Newaza Podcast Craig Cordi

Theo Haig is a 27-year-old Middleweight (184) Pro MMA fighter training out of AKA in San Jose, CA. Theo has a record 4-0-0 (wins-loss-draw). Theo is currently ranked 43 of 177 in the West; 21 of 87 in California and 163 of 634 in the United States. Theo holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ron Keslar of American Elite Grappling
and is a strength and condition coach.

Alberto Juarez is the Founder of Team Daruma Dojo. He is a 3rd degree blackbelt under MMA veteran and 4th degree blackbelt Ricardo Barros and Judo blackbelt under Olympic Trials silver medalist and Sr National Champion David Williams from the legendary SJSU Judo team.

Alberto is a lifelong martial artist starting Jiu Jitsu in 2003. Immediately, within a few years, he found his passion for teaching. Amassing 15 years of experience working with adults & kids to help them learn martial arts, gain confidence, and learn the importance of fitness and discipline.

Earning his BS in Kinesiology from SJSU during his journey to master his craft, Alberto possesses a massive amount of technical knowledge, skill, and experience.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Carlos Gracie Junior > Ryan/Ralph Gracie > Ricardo Barros > Alberto Juarez

Matt Guffey is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu Jitsu under Caio terra, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, functional range conditioning mobility specialist, and functional strength coach. He owns Victory High Performance, a strength and conditioning facility for grapplers in San Jose, CA.

Today, Matt and I discussed prepping for competition from approximately 4 weeks out, warming for competition the day of the tournament using full body CARs, as well as distance management from long, medium and close-range engagements in jiu-jitsu.

As a reminder and or announcement, Matt will be conducting a free mobility seminar at Samurai Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on July 23, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. There will also be an open mat from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Samurai Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is located at 2125 S. Winchester Blvd. #130, Campbell, CA 95008.

Miko Hytonen is a Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and an instructor at Lilius Barnatt Martial Arts in Torremolinos, Malaga, Spain. Miko can be found on Instagram @chokes_and_more where Miko demonstrates a plethora of Jiu-Jitsu submissions and technical knowledge with his personal flare. Miko has two instructionals available on BJJFanatics.com titled “Lapel Chokes from Everywhere” and “No Gi Chokes from Everywhere”. During our conversation, Miko and I discussed Gi vs. No Gi, grip setups for guard passing, competition, growing up in gang life and how his life has changed for the better due to Jiu-Jitsu, the BJJ belt system, the process to successfully add new systems or techniques to your game, tattoos, and Jiu-Jitsu injuries. Miko was a generous and engaging guest. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

James “Tenacity” Tomlinson otherwise known simply as “JT” is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is one of the first certified kettlebell trainers in Australia. James has helped to pave the way for kettlebells in the Aussie Strength & Conditioning scene. JT is a Co-Founder of Bulletproof for BJJ as well as Co-Host of the Bulletproof for BJJ Podcast. JT is also the developer of the JiuGo tabletop card game.

During our conversation we discuss how James became involved
in strength and conditioning, personal training, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as
well as the Bulletproof for BJJ “Standards” program. Standards is a program created specifically for Jiu-Jitsu athletes which combines mobility and specific strength training exercises to increase your performance on the mats while trying to reduce your likelihood of injury.

If you would like more information on the Standards program or any of the other programs offered by Bulletproof for BJJ, visit their website at www.bulletproofforbjj.com.

Vernon Kirk is a dedicated BJJ Black Belt under Rubens Rodriguez as well as a Bushido Judo back belt. Vernon returns for his second appearance on the podcast! We discuss various aspects of competing in Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Sanbo; the kimura and knee slicing passing; drop seoi-nage and tamoe-nage.