a 28 pack of Açai from Sambazon! We'll draw one name at random among those who respond with the most correct picks!

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#10 Gracie vs. Hazelett Interviews & iCompete.org

Can you say "pressure"?

What would it be like if you were a young fighter stepping into the ring for a mixed martial arts fight with a member of the Gracie family?

For that matter, what would it be like if you were a young member of the Gracie family, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of other family members, preparing for your first mixed martial arts bout?

In this episode, we'll talk to Rhalan Gracie and Dustin Hazelett, two very young fighters scheduled to go head to head on March 3rd at The Battle: Team Gracie vs Team Hammer House in Columbus, Ohio. We'll learn how they're preparing, and how they're handling the pressure of what this fight means for both of their careers.

"When's the next tourney?"

We all scan the forums and search for upcoming tourneys in our area. If we're lucky we catch wind of them all, but it's time consuming, and you have to suffer the rants of forum trolls (like ones from that guy who posts under username "FWpodcast"). Now you can subscribe to email alerts to learn of the upcoming events that you care about. We'll talk with the founder of iCompete.org Chris Shorrock, whose site not only serves the global community of martial arts fans but tourney and fight promoters who want to make their events known.

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#9 Royce Gracie Interview

Exclusive! Royce Gracie Interview!

The FightWorks Podcast does it again! Less than two weeks after the announcement of the upcoming fight between Matt Hughes and Royce Gracie, we were lucky enough to sit down with the legend himself, Royce Gracie. In it we discuss everything from his upcoming fight with Matt Hughes to shooting deer in Texas. Did you know he's a gadget guy also? Great minds think alike apparently, although personally I don't see myself ever stepping in the ring with someone like Akebono...

Bonus - Royce's recipe for the best acai around!


If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#8 Training BJJ in Rio de Janeiro

ABC couldn't stand the heat...

Emily's Reason's Why Not was pulled off the air last week after The FightWorks Podcast requested the show's producers come on the show here and defend their decision to call Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu "the gayest sport ever".

Score: FightWorks Podcast 1, ABC 0


"The old champion against the new champion"

News breaks that Royce Gracie will fight Matt Hughes in May in a UFC event. We'll give you the details. And what are the chances the UFC legal team sends me a twisted letter for hyping their show by playing part of the interview with Joe Rogan and Royce?

Ever wondered what it's like to train in Brazil?

Our main feature this time around is a chat with fellow FightWorks personality Dan, on what it's like to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the homeland: The Gracie Academy in Humaita, in Rio de Janeiro.


If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#6 NAGA & Grapplers Quest Presidents Interviews

NAGA and Grappler's Quest are household names in the United States when it comes to the competition scene. In this episode we talk with Kipp Kollar and Brian Cimins, the presidents of the North American Grappling Association and Grappler's Quest respectively, and chat about the history of their organizations and where they see things going in the next few years.

We'll announce the winners from our giveaway in Episode #5, and even squeeze in time for another installment of the Black Belt Corner, this time with Rickson Gracie black belt Rodrigo Vaghi.

Coming up in Episode #7... one word: acai!

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#5 Wrestling & BJJ: Do they mix?

What can Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners learn from wrestlers? Let's just say, "a thing or two". In this episode we speak with Mark Cody, head wrestling coach of American University. Why'd we pick Mark to speak with? Well the fact that he's a metro ride away doesn't hurt, but also because Mark mentored current mixed martial artists Matt Lindland and Randy Couture, both some of the biggest names in the sport at the moment.

We also learn who (finally!) won the iPod in the drawing that's been underway here since episode one. Will it be you? And as if that wasn't enough, we're going to announce another give-away!

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#4 Rodrigo Gracie Interview

Another great episode for you this time around. We'll start with an interview with mixed martial artist Rodrigo Gracie, and a new FW podcast feature called The Black Belt Corner debuts with 6th degree black belt Luiz Palhares' advice on the path to becoming a black belt.

Upcoming events: Combat Sports Challenge, Fredericksburg, VA 12.03.05

If you there are any mixed martial arts of BJJ tournaments you'd like announced, send us a note to caleb@fightworks.net and we'll do our best to help get the word out! Make sure to give us plenty of advance notice.

Coming up in the next episode: an interview with Mark Cody, head wrestling coach of American University. Mark has coached many greats in his career including Randy Couture and Matt "The Law" Lindland of UFC fame.

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#3 Relson Gracie Interview & The 4th Annual Virginia BJJ Federation Tourney

In this episode we report from Gustavo Machado's 4th Annual Virginia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Tournament in Virginia Beach which took place on November 12, and have an interview with Relson Gracie himself! Plus there's an announcement about a change to the FightWorks Podcast you'll hear in Episode 4!

If there are any mixed martial arts or BJJ tournaments you'd like announced, send a note to caleb@fightworks.net and we'll help get the word out! Be sure to give us plenty of advance notice.

Coming up in the next episode: an interview with no holds barred fighter Rodrigo Gracie, and more!

If you're in Northern Virginia and looking for a place to train, stop by FightWorks!

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#2 Rich Franklin & Jorge Gurgel Interviews, The Gracie Nationals in Ohio

FightWorks, a Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association, visited the Gracie Nationals in Columbus, OH over the weekend. We landed interviews with Rich Franklin, Jorge Gurgel, and have news on an upcoming night of MMA in March you won't want to miss...

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