BJJ

10 Best BJJ Podcasts

10 Best BJJ Podcasts

BJJ is a submission grappling combat sport. Its modern form originated in Brazil and later reached other countries. It teaches self-defense techniques to practitioners. BJJ instructs how to submit your opponent by using joint locks, chokeholds, and submission attacks without punching, kicking, or slamming the opponent.


BJJ Fighters across the globe are now famous because of their achievements. Many famous BJJ fighters have made it to MMA and others opened their own institutes where they talk about BJJ and invite other BJJ Black Belts to motivate and enlighten their student’s perspectives.


Here are the 10 best BJJ Podcasts you should listen to:

1. Master Carlos Machado - 8th Degree BJJ Coral Belt

Master Carlos Machado - 8th Degree BJJ Coral Belt
Photo credit: @carlosmachadojiujitsu

About Master Carlos Machado

Master Carlos Machado is an 8th Degree Red and White BJJ Coral Belt. He was awarded his BJJ Black Belt by Carlos Gracie Junior. He founded RCJ Machado Jiu-Jitsu Association. He is the eldest of the five Machado Brothers, Carlos (himself), Roger, Rigan, Jean Jacques, and John Machado.

Experience About Growing in a BJJ Family

In the podcast with Stephen Kesting, Carlos Machado talked about his experience of growing up in a Jiu-Jitsu family. He started BJJ at the age of four along with his brothers. They all used to practice BJJ at home. They all trained together because it was a motivation for all the brothers.

In 1988, Rigan Machado came to America to excel in BJJ and after a few years, Carlos Machado reached America with the same goal.

How did He Get Better at BJJ?

He talked with Stephen Kesting about how his Jiu-Jitsu became better. He explained that for him it was the amount of time he spent on the mat for training in BJJ, not the setting of certain goals. He used to train with his brothers and cousins a lot while brainstorming and practicing the BJJ techniques. He gave the credit of being excellent in BJJ to these training sessions.

Trained With Rolls Gracie

After coming to America, he trained at the Royce Gracie School and got his Blue Belt in BJJ, and trained with Rolls Gracie. Carlos Gracie Junior was the head instructor of Royce Gracie School after the death of Rolls Gracie.

How Did BJJ Get Famous?

Carlos Machado said in his podcast that after Royce Gracie competed in the UFC in 1993 for the first time. This was the point where the fame of BJJ skyrocketed. It even got published in magazines and attracted the attention of mainstream media. Even BJJ techniques were used in the movies such as Lethal Weapon (1987).

BJJ Curriculum For Young Practitioners

In the podcast, Stephan Kesting asked Carlos Machado about what should be the curriculum for young children who start BJJ. His answer was, it is best to have an endpoint of what to teach a young student. Having an endpoint means the presence of an outline that tells what to teach along with the timeline.

Talked About Royce Gracie

Machado talked about Royce Gracie and how he used to challenge himself in the BJJ sessions. And how he revolutionized BJJ which no one can ever cast. He said that Royce Gracie was the pioneer in the sense that he was a Black Belt. He also did freestyle wrestling. He means to say that Roger Gracie was an accomplished well-rounded martial artist who had knowledge about diverse martial arts such as Judo, Wrestling, and BJJ.

Difference Between Machado Game and Gracie Game

Carlos Machado talked about the difference between the Machado and The Gracie Style. The Gracie style consists of self-defense techniques that are applicable in real-life situations. The main objective of the Gracie style is to stay safe in a street fight. It is a more open-guard-oriented approach.

The Machado-style BJJ focuses more on competitive scenarios. It is taken as a recreational sport.

Evolution of BJJ

Machado thinks that BJJ is refining with time. He said that there are two currents in it. Athleticism is getting more in BJJ along with the core techniques which are considered basic.

Most Accomplished BJJ Practitioners

Machado answered this question with a reference to the legendary Rickson Gracie. He said that Rickson Gracie was very attentive and focused on BJJ. When other practitioners used to relax, he still did yoga, and speed walking and indulged himself in other techniques. He said that Rickson Gracie was always working with his body even when he had leisure time.


He even talked about his brother, John. he said that he was also very serious about BJJ. He loved long and intense BJJ rolling sessions.

Rigan Machado Having the Deepest BJJ Technical Knowledge

Machado talks about his brother, Rigan, he has the answer to every question Macahdo used to ask him about BJJ. He calls his brother the martial artist because he was very skillful in the techniques.

Thoughts of Carlos Machado on New Techniques in BJJ

He said that exposure to new techniques is very important. It makes you effective in the techniques. It revolutionizes the older techniques. Machado gave an example of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in this regard.

Link to the Podcast

2. Royce Gracie - 7th Degree Coral Belt

Royce Gracie - 7th Degree Coral Belt
Photo credit: @pxfuel

Master Royce Gracie

Master Royce Gracie is a 7th Degree Red and Black Coral Belt in BJJ under the legendary Rickson Gracie. He is a retired BJJ practitioner. He is an IBJJF and UFC Hall of Famer. He is famous for his success in UFC. He is the son of Helio Gracie who is the pioneer of BJJ.


Royce Gracie won in the first UFC event in 1993 by defeating 3 opponents on the same night. He has also trained the American CIA, FBI, special forces, and navy seals over the years.

How Does BJJ Heal Your Life?

Brian Rose, the host of the podcast, expressed his feelings about how BJJ changed his whole life and made him successful. He said that he indulged in drugs and even his relationship broke which devastated him badly. He then got into BJJ and never missed a training session in 8 years. He started respecting his body and got clean.


The brain is now a Purple Belt in BJJ With Roger Gracie. He thanked Royce Gracie for what he has done in BJJ. Royce Gracie said that it is the beauty of BJJ that it lets its practitioners heal and help to achieve goals in their lives.

How BJJ Goes Beyond the Mats?

Royce Gracie adds that BJJ is not just some martial art. It goes beyond that concept. It guides people to a new path that revolutionizes their whole perspective toward life. He said that training in BJJ does not mean that the practitioner had to fight on the streets.

BJJ Builds Confidence

Royce Gracie said that BJJ embeds confidence in the practitioners. It helps you to deal with any hostile situation. As size does not matter in BJJ, the practitioner can easily defeat his opponent by only defending himself and without attacking his opponent.

Royce Gracie Trained in MVP Program

He talked about his involvement in a program called Merging Vets and Players (MVP). He said that it is a program for soldiers and it is a combat program.

Why Does It Take Years for A Practitioner to Become BJJ Black Belt?

Royce Gracie said that it takes a minimum of 10 years to get a BJJ Black Belt. It is because after 10 years one knows the traits of a fighter. BJJ practitioners are very conscious of the people who represent BJJ. That is why Black Belt in this gentle art is granted after a very long time.

BJJ - A Gentle Art

Royce Gracie describes BJJ, especially Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as a gentle art. He said that it is a very defensive art, not an attacking one. He explained BJJ as capitalizing on the opponent’s mistakes. Even if you miss submissions, you can apply it when your opponent makes a mistake.

3. Tomer Alroy - A BJJ Black Belt

Tomer Alroy - A BJJ Black Belt
Photo credit: @wanavas

Tomer Alroy

He is a BJJ Black Belt from Israel. He competed as a Brown Belt at Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro and won 2 fights, one by points and one by walkover. He was interested in martial arts throughout his life. He started training in Karate when he was 4 years old.

How Tomer Alroy Started BJJ?

He started training in BJJ at the age of 17. He along with his father got interested in UFC and started watching videos to learn it. He then found a man who was a Brown Belt in BJJ. So Tomer Alroy started learning BJJ from him. He even served in the army for 3 years.

Trained in Tiger Muay Thai

He also trained in Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand. It was his desire to excel in martial arts which led him to learn different forms of martial arts.

How Has His BJJ Game Improved?

After becoming a Purple Belt in BJJ, Tomer Alroy came back to Israel. There his coach started to push him to the competitions. According to Tomer, he was not good at BJJ when he was a Purple Belt.


His BJJ game upgraded when he got to know the different techniques along with different variations to execute those techniques. He said that he saw the Bernardo Faria Deep Half Guard video and was stunned that there was a whole concept for the application of that technique.

Benefit of Competing

In the podcast, Tomer Alroy explained the advantages of being in the competitive circle. He said that he and his team got better at BJJ when they started competing in it. Competing in BJJ gets you exposed to many different types of fighters and their techniques. It gives a better understanding of different techniques.


It also helps the fighter to evaluate his fighting approach.

Perfect Warmup

Tomer Alroy is of the belief that warming up before the fight is very necessary. He does dynamic movements before the fight. It makes his fight better during the match. He also does mobility exercises such as stretching and drilling.

Who Inspired Tomer Alroy?

He trained with Rafael Mendes who is a 3rd degree Black Belt and never lost a match by submission in his 100+ matches. Rafa Mendes opened a new world of BJJ for Tomer Alroy. Tomer was very intimidated by the execution of Rafael’s techniques and his approach to the fight.

Podcast Link

4. Tim Welch - The Owner of TW BJJ & MMA

Tim Welch - The Owner of TW BJJ & MMA
Photo credit: @wikimedia

About Tim Welch

He is a BJJ Black Belt under Augusto Tanquinho Mendes. He is a former BJJ fighter with 23 fights in his career and is also the owner of TW BJJ & MMA Yoga.

How He Got Into Martial Arts?

Initially, he saw some videos of UFC fights when he was 13 or 14 years old. In high school, he got into boxing and wrestling. When he was 18, he won a huge amount of money for winning in a professional fight. He then got interested in Bellator and went to Portland, Oregon to train with Team Quest.


He started training with Benson Henderson who was the UFC Lightweight Champion.

Team Quest Experience

Around the age of 20, he started training in Team Quest. Dan Henderson was the biggest name from Team Quest. Tim Welch came from a wrestling background to learn BJJ at Team Quest. He was inspired by his coach Robert Falls who taught him BJJ as well as led Tim into reading.

4.1. How Tim Welch Transitioned From Wrestling to BJJ?

BJJ was a completely different game for Tim. He had to focus more on guards and ground positions. It was quite hard for him but he leveled up his game. In the podcast, Tim said that he used to wear specific shoes in wrestling but in BJJ it was quite a different scenario.


At first, it felt awkward, but then he won 9 fights straight and that's how he developed his all-around game and interest in BJJ.

How Your Mental Game is Important for BJJ?

Tim Welch talked about the importance of mental preparation for BJJ. he gave an example from his own fight, how he won a fight when he mentally prepared himself.

Founded TW BJJ & MMA

Tim Welch started coaching Sean O’Malley to improve his BJJ techniques. At that time Tim fought almost 15 professional bouts. After that, he moved toward teaching.


He was invited to the Gi competition by Agusto Mendes, known as “Tanquinho”. There he met the Brazilian BJJ community and was very fascinated by them. Toquinho awarded Tim Welch with the Brown Belt and then Tim started teaching at one of his schools.


That school dropped the teaching program and finally, Tim Welch opened his own institute.

Retirement from the Competitive Circle

He is now focused only on his students. He said that he can not take the stress of fighting anymore as his priority is his school and students.

Podcast Link

5. Nic Gregoriades - 1st Black Belt Under Roger Gracie

Nic Gregoriades - 1st Black Belt Under Roger Gracie
Photo credit: @bjjfanatics

Nicholas Gregoriades

Nicholas is a 3rd degree Black Belt in BJJ under the legendary Roger Gracie. He is a coach, a successful businessman, and the author of several books. He is also a spiritual explorer and teacher.

Brown Belt in Judo

Nic’s Father is a Black Belt in Karate. Nic was inspired by his father and took his initial training from his father. Then, he started training in Judo at the age of 7.

How Nic Got into BJJ?

He joined Roger Gracie Academy in 2004 and started training in BJJ. Before that, he got into a fight with a guy and strangled him. Then he got intrigued by the choke holds and submission techniques of BJJ.

Moved To London

After finishing college, Nic moved to London. He is basically a South African grappler. He moved to London to pursue his dreams.

A Spiritual Journey

He went on a spiritual journey in the Amazon forest area. There he experienced Ayahuasca. It is actually a wine that is brewed with an entheogen. This experience left a lasting impression on him.

Podcast Link

6. Renato Santos - Founder of Braus Fight

Renato Santos - Founder of Braus Fight
Photo credit: @Gustavo Dantas

Renato Santos

He is a BJJ Black Belt. He is the founder of Braus Fight. His team consists of big names such as Paulo Miyao and Roger Gracie.

Advent in the BJJ Training

He started BJJ in 1998 under Master Padilla. In 2006, he came to Australia.

Founded Braus Fight

In 2014, Renato Santos founded Braus Fight. From the start, he was passionate about BJJ. He had 16 years of experience in BJJ when he founded Braus Fight. It was founded with the aim to support BJJ internationally.

Talks About Self Confidence

He talks about self-confidence in the fighters. For Renato Santos, belief in oneself is very important. He explained how different BJJ fighters neglect themselves on the thought that they are not as good as Roger Gracie. Santos negates this thought.

Podcast Link

7. Marcus Buchecha Almeida - 13 Times World Champion

Marcus Buchecha Almeida - 13 Times World Champion
Photo credit: @marcusbuchecha

Marcus Buchecha Almeida

He is a BJJ Black Belt. He is 13 times World Champion. He has won 6 IBJJF World Championships.

Learning BJJ - A Hard Process

According to Marcus Almeida, earning Black Belt in BJJ is very hard. He started his training in BJJ when he was 12 years old. He received his Black Belt when he was 20.

Start of Buchecha’s Career

His career in BJJ started when his sister convinced him to start training in BJJ.

Got Injured

In 2015, Marcus Almeida got injured. He messed up his knee in a fight and had surgery. He could not fight for 7 months. But then he prepared for a fight in just 3 months even though his knee was not 100% recovered.

Podcast Link

8. Braulio Estima - BJJ World Champion

Braulio Estima - BJJ World Champion
Photo credit: @BRAULIO ESTIMA

Braulio Estima

Braulio is a 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt. He is a multiple-time BJJ World Champion and also won ADCC Championships.

Association With Gracie Barra

He was associated with the team Gracie Barra. It has been a great part of his identity. Carlos Gracie Jr. was very conscious about the training of his students. His training shaped the life of Braulio Estima.

Understanding of BJJ

He was of the view that a technique only works for you if you make your own way out of it. The fighter has to make adjustments to the technique in order to master it. He said that there are different ways to implement a technique but it is up to the fighter how he gets comfortable with it, practices, and applies that technique.

Visualization

Visualization means to visually fantasize, idealize, and analyze your techniques and different approaches to execution in your mind. Braulio Estima visualizes his techniques when he is off the mats. He said that visualization is very important for a fighter as he must have a mental game along with a physical game.


It is important for the fighter because if the fighter practices the visualization, there is hardly any neurological difference between visualizing and actually implementing the technique. You are basically creating new neural pathways to achieve something familiar through new ways.

Podcast Link

9. Andre Galvao - 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt

Andre Galvao - 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt
Photo credit: @jiujitsutimes

Andre Galvao

Andre is a 4th-degree BJJ Black Belt. He is a multiple-time IBJJF World Champion, 8 times IBJJF Pan American Champion, and 2 times ADCC Champion and co-founder of one of the top BJJ teams Atos.

How did Andre Galvao Get into BJJ?

He started learning BJJ in 1994. This early start gave a boost to his learning. He worked in a pharmacy. That taught him discipline and punctuality which both are very necessary for BJJ.

Evolution of BJJ Game as well as Life

Andre Galvao talked about the evolution of his own life with BJJ. He talked about evolution in a way that a person must evolve with time in his life. Instead of staying the same, he must adopt ways to bring changes in his life, and incorporating BJJ is one of them.

Co-Founder and Head Coach of Atos Jiu Jitsu

He is the co-founder and head coach of Atos Jiu Jitsu. He loves his students and is sincerely dedicated to their teaching.

Podcast Link

10. Roger Gracie - 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt

Roger Gracie - 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt
Photo credit: @rogergracie

Roger Gracie

He is a 3rd-degree Black Belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. he is 10 times Mundials BJJ World Champion. He is 2-time ADCC World Champion.

Lessons From Being a Martial Artist

Roger Gracie explained that Learning BJJ is a continuous process and it shapes the life and the personality of the fighter. The way a fighter fights becomes his personality. According to Roger Gracie, the fighting style of a fighter not only gives his personality traits but also his character.

Major Influences

Roger Gracie’s uncle Carlos Carlinhos taught him BJJ and he was his inspiration. His father and his cousin Renzo also had a major influence on his career.

Roger Gracie’s Thoughts on Fighting Fulfillment

He said that it is inside every fighter. According to him, no award can fulfill the desire to be a champion. A dedicated fighter never stops, he just craves more and more fighting.

Podcast Link

11. Conclusion

BJJ is a submission grappling combat sport. It instructs techniques and takedowns to its practitioners. The podcasts on BJJ explain the fight and fighting techniques of different BJJ Black Belts. It also talks about their journey and achievements.

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