And I remember my first session.

I like it was an MMA class.

I just took one step

back, straightened my leg.

'cause I had no ACL.

It just collapsed and it sat down.

I was like,

where did that name come from?

Sail a real star.

The biggest indicator whether match.

Fucking knock you out

guys.

Welcome back to another episode

of the Combat Fuel Podcast.

Today we are joined by one of

our athletes, a jujitsu athlete

at that black belt, the golf,

Lord Shane Curtis, welcome.

Thank you for joining us Shane.

Thanks for having me.

So.

Let's go back to where did you grow up?

Where were, where did life begin for you?

Uh, I grew up and lived in Melton Berry,

uh, in Leicester Shear for 18, 19 years.

Do you like port pies?

Uh, well, I hate, I

actually hate pork pies.

I'm pescatarian anyway.

Makes sure.

But, so I definitely don't like 'em now.

But no, I didn't really

like them growing up either.

Oh my God.

This is like s sacrilege.

I did, however, work in a

stilton cheese factory very

briefly when I was a teenager.

Love it.

And that put me off of

stil and cheese even more.

No, I don't like stilton.

Stilton.

Do you like cheese at all?

I like cheese, but I don't,

I don't like moldy cheese.

No, I don't.

Who like, oh yeah.

Do you know what, do you know

what would go along with this

delicious bit of animal milk?

Mold?

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

No, no.

Thank, no, thank.

I'm all good.

How was like childhood for you and

was martial arts a thing when you

were growing up, or did you discover

it a little bit later on in life?

Uh, yeah, I didn't start, I didn't

start Jiujitsu until I was 21.

Um, but yeah, growing up I

didn't, I was just an active kid.

Like I was thinking about

this the other day actually.

Um, on how growing up it was just like

playing out with your friends, like

jokingly, I saw someone talk about how

different growing up is now compared

to when it was when I was a kid.

Like me and my friends used to just

play throw stones at each other.

Yeah.

Like as one instance, I remember we

had like a big metal pole we found

and we'd just launch at each other.

Like that's the sort of childhood I had.

Yeah, good.

Like a bit mischievous.

Um, but yeah, I was always

outdoors whether I'd gone on a

bike ride, uh, things like that.

But yeah, no, there was no

martial arts for me growing up.

The nineties were a wicked times

to grow up there, weren't they?

There was no mobile phones, no technology.

It was go up with your mates,

have fun, don't get caught.

Wasn't it?

Pretty much, yeah.

It's like if your mum, if you can't

hear your mum call you to come

home, you're probably too far away.

Yeah.

Oh, I love that man.

I love it.

How was so mentioned Mom,

mom and dad together?

Um, my mom and dad.

I think they broke it

when I was like four.

And my mom and my stepdad have been

together since I, um, was like five ish.

Um, and he's mom, my mom and my

stepdad are still together now.

Nice.

Good relationship with both of them.

Yeah.

So your dad still, uh, I haven't

seen my dad since I was like

20 maybe, something like that.

He was a useless, I'll be honest with you.

I actually wouldn't mind

him hearing me say that.

Right.

So, but he's blocked me on

every social media platform.

Right.

Uh, and my number.

So Yeah.

How, how does that make you

feel though, having your dad

block you on, on social media?

I mean, uh, like for the most

part I don't really care.

Occasionally, like something

you think about and you go, oh,

that kind of sucks a little bit.

Like, and he actually, uh, so my

mom and my stepdad live in the

isle of white, so it's very far

away, uh, from Nottingham anyway.

Um, and my dad actually

lived in Nottingham.

So, and the last time I spoke to him,

I was 20, I think, and it was at his

wedding to his third wife, I think.

And like someone lied about

something that apparently I said,

apparently I called someone fat.

Like regardless of

whether I did or didn't.

Yeah.

Like beside the point, like my dad didn't

believe me when I told him that I didn't

say it, and that it sounds so petty

that this is the reason we fell out.

Wow.

And then he wouldn't

speak to me after that.

We had a bit of an argument.

I told him, I was like, oh,

well Des that's my stepdad.

I was like, oh, he's

a better dad than you.

And he probably took that to heart.

But you know what it's like when you

argue your parents, you say things.

Yeah, I've, I've definitely told my

stepdad before, you are not my dad.

Yeah, of course.

Like it's, it happens.

Um, and then it was, that

was the night of September.

We didn't talk.

It was at Christmas.

I decided, you know what?

It's Christmas, I'm gonna text him.

And I was like, look.

This is ridiculous.

Like it's Christmas.

Shall we just, uh, like make up?

And it was when he went to me,

I'll think about it, that I was

like, oh, you can just do one.

Like, can I swear on it?

Yeah.

You say what you want.

I was just like, yeah, fuck off.

I didn't say that to him, but

I was like, oh, right, okay.

And you'd normally expect, you know,

like, kid, kids are kids, right?

Kids kids act tight.

It was like 20, 19, 20, but I'm

a fucking, your frontal course

X is not like, fully formed.

Yeah.

You're still a bit of a, a retard.

So, and you'd expect your parents

to be the ones that are the,

the bigger person, wouldn't you?

You know?

It's, yeah.

Yeah.

It is a shame.

But I mean, you've achieved some pretty

great things that we'll get onto.

Um, you know, and I hope he does see this

and I hope he does see some of the things

you've done where you fought and things.

Yeah.

It's funny.

He's probably just scared of you now.

I mean, yeah.

I, I would be, do you know what?

That actually brings me back to

something that happened when I was a

kid, and this was when he was with.

So that was my mom, that

was his second wife.

And then he had a fiance, um,

that's not his third wife.

Anyway, they were, it was me, my

grand, my granddad, my half brother.

So that's my dad's second wife's.

Yeah.

And his son and his fiance's daughter.

Right.

This is, again, this is gonna sound really

petty, but um, they were arm wrestling.

My dad and I was about 14 or 15.

Um, and they, and I was, oh, come here.

I'm wrestled dad.

He was like, no.

I was like, I was like, oh, come on.

Um, and then I went, oh,

stop being so awkward.

It's only 'cause I'll beat you.

And he stood up and went,

oh, I fucking knock you out.

And stormed off to his 14-year-old son.

Your 14-year-old son.

Yeah.

And my gran was like, like my

gran, my gran would take my side

over his side any day anyway.

Yeah.

Um, and that's his mom.

And she was, and she was fuming.

My granddad was fuming and Yeah.

And that was, that was weird.

It was very weird.

And like when things like that happen,

I mean, he's never, he's never put me

first, even growing up when I used to go

and see him and stuff, um, like he got

his taxes rigged so he didn't have to pay

child benefit when, when my mom and him

weren't together to the point that he told

me he did that and was like, oh, we'll

just save the money up and give it to you.

Did he?

No.

Yeah.

I mean, yeah.

Yeah.

It's just, it's just ridiculous.

Um, yeah, so, and I've, I tried to contact

him over the years just to be like,

shall we try and sort something out?

And every single time I've tried to speak

to him, once he, once he did reply to me

on Facebook and he put, you know, why?

When, well, you know why

I don't wanna forgive you.

And I was like, why?

And he, and he was like, because of

what you said about de 'cause of what

my stepdad saying, he was a better

dad than it, which is not a lie.

It's obviously hit him too hard.

Only words as well.

Yeah, exactly.

I could have, I was mad.

Definitely.

Yeah.

That was all it was,

even though it is true.

Um, and then he blocked me and then

I tried to ring him a couple times.

I think every couple of years I try

and get in contact with him somehow.

I haven't, I haven't for a long time

now 'cause I actually have no way of

contacting him without going to, I know

where he lives without going to his door.

Um, and shitting on it and

setting it back on fire.

But no, no balls, no.

So, yeah, I, that's, that's, that's

pretty much in short me and my dad.

Yes.

Yeah.

Did, did you have any role models growing

up of like, people, I assume maybe not

your dad, but was there anyone else there

that was like, you know, you really looked

up to them being like, they, they're

inspiring me to, to do whatever it may be.

No, I don't think so.

Like my stepdad was always fantastic.

Like, but like I don't think

I had any role models at all.

Like, no one, I looked up to

what I want to be like that.

Yeah, for honest, it's just me.

I just, a kid just doing kids shit.

One for front and the other

just coasting through Enjoying,

yeah, enjoying childhood.

Yeah.

Trying to, yeah.

So we're coming towards like

the end of like school now.

Mm-hmm.

A a lot of guys, um, especially like

we've been combat to joined the military.

Had that ever been like a

consideration for yourself?

Like, I want to join,

it sounds really silly.

Like it was something I've kind

of considered and it sounds

quite, um, quite narcissistic.

Um, at that point I was like,

oh, I'd have to shave my hair.

I'd have to cut my hair.

I've quite long hair and I loved my hair.

That, and also I'm, I'm pretty

blind, so they were two reasons why

I was like, ah, I wouldn't do it.

In hindsight, I actually wish that I'd

done it just at least for, just like

minimum, just for a good like setup

because I didn't really, I've got

barely any qualifications in anything.

Um, I didn't get enough

GCSEs to get into college.

To the point that I had to, when I did,

so I did an apprenticeship in web and

graphic design and I also tried to go

to college to do sport performance.

Um, both of those times I had to do

extra, um, qualifications to actually

even get into college and get into

the apprenticeship of both, of which

I never competed either of them.

Um, but you know, qua

qualifications aren't like the

be all and end all are they?

No.

You know, I'm like one of the

most unqualified people ever.

I can barely like read and

write, I write in capitals.

It's that bad.

I like that.

But, um, that's Harvey as well, is

everyone can read capitals, right?

Yeah.

But you're a pretty good graphic designer.

You know, you, you make

some pretty cool stuff.

So Yeah, I did actually film talk.

Yeah.

Well, I've, I've always been creative.

That's one thing that I've

always had, uh, going for me.

Like I always used to

draw, play with Lego.

Uh, but like in terms of creativity,

like drawing, painting, that's something

that's always been an interest of mine.

Something I've always been good at.

Just eat quite easily.

Um, I did wanna be a tattoo artist

for a very long time, um, growing

up, which I did kind of try to.

Um, but a DHD kind of, it stops you

doing things you want to do sometimes.

Yeah.

Um, and yeah, now I did actually do a,

an apprenticeship in web and graphic

design of which I did not finish 'cause

I didn't do any of the coursework.

I just did the job part.

Yeah.

Rather than the, um, the academic part.

And then I only just got back into it

a few, a couple years ago actually,

and just started playing with that,

actually started doing it on my phone

and doing a few posters here and there.

And then I got Adobe again for shopping.

I've just been doing it as like, 'cause of

side hustle, like a side hobby, I guess.

Side, side hustle, um, uh, just

pretty much for jiujitsu people, um,

which has, uh, worked quite well.

It takes a natural answer.

So, uh, like 2021.

You found Jiujitsu.

So yeah, jiujitsu was like not the

first martial art I found though.

Uh, when I was 14, my mom and

me watched enter the dragon.

Yeah.

Uh, Bruce Lee and I remember

loving that, loving Bruce Lee.

Like I was a huge Bruce

Lee fan for a while.

And in Enter the Dragon it got out.

After I enter the dragon, sorry, it got

me interested in like what does he do?

So I did a little bit of research

and found he did a martial art or he

invented the martial art Jeep Kune do.

And obviously back then

you don't know anything.

You don't know what is and isn't good.

So you just assume Cool.

Bruce did that.

Yeah, we'll go do that.

I found a, um, a Jeep Kune class

in Ter Mowry when I was like 14.

And I remember going for the first

time and I only actually went once

because I remember getting there doing

my first session and like they were

already trying to get me to fucking do

these direct debits and shit like that.

After this first session.

I'm 14.

This ain't gonna happen.

Yeah.

Um, I do remember punching someone

in the nose in the session though.

'cause it was like you had to

drill things but not touch them.

And I remember just bopping him in the

nose and he was like, oh, he's fine.

It's fine.

Um, 'cause there was no pads or anything.

It was just like doing these weird

movements and like trapping arms

and yeah, it was all very weird.

But even though I didn't actually

continue that immediately, um, it was

still something I was somewhat into.

I had a, had some nun trucks and stuff.

Yeah.

I'd go to the gym.

Um, I played rugby for a

very long time as well.

Um, I, I, my stepdad actually

wanted me to get into football.

Uh, 'cause he loved football.

He, he played rugby

and he played football.

Um, and he bought me, uh, when

I was five, going back, back

on myself a little bit now.

But when I was five he bought

me all, all the stuff, all the

kit, absolutely everything.

Boots top, gloves.

And we went to this, it was poorly timed.

Went to Sun, went to this

Sunday session, I think.

I was in gold shivering.

It was pissing it down, muddy that the

last time I went back, my mom said to him.

So I told you.

Yeah.

And then I eventually did actually

kind of get back into football when

I was like 10, 11, 12 sort of thing.

I was still terrible at it,

like awful until I found

rugby and then finding rugby.

I did rugby for quite a few years.

And do you think the physicality

of rugby carried over into

you starting jiujitsu at all?

Um, I dunno if the physicality helped

me start it, but it, I think it

helped me like become good at it.

Yeah.

Like, so after I did Ji Kondo when

I was like 14, I actually found

a gym when I moved to Nottingham.

So I moved to Nottingham when I was 19.

My mom and my stepdad moved

to the eye, the white.

I had a do, I had a choice go there

or stay around like melting Moby and

Nottingham's like 45 minutes apart.

So it's like stay around where

I actually friends or move.

All the way down onto

another little island.

So it, it was obvious what I was gonna do.

So I moved to him in Notting with

a friend of mine, and I saw that

they did Jeep Kondo classes at

a gym, uh, called Gym Combat.

I paid for the year.

It was a deal.

It was the most ridiculous

deal you will ever get.

It was a hundred pound for the year.

Oh, wow.

Um, spoiler alert, the gym closed

down about two months later, um,

and ran away with everyone's money.

But I did like maybe two or three Jeep Kdo

sessions there with this absolute lunatic,

um, of a coach who I won't get into.

Um, it was just an in, in

fact, I will get into it.

There's a video of him.

I don't, um, I could, I could probably

find it, but used to be on YouTube, on

Facebook called, um, real Jeep Kondo.

He just bangs some young lad on a fucking

tram and he's just like, bro, you just

started kicking some kid on a tram.

Like, because apparently he

said something to him that he

shouldn't have or something.

I dunno.

It was very bizarre.

He was a weird guy.

Always had holes in his armpits on

his t-shirts that were that old.

Like it was, uh, he was weird.

Anyway, smelly bloke.

It was a strange guy, um, who taught the

there, but then I remember there was a

guy there called Cast and EOIs, um, and he

taught the MMA classes at this gym combat

and another guy called Charles Labour.

Um, and I did one each of those, their

classes before the gym closed down.

And then I randomly bumped into Caston.

He was, he was like, I think he just

like started doing his, doing his

tattoo apprenticeship when I did

it makes him sound really young.

He's not.

Um, he got into that late, um, and he

was just talking about training and stuff

because it was after the gym closed down.

I was just lifting weights

at this, at this point still.

And I lifted, I actually started

lifting weights when I was like 12.

That sounds ridiculous.

My mom did this thing with me, which,

you know, lent where you, where you

don't eat chocolate for 40 days and

40 nights sort of thing as a kid.

She said, if you, if you do it

and don't eat chocolate, um, I

will buy you a gym membership.

So like, I did it.

I completed it and genuinely

didn't actually eat any, even

though my gran was like, go on, I

don't mind, I won't tell your mom.

I stuck to it.

I was like, no, I'm gonna be good.

And I lifted weights for like six months

to a year, consistently three times a week

as like a fucking 12, 13-year-old kid.

Um.

So I just kind of continued

doing that on and off.

Like I wasn't very consistent

with it, but consistent enough

that it definitely carried over.

Yeah.

Um, anyway, I go back to bumping into

Caston in a tattoo studio and he was like,

oh, we're training at this other gym now.

It's like a spit and sawdust

gym called Liberties.

And it was, they were really only doing

boxing, so it wasn't even juujitsu.

Um, even though he was actually a

former pro MMA fighter, I think he

might have still been pro at the time.

Um, he, uh, he, he was actually on

one of the episodes, the Ultimate

Fighter, um, like a UK legend, to be

honest, like old school sort of guy.

And he was like, yeah.

So I, I, I went down to this

liberties gym and then like, I'd

just go down very occasionally.

Some people remember it differently to me.

One of the guys the other day,

actually, I still train with him,

he was like, oh yeah, I remember

you being there every single day.

I was like, bro, I think I went there

like once a week every so often.

And he was like, oh,

I don't remember that.

Um, anyway, so I did that, a

little bit of boxing here and

there with them, with those guys.

Then I stopped doing that.

Then the guy, I just, I was just

saying who I just spoke to the

other day, uh, James Till, um, he,

I bumped into him in like a Tesco

and he was like, oh, how you doing?

He was like, oh, I'm good.

He is like, oh, we've, we

go to the other gym now.

Um, and I was like, oh, okay.

Uh, so it was not even an MA and I, uh,

um, it's also, I think I spoke to Carson

about it as well, and, and I literally

walked in, Carson was talking to Paul, my,

my coach, um, as like about, about me as

I walked in and I was like, there we go.

There I, there I am at 21, uh, walking

into not MMA for the first time.

With a torn ACL.

Love it.

And I remember my first session

I like it was an MMA class.

I took one step back, straightened

my leg and, 'cause I had

no ACL, it just collapsed.

And I just sat down.

I was like, uh, well I

need to get that sorted.

Like rewind four years.

I tore my ACL playing football, which

at the time I didn't like, yeah,

I'd like really got off of football

and still don't like it to this day.

Um, because at college

I did rugby as well.

Yeah.

I had my rugby studs and my rugby boots.

I said to the, I, I specifically

said to the coach at the

time, I can't do football.

I haven't got my football boots.

He was like, no, you're gonna

do it in your rugby boots.

I planted my foot on the floor turned

bang, and it was only partially

ruptured at the time when I did it.

Uh, after, after I got

my scan and everything.

Then over the course of four years of

me not doing anything with it, just

lucky that I've always had strong legs.

Um, I actually tried standing

up when I was a week old.

My mom tells me every single all the

time, so I've always had strong legs.

Yeah, love it.

And I think just because of

that, I've never, I didn't need

an ACL for day-to-day life.

Even weightlifting.

I didn't need any of this.

And then after I stepped back

hyperextended, well, I guess

it would've been hyperextended

because I noticed ACL Yeah.

Is there to stop you doing that.

Um, I just collapsed and went, ah,

shit, I need to get that sorted.

So I still trained for

about four months maybe.

And then I got an operation in the

January of the next of the next year,

uh, had full hamstring, uh, graft

reconstruction, and then got a bit

of meniscus, uh, repaired as well.

So after starting juujitsu, four, five

months into it, I had ACL surgery.

How do you come back from that?

Because you know, a lot of

white belts, like the attrition

rate is massive, isn't it?

Yeah.

They come in, they do something silly

that they don't know, or yourself.

You've come with an injury,

you've made it worse.

You've had surgery, you've got,

you've got a bit of a rash.

You can't get straight back on the mats.

What was your motivation to be

like, actually, I like that so

much that I'm going to get healed

up and get back and carry this on?

It's weird because it

never even crossed my mind.

Don't go back.

It was just fix it so I can go back.

Um, Paul was actually really

good to me for the five to six,

seven months of, um, rehab.

He just let me use the gym for free,

as in like, 'cause our gym has a gym.

Gym, yeah.

And it has mats and he'd just let me come

and do my rehab and just lift weights.

Yeah.

And for like five or six months,

everyone was like, who's this guy?

Just comes in and lift weights and like,

just assumed that I didn't do juujitsu.

I never would do jiujitsu or anything.

Um, and the idea was MM. I wanted

to fight MMA and then I remember

I came back my first session back.

I was, I forgot my gi

I have an awful memory.

We'll get onto that later.

Um, and I did a freestyle

wrestling session on my first ever

session back after ACL surgery.

Um, and that was with, uh, I'm

pretty sure it was with a old school

coach who, uh, he has recently, uh,

passed away, actually called Ali Bag.

He was like, it was about 90, um, when he

passed away, but sorry, he was still 80

when he was teaching freestyle wrestling.

Um, he was used to, um,

called everyone is Champion.

He's like, you are my champion.

You are my champion and there was

one guy called him the white devil,

and that was a guy we liked to call.

Weird will.

He was an interesting jab.

Weird will, there's things about people

that are called Will, isn't there?

I mean, you know about me getting,

um, a few months in and getting

my foot snatched, but yeah,

something he would do, isn't it?

So I did that freestyle wrestling session

and then I, I don't really think I did

any, I did a few wrestling sessions, but

it was, I just got back into Jiujitsu.

So for the first couple of months, I

think from the, like June, July to the

September I did maybe two, three sessions

a week and then hit the September and

I did five or six sessions every week.

And I have done that since.

And then, yeah, just, that's been juujitsu

for me quite hard to like sit here knowing

you as you are to think to going back to.

White belt, Shane Curtis is And how

long did it take you to get, get

your blue belt after you'd come back?

After I came back, I got my, so I came

back in the June or July, shall we say?

Maybe August, I dunno.

Somewhere around there

to about six months.

Anyway.

Took, got my blue belt.

Um, I don't mind saying this now.

I probably wouldn't have said it

back then, but there's quite a

few people that got their blue

belts before me in the September.

And I remember thinking, I was like, what?

What?

That's mine.

I smashed these.

All these, like, that's a typical fucking

white belt mentality back then as well.

Yeah.

I'm not ashamed to admit

it, like it is what it is.

See, I'm like, Tarrick said to

me, you obvious, you know, Tarek,

um, my coach and he, he is like,

we're, we, we're on the edge.

I don't want it white belt for life.

Like, you know, there's no expectations.

It's chilled out.

Like I wouldn't care if I stayed up.

I, I do it because the love of it, you

know, I can't wait to go back and compete

again after getting injured and then

appendix going in and then, oh shit.

Yeah.

Having surgery on Trapp when this, yeah.

Had three surgeries last year.

That's insane.

Savage.

But were you competing actively at

white belt and then into Blue Belt?

So when I was a white belt, I, I

was so confident I, I was gonna win.

At this point I was working for

tele a telesales job for Talk Talk.

And I remember there, there was a

guy who was like compliance manager

or something, and I was like, I

was, I was like, I'm gonna win.

I was like, I've just, I was a hundred

percent confident I was gonna win

because I was smashing blue belts.

Yeah.

I was a white belt and I

was smashing blue belts.

Like I remember as a white belt

submitting one of our now black belts.

He was a perf belt at the time.

And I, and like we just went in

and trained randomly together.

And I remember submitting

'em for the first time and

sacrificing my balls to do so.

I was like, I'm not letting go of this.

Um, but yeah, like I was, I

was one of them I guess who I

was just athletic and strong.

Yeah.

And just picked it up really quick.

So I was in the gym submitting people.

And getting the better of like

pretty much every blue belt bar.

One guy called Adam, um, who

also did judo beforehand.

Yeah.

And I remember he would just like

pass my car and then just get me with

like Americana from modified scarf

or scarf pretty much every time.

Um, I don't think he trains

anymore unfortunately.

But I remember that was one of the only

people that would really like that elusive

guy that you could never, I mean I did

get him, but that was just one thing.

I just remember him being

one of the harder rounds.

Yeah.

Um, there was a guy called uh,

Jack Peterkin who trains not too

far from us now, but I remember

Ron with him as a white belt.

And in fact, he was the one person

I remember who I'd never, ever

been dismantled by so badly.

Like he was the one guy who would

just literally pass my garden out,

triangle me, pass my garden out,

and triangle me over and over again.

He just kinda looks like, kind of looks

like Ben Asan huge color of our ears.

Wrestler, like tough, like just gritty.

Everything hurts.

Yeah.

Because he's sharp.

Yeah.

I remember, I remember that.

They, they were the only two people aside

from Paul and like to made the black

belts and stuff like, like the, like the

higher belts that would beat me, but yeah.

Um, and I got, I did this

comp, did the Nottingham open

and I did win my first match.

Yeah.

Um, I cut so much weight for it,

like didn't know how to cut weight.

Remember having like one of those

carb killer grenade bonds before

it went on, the worst thing ever.

Um, and I won my first match by

triangle after getting thrown around

so badly and I couldn't walk after.

Everyone was like, it's your grips.

Your grips are gonna go.

I was squeezing so hard, like

I was like, my legs were jelly.

Yeah.

Uh, and then I lost a second match on

points and then, um, I competed once more.

So that was in the November.

And then in the February or the January,

I did this old school competition, which

was in the old 10th Planet Birmingham gym.

And it was like a greenhouse at the point.

It was not a nice venue,

I'm not gonna lie.

Um, and uh, I won my first match

arm bar quite quickly and then

lost the second one by foot lock.

And that was my white belt.

Um, white belt done, white

belt career done, so to speak.

And then I remember not long

after that, getting my blue belt.

So yeah.

At this point then, were you like,

like, jujitsu's, what I want to do, I

want this to be my thing, or it just,

I, you know, I never even thought.

Like, I don't remember at least

thinking, oh, this is my job now.

This will be my job one day.

Yeah.

I was still working for Talk Talk.

Um, and it was, I think it was Talk Talk.

It was a very dodgy second, like third

party company that worked on behalf

of Talk, talk doing, doing like, it

wasn't quite cold calling, but it

was, yeah, it was, uh, it was like

ring ringing customers up and trying

to get 'em to upgrade their packages.

Yeah.

That was, uh, yeah.

So I did that for a long time on

shittiest wage ever, but I had

something to look forward to.

Yeah.

Every single day, which

was just going to the gym.

Um, so I dunno, I just, that was just it.

I just thought, ah, and I never, I don't,

I don't remember it crossing my mind,

oh, this will be my job one day, or

that I want this to be my job one day.

'cause I was still like looking for other

jobs, like normal jobs, just to, just to

like have more money and work, I guess.

Um, but I still, yeah, I still

actively trying to compete and stuff.

Um.

And then started competing

a little bit at Blue Belt.

Started doing a couple of Interclub, won

every single match I had on an Interclub.

My first Interclub match was actually a

guy called Shane, which is quite funny.

Um, and we drew, we drew a match and then

I beat him on points in the second one.

'cause it was like, one was

sub only and one was points.

Yeah.

So I remember beating, uh, drawing in the

sub only one and then beating him in the

second one, just like two or something.

And then we did another Interclub

where I won all three by submission.

I remember that one because when I subbed

one of the guys, it was like 10 seconds

left and he punched the floor afterwards.

Um, and that was me when I was a blue

belt and I was like kind of starting

to have a bit bit of my own game.

And this was all in the gee as well?

Yeah.

Um, 'cause I didn't really do much No.

Gee, when I first started

how the tables have turned.

Yeah, I know.

I still do do the gee.

Yeah.

But, uh, yeah, it is

completely flips on its head.

Yeah.

At this point though, tattoos mm-hmm.

You know, they're, they're

pretty prominent on you.

You are absolutely covered.

Tattoos become a thing then.

Yeah.

So.

I actually tattooed myself when

I was, which was this one here?

Uh, it's like a little, um, it actually

looks like half of the SS logo.

Um, but um, it was like just

a little lightning bolt.

Yeah.

That I thought.

So I bought myself a tattoo machine

and tattooed that on my hand.

I did tattoo, uh, on one of my

fingers, which you can't see anymore.

Um, and I got some bits and

bombs on my palm that have

completely dropped out that I did.

And I also tattooed a

little Pacman on my arm.

I tattooed a ghost from Pacman

and then I wrote Rest in Peace.

Ryan Dunn.

You know, from Jackass?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh man.

And I remember when I met Steve-O

I showed him that and I met Bam

and I showed him that, um, which

they both very much enjoyed.

That's a really cool photo of me.

Yeah.

Holding Bam.

Maje like a baby.

Love it.

That was quite cool.

Um, so I tell to myself all, I had

loads of absolute shit on my thighs.

I did myself.

'cause that's the easiest place to tattoo.

That's just there five.

Yeah, exactly.

Uh, and then when I was 17, I got my

first proper tattoo, which I, I don't

regret it, but like it, I don't like it.

It's actually pretty much covered now.

I got my whole chest

done, um, when I was 17.

So my guy did not ask me for ID,

and I definitely didn't look 18.

Um, but I think it's because Download

Festival tickets had sold out.

Yeah.

I'd had, I had some and

he swapped it with me.

He swapped his, yeah.

So I got like 16 hours of tattooing

on my chest when I was 17.

It was fucking horrific, painful as shit.

Um, in from this guy,

um, in Birmingham way.

Then I just slowly just

got a bit more tattooed.

I had like mud of my chest.

I had one that a friend did on

my shin, which eventually kind

of got it reworked and covered.

Um,

couple on my, yep, couple on my arms.

And then just slowly started

getting a bit more heavily tattooed.

And then, I guess it was over, maybe

over the past five years that I've got

more heavily tattooed to the point of

like face, neck, and hands and fingers.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I wanna ask you that age

old question that everyone asks.

I quite like tattoos.

A have a few myself, 140, 140

letters, still 140 individual tattoos.

Um, do you think, oh, what

about when I get older?

Okay.

I It's what it is, isn't it?

It looks look cool, I guess.

I dunno.

Absolutely.

I I actually, I actually don't care.

It was, um, I, I think

tattoos look fucking sick, so.

Yeah.

And you, it, it is you

as well, like, yeah.

The golf Lord.

And where did that name come from?

Did you think of it yourself or did

someone else start calling you it?

So like, name, I think nicknames

and names for the most part

should never be given by yourself.

Like it, I know.

I like, sometimes people can, yeah.

Like one of our lads

has called him himself.

I've kind of like nicknamed himself

the sorcerer because like people

kind of refer to as jiujitsu, as like

wizardry and stuff, which I'm happy

with that I think's a fucking sick name.

That's Sam Colson.

He's a fucking beast.

Absolutely smokes me.

Um, but Lloyd Cooper, the

Yorkshire gripper himself.

Yeah.

He'd like, well I'm really

good friends with Lloyd.

Um, and I've known him

since I was a purple belt.

Um, and he just like, he'd just take the

piss outta me as you do with your friends.

Yeah.

Like.

You're not friends if you don't

take the piss outta each other.

Yeah.

The amount of times uploaded

photos of his bald spot.

Um, yeah.

So Lloyd just started calling and

taking the piss outta me and one day I

was just sat there and I was like, you

know, I'm just gonna fucking go with it.

And I've just changed my Instagram

thing, like changed it on the Instagram.

Yeah.

And since then it is just

boom, boom, boom, boom.

And it's like giving me that niche

that a lot of people don't have.

Like it's something different.

Like there's so many people out there as

well that are probably more, definitely

have more accolades than me who should be

well known because they are phenomenal.

But no one knows who they are because

they don't put themselves out there.

And I guess it is harder when you

don't have a niche, when you're,

it's difficult to find a niche.

Just if I said to you, find

yourself a niche in Jiujitsu.

Yeah, exactly.

It all just came to me.

I guess this was already my personality.

Yeah.

Like.

Is, it is easy to build a brand

when it's just yourself, isn't it?

Yeah.

Rather than having to try and

imagine something, try and be more

creative, you can just be yourself.

Exactly.

You and it's, I mean, it's paid

off well for you, isn't it?

Yeah, definitely.

Like, I like the golf Lord, even

though when I really think about

it, it sounds really cheesy, uh,

the golf world, but it's kind of,

yeah, it's just, it's really, yeah,

it's really helped me push my name,

push my brand, helped me make money.

Like, and I think because Jujitsu's not a

typically really well paid sport, is it?

No.

You know, especially when you

started at White Belt Juujitsu

wasn't the done thing, was it?

No.

You'd be hard pressed to find

clubs to do it, you know, in lot.

Okay, this is a big city.

There's people there, but if

you were like around here,

jut what, what's the Juujitsu?

It would've been, you know, whereas

now it's what the fastest, the

last few years, it's been the

fastest growing sport in the uk.

Well, for a very long time.

Yeah.

And I think it, especially for

me, me, most people got into

jujitsu by the way of MMA.

You go to a MMA gym and you just kind of,

you either do MMA or you start realizing

there's these other elements to it.

Yeah.

And then you kind of just do jiujitsu.

You just, that's what happened with me.

I wanted to do MMA, but jujitsu

was, juujitsu was part of it.

So I did that as well.

But then realize how much I,

I enjoy juujitsu and I think

that's the same with most people.

Maybe not so much now as people join

to Juujitsu because of the popularity

of it for, but for a very long time.

I feel like that is how a lot

of people, my kind of like my

generation and before got into it.

I think like for me starting, you know,

it is great seeing all you guys know.

We've got some wicked

Jujitsu athletes as well.

Spencer, like Josh Gibbs our, our first

jujitsu athlete at the Brown Belt.

Obviously now a black belt as well.

An absolute elephant of a man.

Yeah.

He's a big unit.

It's disgusting.

Yeah.

I understood what he meant when he

said, my game's pressure and it's,

if you've never done juujitsu,

you you can't possibly, yeah.

You don't get it.

What pressure is and all I could describe

it like, like I felt like I was that

billionaire at the bottom of a submarine

with that pressure in the ocean on me.

I, I, I'm not ashamed to say

that I tapped a pressure.

It was I have before disgusting.

I remember absolutely vital.

The day I got my blue belt, I tapped

a pressure for the first ever time.

Um, Neil Owen, the guy that

kind like runs our affiliation.

Yeah.

He's been there for every single

one of my belt promotions.

Blue to black to even,

even to my first degree.

Um, I think, yeah.

Um, and I remember rolling with

him the day I got my blue belt and

he actually did say, and I quote.

Before that, as they were like describing

who was getting their blue belt and stuff,

he went to me, oh, this guy's got the

best guard I've ever seen on a white belt.

That's what he said.

And he was like a third degree

black belt, fourth degree

black belt at the time as well.

And, but I remember him passing and

because I, because I'd worked so hard

to stop him passing for five minutes.

Eventually when he did pass is pressure

and my exhaustion, I just tapped.

Yeah.

And I was like, I'm not

gonna a blue belt now.

Um, and then once actually

happened when I was weird.

This was some random purple belt guy

from the military just dropped in.

And the same thing happened

again when I was a blue belt and

like, like took him ages to pass.

And then when he did, I actually was

so exhausted trying to get my guard

back that I just was like, I'm done.

Yeah.

Two times it's ever happened to me.

I don't, I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Yeah.

With, um, so you, you, you got your

blue belt, you're still competing.

How long did you at Blue Belt for

before you received your purple belt?

Because per purple belt's a it's

a big belt in juice, isn't it?

That's sort of like a

make and break of people.

Yeah, so I did quite a

few comps at Blue Belt.

It was blue Belt for one and a half

years, so I did three at role models.

If you, if you might not have

known role models, it's in Stoke.

It's like a blue and

white belt tournament.

Yeah.

Only.

Um, and then they have

super fights on it as well.

Yeah.

Like during like the interval I suppose.

Uh, they're like three

mats, so it's quite small.

It's out of a school.

But David Leather Bee runs it

who, um, is also a UFC judge.

Um, and I did three of those and I got

a gold in every single one of them.

And I did some other ones here and there.

Yeah.

And I medaled every single one, every

single comp by, did blue belt, um, a

couple of bronzes, a few golds, and then.

I got my, uh, purple belt in the

sep the September, so I would've

got my blue in the, in the February.

And then the one and a half years later

I got my, um, I got my, uh, purple belt.

Uh, and that's, that's

pretty quick going, isn't it?

You know, it's, you're back from

injury, got your blue belt, and then

a year and a half there, so you are

less than, way less than three years

on the mats of actual training.

Yeah.

Uh, if we, uh, if you forget

your injuries, what, two and

a, two and a half years or so?

Yeah.

Probably save time out for that.

Like Yeah, I try to, I don, I don't

even take that time out anymore.

Like, because it's, it's so negligible.

Yeah.

I'm just like, ah, over 10

years I've been training.

Yeah.

Uh, but yeah, so it wasn't, I guess it

was like two years, two two years or so.

And uh, at what point did you.

Either have the invite or ask to, to

be able to, obviously Nottingham MA

is where you are, that's your home.

Mm-hmm.

At what point did you start being

able to coach and do anything

there and give back to sort of the,

the place that it trained you up?

I actually did my, I'm pretty

sure when I was a blue belt, I was

invited over to a gym in that long

Eaton just to teach a class once.

So I did that as a blue belt once.

Yeah.

Um, and then

I don't even remember when I started

teaching, I'll be honest, I, I

did start doing a few one-to-ones

when I was a purple belt.

Yeah.

There's one guy, um, called Guy actually.

Uh, he was my, I think he was my

first ever client and he still is.

We do PTs every single week

and we have done for years.

It's actually a stag do

this weekend in, uh, Dublin.

Nice.

So I'm sure he is enjoying himself, uh,

right now dressed as Conor McGregor.

Um, and then.

I think I just started taking

an odd class here and there.

I was speaking to someone, someone about

this earlier, about how unnerving it was

just to teach a class in front of people.

And then I just started doing a

bit more and a bit more teaching.

And then when I would,

then I started then.

Then during lockdown when I

was a brown belt, I started

doing a few PTs here and there.

'cause I ended up, um,

I was, I was furloughed

and then I worked from

home for quite a while.

Yeah.

So I was able to kind of like to

come to and from the gym and stuff.

And I was just doing

kind of PTs around there.

And then, uh, eventually after

we all came back in, I started

teaching regular classes.

I, uh, at the gym I do twice, two

lunchtime classes a week aside.

My PTs and my seminars.

I taught at, uh, Nottingham Trent

University as well for a while

until I, um, I quit last year.

So you received your

black belt post COVID?

Yes.

So I think everything probably

would've been about a year sooner.

Yeah.

My brown belt probably

would've been a year sooner.

And my, uh, black belt

probably, I'm, I could be wrong.

Yeah.

But in my head, that was kind

of like the path that I was on.

Yeah.

Like, so I got my blue belt

when I thought I would, I got

my purple belt when I thought I

would, and then lockdown happened.

Yeah.

And then I got my black belt pretty much

just after everything was normal again.

Yeah.

And my brown belts just say my brown belt.

Yeah.

My brown belt.

When everything was normal again.

Yeah.

And then one year, pretty much exactly

a year later, I got my black belt.

Wicked.

And obviously now you're

a first degree black belt.

Been about three and a half years a black

belt now, which is crazy to think back at

when I was a white belt, I do often, like,

I used to ask Paul, what do you remember?

Do you remember me as a white belt?

Do you remember thinking,

what did you think of me?

And like, we used to have this

conversation and he always,

um, compared himself to me.

Sorry, compared myself to him.

And like when he was coming up and he

was that blue belt that no one wanted

to roll with because it was hard work.

Yeah.

And that's how he always

like spoke about me.

Apparently.

I don't quite rem I remember vague

bits of the conversation, but he was

like, yeah, do you remember when we

sat down that time and I had to tell

you to like tone it, calm down a

little bit just because I'd just guess

hard work for the higher belts that

didn't wanna roll with me at the time.

Um, I actually remember, this is

funny, when I was a white belt after

I'd just come back from surgery,

um, so like maybe like a month into

it, I submitted a blue belt from his

own clothes guard with an Americana.

That is the most meathead move.

Yeah.

You could possibly ever do.

I think he sub me after

that with a go-go plant.

But just not matter.

It doesn't matter.

I just subbed you from your own

clothes guide with an Americana.

Wow.

Um, but yeah.

Where, how did I get onto that?

Um, totally know.

Yeah.

So, uh, what, what Paul thought

of you that you saw a lot of him.

That was it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No, I think it was just

like quite similar to him.

Yeah.

Love it.

Um, I always do.

Yeah.

I was like, do you think

I was gonna be good?

Like, and he was like,

I dunno, guy turned up.

Yeah.

Just sort of, he's a man of

few words sometimes Paul.

Yeah.

I think when I've seen him a

few times going up and it's, hi.

Alright, bye.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Yeah.

These's the guy, you know, always

very welcoming and, and like yeah.

The nicest of guys do anything

for any of his friends.

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

Brilliant.

Actually, if you don't know him,

he'll just be kind of quiet.

Yeah.

That's it.

And then absolutely.

Tell you a new one.

Yeah.

As soon as you step foot

on the mats, pretty much.

Um.

How did it feel when you

were given your black belt?

Was that like a, I mean, because that,

that is the pinnacle you, you know, of,

of martial arts is to be awarded your

black belt so that you are that level.

Yeah.

And it is not just a, you can rock up,

do a couple of classes a week, and you

know, after like 10 years you'll, you'll

get a black belt, not the case, is it?

So, no.

How did that make you feel?

Was that like, I've not, not

completed juujitsu, but as in

I've, I've achieved something now.

Yeah.

Like this is, this is pretty special.

So still to this day, and I say this

to everyone that gets that black belt,

it's the coolest fucking thing ever.

Yeah.

Being a black belt is, I don't care what

anyone says and fucking wear it out.

Like being a black belt is fucking sick.

Like I know they're like out, I know.

They're like almost 10 a penny now.

Right.

But they're not really.

Um, like, yeah, I just think it's sick.

I think it's the coolest

fucking thing ever.

Yeah.

And I don't care what anyone says,

being a black belt is fucking awesome.

It is.

I, I, you know, and that's,

that is exactly what I thought.

Like, it's funny, like wicked weirdly,

like I, if this was a good or a bad thing,

every belt I got, I knew I was getting it.

Yeah.

Not 'cause someone had told me.

Yeah.

I just knew.

I was like, I'm getting, I'm,

I'm getting my belt today.

I just knew it was happening.

I think when Neil turns up

as well, it's like Oh yeah.

Because he's always

been there for my belts.

Yeah.

But like in my head I had

timeframes for everything.

Yeah.

Um, when I was coming through my

belts and that, aside from lockdown,

messing it up a little bit, um, yeah.

I knew when, when I got my black belt was

like, I'm getting my black belt today.

I know, I know.

I'm um, he tried to throw me off

though 'cause they would give out a

load of stripes and then he came up

and then tried to give me stripes.

Yeah.

And then Neil pushed pull outta

the way and went, nah, I got

you this pull out black belt.

Oh, that's brilliant.

That's brilliant.

It is nice when they get out you being a

lovely Rattler, they couldn't have done

anything funny where they try and like.

Fo drop and sneak a belt on you 'cause

you are too much hard work to deal with.

I do like watching those videos though.

They're brilliant, aren't they?

Yeah.

I think Dave Western did one

the other day, didn't he?

It was, it was, uh, especially

when he did LA's as well.

No, that was wrong.

That was hidden off his back.

I remember.

He is done a few in that.

Yeah, that's I'm sure.

Yeah.

Sounds likes what David do.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Tarrick did it as well a few weeks ago

and it was, I mean, they, they were

going for like seven, eight minutes.

Yeah.

Uh, with a guy to his purple boat.

He's like, this, this is,

this is getting hard now.

I might just give it to

him normally, but Yeah.

Like, but he finally got his sneaked on.

I saw it.

I was like, I dunno.

I like, I know it is cool watching

those videos, but in my head I'm

like, how the fuck do you not know?

Yeah.

That someone's just took your belt

off you and put another one on you.

Yeah.

To be fair, like the way this was done

is this guy had been his Ash's name.

He's been off a juujitsu, like on and

off, like had his shoulder smashed

up a lot of surgeries and it is sort

of like resided himself to Yeah.

Can't really do Juujitsu, you know,

but, and he, he's legitimately good.

He just can't use his

left arm 'cause he's.

It's been smashed upstairs.

He's just waiting to have

another surgery again.

Really?

The bolts come loose or

something in his shoulder.

So he is like, I literally

can't put any pressure 'cause

like my screw's gonna Yeah.

Off.

Yeah.

Savage and t why don't you push on it,

get where you want it, you know it.

Yeah.

It's a wicked video.

Have you ever tried to

do anything like that?

21? Are you allowed to promote anyone?

Uh, yeah, I do sometimes.

Like, we kind of just me and to be fair,

everyone that gets belted at the gym is

just a discussion between me and Paul.

Yeah.

Um, and then like sometimes I'll tell him,

oh, I'm gonna give such and such about.

Yeah.

Like, I gave my friend Lee Hamilton Cooper

his purple belt, um, not too long ago.

Um, and yeah, I've just given

a couple out here and there and

stuff, which is kind of cool.

Yeah.

Nice.

How, how do you remember

the first boat you gave out?

21.

I don't think so.

That's fair.

Like I couldn't, I think

there a lot of 'em are joint.

Yeah.

That's the thing.

Like it's not just from me.

Yeah.

Like, it's from me and Paul.

Almost the other black belt as well.

Yeah.

But yeah, that me and Paul are the

people that I guess make generally

make the executive decisions.

Yeah.

He's the final word on it.

Yeah.

But I'm like, ah, what do you

think about such and such?

Yeah.

Love it.

Love it.

So, you know, your career looks like

it's going pretty well, you know, you

winning a lot of things, but something

I wanted to touch on was when you were

to America, I think the second time.

Mm-hmm.

You, um, had an unfortunate accident

that said goodbye to your MCL.

Yeah.

Tell us a little bit more.

So that was about a year

and a few months ago.

I was in Austin, Texas.

Me and Big Mac, um, Macauley Curtis.

Everyone thinks he's my brother,

but I'm gonna let you all Yeah.

He fuck it.

He could be my brother.

When everyone asks, we

always say we're brothers.

Um, we were in Austin.

We both got matches on a show out there.

Uh, main character Jiujitsu.

I had a match against Max

Hanson, who's like a DCC

veteran, like phenomenal grappl.

I'd cut weight for this down to 77.

I was in great shape.

I was training at B team like I was, I was

having, having some great training there.

Everyone was like, I'll be honest, they

were all impressed with me and stuff and I

was just getting some great training, make

some really cool people out there as well.

And during the match, 15 seconds into

it, there was like, we were a bit of

a wrestling exchange, shall we say.

We were near the edge of the mat.

Like anytime I, I don't like

edges, like edge of the mat in

the gym, in the comp, anything.

I just kinda like Max went for an

underhook knee tap to take me down.

But at the same time I planted my foot at

the edge of the mat to stop us going out.

My foot was quite dry, the mat was

quite dry and the friction just

caught it and my knee just went.

And I remember just going and

I going, ah, and yeah, my MCL

didn't tear it completely, but

like that was very painful.

Um, and.

So that was the end of the match.

He won.

Yeah.

Which is, you know, how do you

deal with something like that?

Like, like mentally,

that's gotta be quite hard.

You know, you've, you've flow all the

way out to America for a big fight.

Yeah.

And you got up subbed, unfortunately.

And what you didn't know at the time,

but, you know, you were to the airport

in a wheelchair, like, yeah, I'm gonna

have to come back and have some surgery.

How, how'd you deal with that?

So I, I don't know.

Like, it look, luckily it was like

the next day we were going home.

Yeah.

I'd planned it like that.

Um, so we got the

training before the comp.

Yeah.

And then, yeah, the match.

So Big Mac was pushing

me out in the wheelchair.

It just sucked.

Like, I just didn't, weren't sure.

I weren't sure what was

happened, like until I got home.

And had a bit of an examination on it.

Luckily it wasn't completely

torn, so I didn't need surgery.

With your MCL, as you probably know,

there's a good blood flow to it.

Yeah.

Even if it is mostly torn and

you don't even actually need

surgery, it can heal itself.

So I was lucky.

I didn't need surgery,

I just needed rehab.

Um, the hardest part is just not

doing juujitsu, being away from it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But I was probably only out of Sam phone.

It sounds, sounds crazy.

I was out of Juujitsu for a week.

One week I literally went

back and I was like, I am just

gonna play bottom side control.

So I just said like, don't touch

my legs, do whatever you want

to me, but don't touch my legs.

Yeah.

I literally just played bottom

side control for six weeks and then

eventually brought it back in again,

uh, doing all my rehab and whatnot and.

Maybe, so it was in the end of November.

I did it early February.

I had a match on Polaris against

a very highly touted leg.

Leg locker.

Yeah.

And like European champion and stuff

in Fred Greenall and IB in my decision.

Yeah.

Which I think was mentally a tough one

because I know he was so good on the legs.

Yeah.

Um, he submitted like one of my

training partners before on the

legs and seen him like, yeah,

submit some good guys on the legs.

I think that was a, a really like

onlooker, a very pivotal moment

for you that, you know, I managed

to, I was fortunate enough to get

the task, come and watch you there.

And something I've heard you say before

that when you're training jiujitsu

and you do a lot of fancy stuff Yeah.

But you can only look at that stuff if

you've mastered your basics and you hit

one of the slickest sweeps on him going

and people were literally stood up.

Like, what, how, how?

And it was, it was brilliant

mate being there watching it.

And people were like, how,

how's he let that happen?

Like it was just like

that basic scissor suite.

Was it just one?

Yeah.

Such a little scissor suite man.

Like, and it was like people

were like stood up and just what?

And yeah, but what a match.

And the guy again looking on looked,

although you both had to make weight,

but it was very much like you were

a bit less and he had come down, he

looked a lot bigger than you as well.

And it's, yeah.

You know, and you do enjoy smiling

at people throughout an entire life.

Yeah.

It's not even on purpose.

It just happens.

He just enjoys juujitsu that much.

Yeah.

But that was, so this takes into 2025.

And 2025 was a, a good

year for you, wasn't it?

You know, and we've had some

testing bits that we get onto,

but you had 11 super fights.

Yeah.

And you won every single one.

Yeah.

Yeah.

11 individual super fights.

I was undefeated, uh, in

2025, which was quite cool.

Yeah.

Um, couple of like.

Ups and downs with tournaments,

kind of like don't always

do so great in tournaments.

I think my style fits much

better with a submission only.

Yeah.

Kind of format.

Yeah.

And, and talk about one of them,

a, a lower belt guy, um, beat you.

Mm-hmm.

A bit of an off day.

Um, te tell us about that.

They, first of all, like, so this is a,

I've always struggled with the mental

aspect and not, when I say struggle,

like I don't want it to come across as

like a, like a weakness so to speak or

whatever, but like it is hard trying to

put across what you do in the gym and

then try and replicate that in comp.

It's so hard.

There's so many kind of

barriers to overcome.

Um, and I did the same thing there

that I always do whenever I kind

of lose, shall we say is I don't

prepare myself for the match.

Yeah.

Like, I'd already actually

beaten this kid before.

Rolled with him before as well.

He, he is a, is a, he was a lovely lad.

Um, and I just went and thinking,

oh, I'll, I'll be all right.

I'll win this.

Like, didn't warm up.

I actually thought I was gonna

have James Ingham first match.

Had a different game plan in my head.

Yeah.

I was like, oh, sound James or Paul Guard.

I'll ease myself into it.

This fucking big junkie.

Like he's a big athletic kid.

Yeah.

Um, wrestled with him and I was

like, oh, I can't bother to do this.

Like, 'cause I wasn't even warm.

Yeah.

I'd like, I'd not mentally

prepared myself how I should do.

And like I say, I didn't even warm up.

Um, and I always say this, for me, the

biggest indicator of whether someone

is or isn't gonna win a match quite

specific to me as well, is whether

they warm more properly or not.

Yeah.

If you get your first wind out,

you want to get your heart rates

at one 60, you wanna get it high.

Yeah.

And it doesn't wanna be the

first time you would get it high.

It doesn't wanna be in the match.

Yes.

You need to get it to that point to

then bring it back down again before

you match so you don't guess out.

I hadn't done that.

Um, and I lost on points to

him, like it is what it is.

I made a, I pulled guard weirdly, and

because it was a weird guard pull, he

managed to tap my leg at the same time.

Got him two points.

Sean Madonna, one of my training

partners, he was the, he was the ref.

He went this, went put his two up.

And I was like, ah.

He looked at me, I looked at

him and I was like, I know.

Yeah.

And then, um, I did the same thing again

towards the end to get, I ended up him

getting this another, like, I try, I

tried to like, yeah, he had like a single

leg and I tried to go underneath him.

Yeah.

And then I, he was just avoiding

losing at this point, so just, I

ate a good performance from him.

I'll give him that.

Um, but yeah, it was just a mental thing.

I walked off, I stormed off.

I fucked off.

Yeah.

I went and got changed and I was

ready to go home and they went.

And then Sean was like,

you got another match.

It's just a constellation match.

Not even for a medal.

At this point.

I was fully dressed and ready to go home.

Yeah.

I was like, no, I'm done.

And then I went, no, no, I'm not done.

And I got changed.

On the spot, jumped over the barrier, went

on the mat and I got a submission win.

So at least I gotta win that day.

Yeah.

And yeah, mentally that,

that for me is hard.

I think tournaments just seem to be

a bit of a barrier that I haven't

quite yet got the answer for.

And you know, like what's commendable as

well is still see you on your social media

going out there being like, well done.

You beat me.

There was no but this, but

that is, yeah, well done.

You beat me.

Yeah, you did.

Like it is what it is.

You know, which is good, but somehow

some people, so you should give

your black belt back because you're,

shit, the amount of abuse that

I saw you receiving was like it.

How do people do that?

I mean, and.

How many people turned up when

you put your address down,

being like, this is ride train.

This is the days I'm there and the hours.

How many people turned up?

Obviously, none of them.

Yeah.

You know the answer to that.

Yeah.

No one ever does anything.

Every single time someone's

called me out online.

Yeah.

No one's turned up.

It's, yeah, like even, even when

I'm winding, winding people up, like

rage baby videos, like it's, yeah.

No one turns up.

No, it is.

Why do you think people do that?

Do you think it's, they're

insecure in themselves.

It's just they enjoy trying to get

a reaction that you don't give them.

And But why do people feel the need to, to

have to come and like try and get at you?

I think that's their thing.

Maybe.

Like that's what they enjoy doing.

Like, they like trying to get

a rise outta someone perhaps.

Yeah.

That makes them feel better about

themselves because they're actually shit.

Maybe.

Yeah.

Like that's probably it.

Tell you what, you will never

see good people doing that.

People that are actually accomplished.

Yeah.

Like the same with anything.

Yeah.

Like, like you, people generally

don't talk shit unless it's necessary.

Yeah.

Um, um, like just for no reason.

And if they are themselves, well

accomplished and you know, I was gonna

say, when you said then about you

never lose your shit, I was gonna ask

you about like your best and worst.

We'll get to the best in a minute,

but the worst match you've ever had.

Which for me, you know what I think it is.

Would you agree?

Yeah.

The match we thinking about.

I think I, I completely and utterly lost

my head and I've never lost my head so bad

in a ma in the middle of a match before.

Yeah.

Um, as I did with Sebastian

Broche on, uh, grapple Max.

I'd prepared for him.

I'd, I had everything.

I have everything, like

my game plan in my head.

Uh, I trained with Ben Robson loads for

it because I know he, um, he, he'd also

previously beaten Sebastian and like

they were a bit like, oh yeah, you know,

I try and get your head a little bit.

I was like, yeah, cool.

What I didn't expect was him to

try and fucking like, bomb rush

me at the beginning of the match.

I was like, okay, fine.

And then he started giving

me fucking CPR in the match.

Anyone I didn't know.

What I mean is he was essentially

double palm striking my

diaphragm from multiple places.

It looked like, you know, the

Arctic foxman jumping up and

pummeling down, didn't it?

Yes, yes.

It was like, it was so weird and it,

it completely and utterly threw me off.

Yeah.

I got so mad to the point where I actually

thought to myself, just knock him out.

I actually thought for a split second,

I was like, you just gotta punch him.

That's all you need to do now.

Yeah.

And I was like, wait, no, no, no, no.

Let's not punch him.

Let's sort your head out.

He got, he got given a negative,

he got for doing this at the time.

The commentary didn't know why.

They thought, 'cause he was not

engaging and Oh, that's not fair.

Um, but then obviously they

realized afterwards, uh, just

so everyone else knows that.

Yeah.

Um, and then I'm like, right,

he's gonna stop doing that now.

So I, I subbed him Yeah.

Once to be himself.

Truth hour even.

Wasn't myself after that.

Yeah.

Like I, I, I was fuming after the match.

Yeah.

Like, and he, and he was dead nice to me.

I was like, oh, now I, I feel bad.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And so that, that's his, I mean,

he, he opened, he said didn't he?

He is like he said before.

What's your prediction?

Oh, Shane's gonna sub me spectacularly.

Yeah.

I did see that.

And I'm gonna get in his head.

Uh, I think that's also like, if you know

someone's gonna beat you that badly, just.

Just do jujitsu, but someone is there.

Just do juujitsu, you know, if you're

gonna lose, you carry more respect

away from yourself by, by doing it.

And this is as a shitty little

white belt, but also like a shitty

little white belts like there, I

say it fund a lot of the sport.

'cause the majority of watches

are, are gonna be people like

me that enjoy watching it.

And it's, yeah, it just sort of give

himself a little bit of a bad name there.

But like I said afterwards, nicest

pie back to the est guy ever guy.

Yeah.

He was lovely to me talking

before and after off.

I'm not gonna lie.

Yeah, everyone sat around chatting

before and after and yeah.

Lovely guy.

Just, we'll call it different.

Yes, he is though.

But, um, I told you, Ruth.

Yeah.

On that note, what's been your favorite

Jiujitsu match that you've ever done?

Um,

I don't know.

It's hard to say.

I think

like en uh, enjoyment.

I weirdly.

That's, I don't actually know

that's, I don't actually know

what my favorite match is.

I don't think there is.

There's a match that in my head

particularly stands out as my

favorite match I've ever had.

To be fair, the one with Ben

Robinson was actually really good.

Yeah.

Uh, me and Ben fought a few

years ago on Grapple Fest.

Yeah.

Uh, that was fun.

That was kind of, that was

like a 24 hour notice thing.

I was a little bit OI was heavier

than, he was lighter than me.

And they were, and we both wanted a match.

There was no one, and Grapple Fest

were like, wanna go against each other,

like with 10 kilo difference in weight.

And we were like, yeah, fuck it, why not?

So that was fun.

Um, and then me and Ben have become

really good friends since then.

Yeah.

Trading partners.

You, so you and Ben and you

and, um, gripper as well.

Yeah.

Both really good friends.

Would you if it ever

came to it, fight them?

No.

No.

Is that, well, me and Ben have

already had a match anyway.

Yeah.

Like if, I guess if we ended

up against each other in a

tournament, that's the only way.

Yeah.

Uh, me and Lloyd have both.

We would never have a

match against each other.

This is fucking pointless.

Right.

Like fighting your mates.

Yeah.

I I'm undefeated against

teammates though, three and Oh.

Um, but not by choice.

Only ever been in tournaments.

Yeah.

And obviously, and we're not,

we are not one of them gyms

that close closes divisions out

or says, oh, you can win this.

Yeah.

So we just, yeah, we've, we, we

will always just have the matches.

Yeah.

Love it.

Love it.

On that.

Um, is there any moments like just

in your life, like from Juujitsu

specifically that's like really stood

out to you for any reason whatsoever?

So, the one, one moment for me

that I think has helped me the

most is my loss against Jeremy.

Uh, par, I think he's pronounced,

he's a French Canadian name.

Um, I had the match on Grappa Fest

against him, uh, when I was a brown belt.

And like mentally I just

couldn't get going for it.

That's just something like, I, I almost

stubbed him straight away and then I

just sat there in his guard and let him

false reap me and let him heal hook me.

Almost like I didn't let him,

but you, you get what I'm saying?

It was just like, I was just

watching him in slow motion.

Um, and after that I actually,

um, I don't remember if I spoke to

him or just straight to his coach

because he had a mental performance

coach, um, and Sam Antonin.

And since then I've just been trying

to work and deal with the mental side

of things more than just the, uh,

just like the physical preparation.

And I worked with Sam, I worked with,

I've worked with quite a few people on

this kind of mental performance side.

And now I'm at the point where myself,

where I know what it is I need to do.

Yeah.

And like I do speak to people here

and there about different things and

like how to, how to help overcome it.

But that I think made is a

good turning point for me.

'cause quite for a while I would like

win one, lose one, win one, lose one.

Then when I was able to actually

sort out this mental kind of

element, and sometimes it, uh,

sometimes I just can't quite get it.

But what the days where I know

I'm on and I, and I, I win.

Like they're the days where

I know I'm almost unbeatable.

They're the days where

I'm like closer to myself.

Yeah.

In the gym.

Like for me, a lot of people have

asked me like, what's your goals?

I've been thinking about

that quite a lot recently.

And like, I, and my goal isn't become

world champion, become this come

that I'd like, I'd like to be, I'd

like, I'd like to win the Euros.

Yeah.

Like there's things I'd like to do,

but I think what the one thing is

that I would, that would be a really

good goal for me is being able to

compete the way I can roll in the gym.

And that is like something I don't really

think I've ever heard anyone say is, is

like that's what they want to achieve.

Yeah.

So that's something that I really,

really want to work hard towards and

I'm continuously trying to work on

this mental performance aspects like

sports psychology behind how to just

perform rather than like, the biggest

thing is like I used to do is just try

not to lose rather than trying to win.

Yeah.

And like there's lots of different ways

I've been trying to deal with that.

Um, so yeah, for me that was a really

big turning point on how to help me.

And that's was before I

was known as a golf lord.

It was before like just when I used

to just do super fight and like people

knew who it was a little bit like didn't

like and I had some good wins and like.

Um, that, yeah, that was a

good turning point for me.

Awesome.

That actually leads on to, um,

something you and talked about

earlier, which, which was that re

naked choke I escaped on Polaris.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That, that was the one that was

fully locked in, uh, by Nathan

Jones, who is in, in his own right.

As a really good black belt now.

And he was also like MMA

champion and like his Yeah.

Very well accomplished.

Um, that match was the fir was actually

the first match after losing to Jeremy.

Yeah.

Um, and I was using Sam, uh, the,

the Ashan and the Mental Performance

Coach for like four weeks leading

up to that to help me prepare.

And I remember like, the woman was great.

I felt like ev even ri Riley Daniels, uh,

he was in my, he was in my corner there in

with me and when I was warming up because

I could tell that you were like, this was

different, like the way I was before the

match and I was winning the whole match

up until this last minute and a half,

maybe one, I mean one 20 to go perhaps.

Um, I actually tried to go for the

golf lock, but back then I wasn't.

There was things that I hadn't quite

like worked out with it and I just made

a silly mistake and gave my backup and

I remember him getting on my bag, hooks

in locking up this real naked joke and

in my head I thought, you fucking idiot.

I was like, you're not gonna lose this.

And like I always, I

thought, that's it now.

And then I thought then, then

I kind of switched and went,

no, it's not, it escape this.

You have won this whole match,

you're not gonna let it go now.

I escaped it, boom.

Spanning to him.

I was like, his only

moment in the whole match.

And the way that it was scored back then

was Polaris was doing the 10 minutes

split into three segments of three 20.

Yeah.

So I'd already won the first

three 20 and he obviously won that

one because that was the only.

Obvious thing that happened

in that final third.

Yeah.

And I won, and that was my f

first win on first Win on Polar.

No, it wasn't my first one on Polaris.

It was my second win on Polaris.

But that was like, that was big for me.

Yeah.

Because historically I'd always

lose someone top of my back.

Yeah.

Um, it rather been the gym or in comp.

Yeah.

And historically in comp, I've never

think I ever, ever up to that point.

I've never escaped a submission.

Like I'd normally, if I won, I'd just win.

Yeah.

But I, and if I was gonna lose and

someone got me in something, that was it.

I've pretty much done for, um, and if you

haven't seen it, it is a damn impressive

escape because I don't just mean like,

it wasn't just on your chin or something.

Yeah.

I mean, he was fully locked in, like it

was fully locked in hand behind the head.

Yeah.

That's probably some adjustments

he could have made to, yeah.

To have finished it completely.

But obviously in the moment, like.

As he's making those

adjustments, I reach behind.

Yeah.

I'm like feeling, and I specifically tried

not to grab his fingers, 'cause I know

you're not supposed to do that anyway.

Yeah.

Even fight or flight sort of thing.

Like, oh, grab fingers, it's fine.

Um, and on the video, and like people

are, oh, you grabbed his finger.

Like, I didn't grab his finger.

I remember finding his finger

and then finding his hand.

Yeah.

And pulling it over my head.

Yeah.

And turning into him and smiling.

Yeah.

Is that where it comes

from then the smiling?

Because you, other than

Sebastian, you're always smiling.

Yeah.

And Juujitsu, um, you, you've

got a mental performance coach,

they're helping you set up.

But do you think you consciously

or subconsciously act like

that for other people?

Do you think people look

up to you as a leader?

As like a He's inspiring

me like the way he is.

What, where he's come from too.

Do you think you see yourself as a

role model for, for guys in Jiujitsu?

Um, it's not something

I've actively tried to do.

Um, I actually try not to do, I'm just

trying to be myself, but I do know people

who have said that to me before and it's

just quite nice to hear things like that.

Like, um, but it's not something that

I, I say that I, whether I know whether

I've tried to or not, I do have a few

people saying that they look up to me,

they like my style of juujitsu, whatever.

Yeah.

And then I guess that's when

the niche comes back into it.

Yeah.

A niche I feel for me is, and the

way that you can become, I dunno,

popular, well known or whatever.

Yeah.

You build your niche based

off of being relatable.

Yes.

And I think because of me, how I am as

a, maybe like my style if is quite weird.

Like I, I can do the

fundamentals perfectly fine.

Yeah.

But I also have the capabilities

to do quite an Orthodox stuff.

But also because I'm in ta,

TA's metal, I a more alternative

side of me suppose to, to speak.

I think people see that and

think, oh, he's like me.

We both like metal, we

both like that same band.

Yeah.

We both like tattoos.

I think that way people kind of, then

it gives them a bit of an in to juujitsu

if they're not one into it or two.

If they're, may be on the kind of

like on the, on the edge, maybe

teacher in, um, or they've started it.

They've seen me and thought,

oh, that's really cool.

I've not, I've not seen

anyone else like that.

And like, still to this day,

I like definitely, there's

definitely lots of heavily, heavily

tattooed people in Jiujitsu.

Um, but I don't think that's,

anyone's seen anyone like me

specifically, like the, at least

markets themselves as that is me.

Yeah.

And let's take you onto your Goss lock.

Where did it come from?

How did you develop it?

And you, you're pretty

well known for it now.

So the submission itself is just

something that I just did once, I

literally just did it in the gym.

I was like, oh.

That works.

And I think I was a blue purple belt.

It's just something that I've

tried to do and then eventually

just did more and more and more.

I remember like just trying to

do it like, and I've had like no

success of it for a long time.

In comp Yeah.

In the gym.

Boom.

Um, and like I know for a fact there

are other people that do it that

maybe didn't even see me do it.

I know, actually, I know there is

one guy who did it years and years

before me, but I never saw him do it.

Yeah.

If that makes sense.

Like I didn't look at it and go, oh, I'm

gonna do that and watch a video and then

now I'm just gonna call it the Glock.

Yeah.

I, I found it for myself and I know

of a lot of positions in Juujitsu

is a lot of people will find things

for themselves and that just comes

with the, um, comes with the sport.

Like it's just the nature of it.

You will just sometimes find something,

you won't actually be taught it.

Um, that's something I'll get onto later.

Um, but.

Yeah, I just did that.

And then the first time I ever hit

it in a comp properly, like I almost

got it, a purple belt once against

a really good, uh, grappler, who's a

very good, accomplished black belt now.

But, um, I hit it on a kind of good

friend of mine, actually now, like

after the match, who kind of stayed in

touch with, trained a bit and stuff,

uh, ker then, um, and he flew over for

Grapple Fest and I caught it on him.

And then the referee at the time

Krishnan, um, he, he was like,

he was like, I was like, what?

Wait, what is it?

I was like, shoulder lock.

And he went, caught the golf lock.

So I did, and then it went from there

and like, I get some shit for it.

It's like, oh, it's not the golf

lock, it's just this, it's just

a scarf, but it's upside down.

I was like, oh, yeah.

Okay, cool.

I was like, yeah, it doesn't matter.

I don't care if anyone else does it.

Um, but like, why do you care so much?

Yeah, exactly.

Why do you care so much?

I don't, um, yeah.

And I think that then also helped me

push with the Goff Lord stuff as well.

I think.

'cause that came first.

The Goff Lord came and then

the, uh, go lock The Go Lo.

The name of it at least came

rather than me doing it.

And then like, all my little system

that I use around there, um, that

I call Golf Guard, which, um, Ben

Robson kept telling me to call it.

Um, and yeah.

So that's the end.

I just, I still do it now.

Yeah.

I, I don't actively go for it

in comp unless it's just there.

Yeah.

Because I know you can absolutely

fuck yourself up trying to do it.

Yeah.

Um, so yeah, that's, that's kind of,

that's how that happened, shall we say?

I love it.

Let's talk a little bit

about A DHD and autism.

It's prolific mm-hmm.

In the sport.

Yourself.

Yeah.

You'd say you, you have it.

So, but you also, it wasn't

until later on in life that you,

you've realized this was it.

Yes.

So where, uh, a few years ago, I was

just about to do a pt and one of, uh,

I was trying to remember, so one of my

mates at, back, back then, Costa, his

name was, um, I said to him, remind me.

I was trying to, I can't

remember what I was doing.

I said, no.

And he was like, no, no, don't worry.

If you forget, uh, I don't wanna go out

your, I don't want you to go out your way.

I was like, no, no, no.

I want to do it.

Just remind me.

And he was like, no, no, no, don't worry.

I was like, mate, you

just need, I will forget.

Just remind me.

Yeah.

And then, anyway, that conversation

happened and, um, Jake, the guy I

was about to do a PT with went to me.

You got a DHD.

And I was like, uh, I don't think so.

Why?

And he was like, oh.

And then we just spent half an hour

of his pt him going, well, I've just,

me and my dad just got diagnosed.

I was like, oh yeah, he was like, and

then he just kept reading off a list

of different things, traits, like

just ways you are when you have a DHD.

And I was like, yeah,

yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.

Yeah.

And it just, just this whole list

of things and I was like, oh shit.

And then I just did so much research

into it, um, and then finding out

you've got it, it's just like,

it's just kind of like eyeopening.

'cause as a, as a kid realizing this

is why, and like for me, I don't think

it got, it wasn't obvious when I was

a kid because one, I guess it was

less well known anyway, but two, I

was always in top sets for everything.

I did enough to get by.

That was, that was a phrase commonly used.

Yeah.

Um, or if he applied himself.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And things like that.

And then like, I would have, I

had growing up, so many hobbies,

so I mentioned earlier about

wanting to be a tattoo artist.

So drawing boom, I'd get like a month

of drawing and then I'd get bored of it.

Skateboarding twice in my life,

I spent 200 pound on a fucking

skateboard to not use it after a week.

Uh, inline skates twice if I paid 200

pound for a pair of inline skates.

So granted, I did do, I did skate

a little bit more when I was a kid,

because I guess that's, that was what

my kinda like hyper focus was as a kid.

But yeah, I, I almost bought a

4,000 pound drum set when I was 17.

Wow.

Thankfully the, um, finance

got, got, uh, denied.

Lucky because I was in my head

about You're gonna be a drummer.

You're gonna be a drummer.

Yeah.

Because I had borrowed my granddad.

Let me use his drum kit.

You, you can't.

Get rid of that hyperfocus mm-hmm.

At all is like, that

is me, like locked in.

There's no possible other

avenue of me to do anything.

Yeah.

Other than this thing I'm now fixated on.

And I dunno if it's the same with

you as it is for me, it only lasts

two weeks, maybe a month at the most.

So I've absolutely, I've developed

like my own little system of, right.

So if you get into something

and it costs money and you

want to buy X, Y, and Z, wait.

Yeah.

Like, you have to give yourself at least

a week before you purchase anything.

Yeah, absolutely.

And every single time I don't want it.

Yeah.

After a week, I'm like, oh, thank God.

Yeah.

It, you know, it's a, it's a massive

way of why people get themselves, have

a adhd, get themselves into trouble

financially because it's, yeah.

I need that thing.

And if you can't self-regulate and,

and have that financial control and

financial discipline, so with a DH,

ADHD as well, being bad with money.

Actually one of the kind of

like traits, so to speak.

Yeah.

And I was as young when I was

younger, I was in quite a lot of debt.

Um, thankfully I'm not at all now.

Um, and like it just all makes sense.

Yeah.

Um, so finding out I had it

definitely like it helped.

I don't take medication for it or

anything 'cause it's, I guess I'm with

what you would be call high functioning.

Um, and for a long time and still now I

still, it's still just go through my head

like it's not even a problem because I'm

like, why everyone around me is like it.

Like, so it's not even

that much of an issue.

But you know why everyone around,

everyone around me is like it.

Yeah.

Because we all be fucking Jit the same.

Exactly.

And it's then not until you meet what.

Quote unquote normal people.

You're like, oh, okay.

We're with weird, we, weird, weird, weird.

The weird ones.

Exactly.

And that jujitsu obviously attracts that.

Yes.

Kind of.

Um, that type of Per per person.

Why do you think that is?

You know, we were so hyperfocused

on it and a bit of me at the start,

I, I'm Leonard, hard about starting.

Oh,

good.

Bit of money to spend on.

I've gotta buy gear, got my

rash, gotta buy all this stuff.

I'm not gonna do it.

I want to give it up, but it never

went away and I finally did it

and then, and I'm still, so Yeah.

Like hardcore fixated on itt.

Can't enough of it.

Don't actually, no, because for

me, every single time I've got into

something, like I said, it wouldn't last.

Juujitsu is the only thing that,

um, I stick to, and it's not even

a combat sport thing because quite.

Often I'll go through phases of

wanting to be an MMA fighter.

Yeah.

And I'll train for a month and

I'll go like, spot all these pros

and I'll go to like judo, Jimmys.

Yeah.

And like, I'll be all

right, we're gonna fight.

And then I'm like, and then maybe

a month later I'm like, ah, I'll

just, I'll just a bit more jiujitsu.

Say, oh, a bit bit more jiujitsu.

And then it's gone completely.

Ah, fuck.

Forget.

Like, and I dunno what it is.

Everything else I've ever done in my

life in terms of hobbies and stuff,

I have never been able to stick to.

I kind of come in and out.

Like I played guitar, I played drums, I've

skated, I've drawn, I've painted, like

during lockdown, I got back into drawing.

Like, and I'm quite lucky if I

draw for a couple of days, I can,

it's really easy for me to do.

Like, I, I'm, I'm quite, I think I'm

kind of, I am, I guess I'm talented Yeah.

In that way.

Like, it, it doesn't, not

everyone can be creative.

Yeah.

In the sense of being an artist.

Yeah.

Luckily I can just do it.

Yeah.

Like, and if I imagine if I put a

year to it, I'd be ridiculously good.

Like.

Um, but I get bored of it.

Yeah.

And I save everything.

Like even lifting weights.

I struggle to keep up with doing as

a, as a gym guy for the, for the best

part of like 20 years, you know, from

when I was like a teenager loving

to go to the gym for my swimming.

I always fall in and out of love of it.

And even now I'm like,

I know I should train.

Yeah.

Because it's good for juujitsu

and it's good for my head.

It's good for my body.

And you know, Ryan, one of our athletes

who coaches my gym stuff and I'm just

like, and I'm genuinely busy and if I

had a choice, I'm like, it's Juujitsu

or gym, I've got one or the other.

It's always jut jujitsu

and I'm like, yeah.

You know, I just feel the love of it.

But fueled in your athletic

performance, you need to be disciplined.

You can't just start smashing donuts,

cake or equally just eating nothing.

'cause you won't be able to

survive on the mats physically.

How, how would you stay disciplined

with, with your food and your nutrition?

Um.

I like.

So with a DHD, this is quite common that

people with a DHD have a sweet tooth.

I dunno if you experienced that.

Yeah.

And it makes so much sense

looking back, growing up.

Um, and like I'm disciplined, but

because I can, I trained so much,

my caloric intake is quite high.

Yeah.

So like I just go by an 80 20.

Yeah.

Like, and luckily because I'm able to burn

off the calories that I intake, it's okay.

Like I'm, I'm just idea.

I just, I, in my head I'm like,

right, these are my meals.

Yeah.

Whatever you've got left,

do whatever you want with.

Yeah.

So I wouldn't, I say I'm

strict, but I'm not that strict.

Like Becker will be like, it's not fair.

It's not fair.

You've got, how have you

got 1,500 calories left?

And I'm sat there eating a

tub of ice cream like every

night sometimes like, yeah.

Yeah.

And like, I dunno, I guess I, I do have

a, just because of the amount I train.

Yeah.

I guess I'm able to, and like

I'm, I'm getting a bit heavier

again now, which I don't mind.

So therefore, three and a

half thousand calories a day.

Like recently, I've had quite a few

5,000 calorie days, so I'll be honest.

Um, but my weight hasn't really gone

where, gone, gone too high when you've got

the output that you've got and, and you

know, coming and training with you boys.

Like it isn't a walk in a park.

Like Yeah.

I think that was 15

rounds we did that day.

It was, yeah.

And, and the That's 15 hard rounds.

Yeah.

It's not, let's go through some position.

Yeah.

It didn't have an easy session, did you?

No, I did not.

I did not.

But it was virtually all black belts.

Yeah.

You know, there was like a few purple

belts and then there was no blue belts

on there and I just got destroyed

and I absolutely loved it, you know?

Yeah.

Absolutely loved it.

It was brilliant.

You know, just got absolutely hounded,

but learnt a lot as well, you know.

It's, yeah.

Tap early, tap off.

Watch what, oh yeah.

Guys do when, and it was, yeah.

Brilliant.

Yeah.

And I will get back up for it again.

You touched on Becca.

Mm-hmm.

So your partner Becca, how so?

She's got her own very successful

business being a tattoo artist.

Yeah.

She gets to color you in as well?

Not very often, to be honest.

She'll moan at me.

Yeah.

Um, and it's my own fault that she's

like, she's not finished my back.

Yeah.

Because it's like, I haven't got time.

I haven't got time.

She'll be like, she'll look at it

in the morning and be like, I'm,

I don't, I don't wanna look at it

anymore because it's not finished.

But yeah.

Go on.

How, how, how does your relationship work?

You know, she's super

fixated on, on her tattooing.

You are super fixated on, on Juujitsu.

How do you guys find time for

each other and how does she

support you and, and you her?

Um, I think because we are, and

I say this a few people because

we are both self-employed.

Because we both have jobs

that we like, it just works.

But I will tell you one thing,

when we first got together, I

worked for Hillary's Blinds.

Yeah.

Um, in it.

And then we actually, so I, I, I've

known Becca for quite a while in

terms of like, we knew of each other.

Like I'd, she actually did a bit

of boxing before, um, and she'd

come down quite regularly and

do the boxing class at our gym.

And I, like, I think she always said

to me, I was the only person that would

say hello to her and had front, and

I do actually remember thinking, oh,

it'd be nice if she was my girlfriend.

Yeah.

Years and years ago.

Um, anyway, we kind of just

started speaking on, uh,

Instagram during lockdown.

And then it was nothing

more than just getting on.

And then we were just

talking more and more.

And then she was saying that

she wanted to try Juujitsu,

but she wanted to do PTs first.

I was furloughed.

She was off work.

Furloughed, I guess.

Well, not furloughed, but

she, you couldn't work,

could you, uh, at that point.

And, um, so I was like, okay,

we'll do some, we'll do some PTs.

It's like she wasn't seeing

anyone as far as I know.

Like, like, to be fair,

it doesn't really matter.

No one gives a fuck anymore who wasn't

and wasn't seeing anyone during lockdown.

Yeah, we, I did a lot

of training in lockdown.

Um, but yeah, so I, I, I did like one

PT with her and then I was just like,

do you wanna do another one tomorrow?

And then she was like, yeah, okay.

And, and they were just like, do

you wanna do another one tomorrow?

And we kind of come to the grievance

like, okay, I'll do PTs in Utah with me.

And then we just got on so well,

and we just kept seeing each

other and kept seeing each other.

And then within a couple of months

actually moved, we, we pretty much moved.

We did move in together and

then like, it's been together

like five and a half years now.

So when we, um.

When I was meant to like, go back to

work, um, because I, I got furloughed.

I was supposed to go in and then

they were like, oh, no, actually

you're gonna work from home.

I worked from home for like nine months

and then it got to the point where

they're like, right, you, this is the

date you're coming back into the office.

I was like, I can't do that.

Yeah.

Like I sent to back, I was like,

I'm not gonna be able to do this.

Like, go back into the office.

And she went to me, she's

like, quit, quit your job then.

Like, try and do you wanna do juujitsu?

We we'll do that then.

And like, she was like, they're

looking for a, a fitness instructor.

Um, this gym we used to train at called

H three, which like a kind of like a

class based gym ish thing that we did.

We went, we went to, and

I was like, all right.

Yeah.

So I did, I applied for the job there.

I got a job as like a fitness

instructor, uh, because I already

had the qualifications for that.

Anyway, the very few things I

actually completed, um, and.

I worked there for a couple of months

after I quit Hillary's, whilst I was

starting to do a few PTs and that.

Yeah.

And she, 'cause she went to me

and was like, look, if you can't

afford to pay rent, so be it.

I'll cover you.

Touch wood, I'd never missed rent.

Um, but that her just being like, do

it like that gave me the kind of, the

push I needed, I think, to go full time.

And if it wasn't for her, I don't

know when I would've, like, I don't

know if I'd had the time because

that was, was perfectly timed.

Yeah.

Like, because I'd already been doing some

PTs so I could add a little bit of money.

And then I got this job, which

they fired me from for about,

after about two months because I

didn't wanna teach Juujitsu there.

And it was around the

corner from my actual gym.

Yeah.

I was like, I can't do that.

I kind of went, oh, I'll do, I

said to 'em initially, oh, I'll

do like a self-defense course.

Yeah.

Like an eight week course or something.

And then I was like,

no, no, I can't do that.

Like I don't want take

away anything from the gym.

Even though it wouldn't have specifically.

I was like, no, I can't do this.

Yeah.

And then.

Let me go.

So, great integrity that though you,

you're being paid by them and you're

like, actually no, my Lou is a Yeah.

A lot.

A exactly.

MA, um, yeah.

That's, that's brilliant.

It's, it's nice and wicked to

have such a supportive partner.

Yeah.

As well.

You know, five and a half

years is, is awesome.

The guy's still happy.

Yeah, definitely.

We were bought, just bought, we just

bought a house together last year.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Massive.

Congratulations on that as well.

Thank you.

Is like, is marriage on the cards?

Well, both, to be fair, both of

us are not that fussed about it.

Like that's never, it's not been something

we've really both been interested.

Becca said to herself, she's

not that bothered by it.

Yeah.

So like, I think, yeah,

it's just happy it happens.

It happens.

If it doesn't, it doesn't.

Like that's kind of, I think the.

Both of our out outlook on it.

What if we hit a leap year and

the 29th of February and she

proposes to you, would you say?

Yes.

Yeah.

I love that.

I mean, there's no one else I'm gonna be

with for the rest of my life anyway, so.

That's awesome, man.

Yeah, it is so nice to look, yeah,

when you find your person, you just,

you know, don't, yeah, definitely.

Oh, that's wicked man.

That's wicked Talking about Juujitsu then.

So like, just talk us through like

an average day of yourself being a

full-time juujitsu athlete and coach.

So, I'm, Becca always

calls me a lady of leisure.

I get up, I have my breakfast, I take,

generally I drop CCA off at work.

Um, 'cause she'll start at like

10 30 and then that'll be all.

And then I'll drop her off just

before 10 and I'll go to the gym.

I'll either do a PT or clean the gym

or something around that along there.

Train maybe if, whether it's lift

weights or do a training session, go

home, spend some time with the dogs,

and then pick back, back up from work.

Then we'll, either we will train

or we just go home and we'll just

either walk the dogs or just attend

the evening together or something.

Um, yeah, that's pretty much just,

that's just that on repeat, unless

Becca's off work, if she's off work,

then we'll go down to the gym together.

She's normally off on a, a side from

a Sunday when we don't, sometimes

we train, sometimes we do, like on a

weekday, like on a Monday and a Thursday

when she's off, are both actually

days that I teach lunchtime classes.

Yeah.

So she'll come to them sometimes,

um, or if weights together and stuff.

So yeah, that's pretty, just pretty

much that as on, on repeat, I suppose.

Um, aside from the times where we, I

guess she's quite busy, so we finding,

we sometimes find, I mean, I'm busy as

well, I guess It's hard to, it's hard

to like juggle everything at the time

and then we'll try and go on holiday.

And just be away from it a little bit.

I suppose it's important to have that

time as a relationship, like away from

everything just, yeah, I think it's

probably something we don't do enough of,

which could probably my fault sometimes.

Um, 'cause with the whole A DHD and

also I'm pretty much 99% certain

I'm autistic because my mom's just

found out she's autistic and I've

just gone on the same route of that.

I did when I found out I had a DHD

before, like getting it confirmed that

I've just been researching it so much

and like it actually is, yeah, I'm

pretty certain I'm autistic as well.

Did you find like trying, like planning

a holiday, like there's just too many

variables and it just, it's brain overlay.

Like back could be, she she'll,

she'll sometimes get left to it.

Like, and, and 'cause it's, it's

easier if she does it rather than me,

even though it shouldn't be that way.

Um, 'cause I, I get, I think.

Whether I say it or not, I get

overwhelmed trying to do things like that.

Yeah.

For example, when me and Big Matt

went to Austin, he booked it all.

I was like, yep, Sam, just lemme know.

I'm you owe you.

Yeah.

So much easier.

Like I, I like, I don't like things like

that and I never have, like I didn't

pay my taxes until the day before.

Like I didn't do my taxes

until the week of it.

Yeah.

And I was like, oh, shit.

Left after to the last minute.

Um, everything's got left,

left to the last minute.

Yeah.

That's, yeah.

Like, and it is finding a way in the

chaos, you know, when you know you've got

a time limit to get something done, it

gets done and you're super productive.

If it's not, it's, it can wait.

It's not important.

I'm very much the same

with, with, with Rachel.

It's, yeah.

It's so hard.

It's like we're trying to book away.

Like, I've got, finally got a weekend.

We, we've got nine weeks of back

to back something every weekend.

Yeah.

She's like, you got a weekend here?

We're going away.

Like something.

Yeah.

I'm looking, I'm like, just

my brain can't comprehend.

Like I can't, how do we get

to the airport in a car?

We driving, we park it.

I'm like.

I'm like having like a panic

attack about, it's too much.

I think my, like, it does

overwhelm me thinking about

it, but I'm also the opposite.

I'm like, it'll be fine.

We'll sort it.

And like I, I think 'cause I,

'cause I don't worry about it.

Yeah.

I leave it to the last minute.

That will worry back.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That'll be like, oh no, it'll be sad.

Like I'm the opposite.

Like I'm not a warrior at all,

but, so I think it kind of almost

levels us out a little bit.

Um, so yeah, it kind of, uh, yeah.

I don't worry about those things in

a weird way, but I know having to

sort just get, just doing it Yeah.

Is the hard part for me.

Not the doing the process itself isn't

that hard, but the process of actually

doing something Yeah, getting it going.

Yeah.

Is it's hard.

Like same with like fucking projects,

any sort of business endeavors.

Yeah.

I struggle to get it going

even in the first place.

Especially if it's something

like, it would be good for me.

It's, I, I'll do it and

then I don't ever do it.

There's so many things I should

be doing that I don't do.

Yeah.

But also you, you enjoy your life and

there's a lot said flat, isn't it?

That's like, that's, that's another

thing when people say, what's your goal?

I just wanna pay my mortgage.

I wanna be happy.

Yeah.

That's it.

Yeah.

You know, it's so underrated,

like, just to be happy.

Mm-hmm.

You know, it's, I've gone like the

other way 'cause I'm like, I need to

have something going on all the time.

Yeah.

And it's, otherwise it starts

being a little bit bad for my

mental health and it's, but even

that can be detrimental as well.

Yeah.

But you know, it's, there's like

a day in the future where I'd like

to be able to be, my whole focus

is just on, just to be happy.

Yeah.

Not that I'm not happy now, of

course, but it's busy match.

Want that to be like my, my pure focus

Me Rachel at some point to be able to

give her like the time she deserves.

But it's like you and Becca already

kind like you already have that.

Yeah, we do train together a

lot and spend times together.

Like, like I definitely

should be a, and trying to.

Make more time where we're

not doing juujitsu together.

Yeah.

More like, more than just that.

So you got a jump.

That's a, that's a goal for me.

Rachel says to me, so she sort it out.

She downloaded the Ryan Air app and

like we were always on, oh, a few

years ago we were always on holiday.

We had 15 holidays and you'd Oh wow.

You must have so much of it.

Like, bro paid like 8, 9, 9 for flights.

Yeah.

Like yeah.

Rhino app Sky scatter a bit harder for us.

'cause we've got the two dogs.

Yeah, absolutely.

So it's like, like get

them to look, look after.

We both just say when, when we don't

have them anymore, then that's when,

we'll for a couple of years it'll be

much easier for us to just go Yeah.

Touch when it's not for a long time.

Yeah.

I hope not.

They, they're 10 and they're going strong.

Yeah.

Good, good.

You've got another 10

years left there maybe.

I love it.

Hope.

I hope so.

Um, one are, the final bit to touch

on is, is supplements obviously.

So you, you, you're a combat shoe athlete.

Yeah.

After the first grappl on Max, uh,

tried to support you at wherever

we can where it's fighting, um,

helping out with costing and going

somewhere with your sports nutrition.

Which products do you use and, and why?

Uh, consistently.

Like I, I use creatine every day.

Um, so I said this to you before

actually, um, I used, I never used

creatine previously because I only

used to ever get like the Mar Protein

one or another brand similar to that.

And weirdly, and I've never met

anyone else that has this side

effect, but my protein is cheap.

Creatines always give me bne.

And so I just never took it A

couple of days I, I'd buy CRE thing.

I'll try it again.

Yeah.

Bne, I'm gonna try it again.

Bne.

And then I did actually move

on to a different brand.

Yeah.

Um, which in my head,

like it's a bigger name.

It is.

It is better.

It's more expensive.

It's gonna be better,

which granted it was.

Um, but then, so obviously when you

guys, I tried, I think I tried some

of the products beforehand anyway.

Yeah.

So I knew that they were good for me.

So I very consistently stick with

the creatine and then I like that.

I love the clear way.

Yeah.

I struggle with normal protein shakes.

Like, that's one thing that I'm

not a big, I'm not a big fan of.

Like, and that's nothing

to do with combat fuel.

That's just, I just don't

like the consistency of it.

But I love the clear way,

personal preference flavor.

So I'm two Unicorn Piss.

Yeah.

And Iron Brew.

They're my two favorites.

Love it.

They are the best.

Iron Brew.

P it for me.

Just, yeah.

Yeah.

I think, I think I do prefer

Iron Brew out the two.

And then, um, I do always like to have,

um, a stash of, uh, the, uh, the cups.

Yeah.

They, I do like, I do

love the, um, the cups.

They're all, every flavor.

I love those.

Love it.

Becca likes them as well.

Yeah, we both a big fan of those.

Um, I definitely should probably

take more supplements otherwise,

but like they're the ones that

I am good and consistent with.

When I don't have something in a routine,

I struggle to get it back in again.

Obviously with all the disabilities.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh, I love it, man.

Like you said, like anything that you'd

like to address while you're here.

Like any misconceptions about

yourself, jiujitsu your life, anything?

Um,

it always actually intrigues me

actually, the way I come across when

to someone doesn't know me in person.

Like what was your first impression of

me not meeting me, just looking at me.

I had a conversation with

someone earlier in person and

I've had it with a few people.

Very fake.

I think it is two very

different perceptions.

I think there's that, when I first

saw him, I'm like, this guy like

almost looks scary, you know?

Like, and then you meet you in

real life and we're like, this is

like the most down to earth, like

softly spoken guy in the world.

It is not how I thought you'd ever sound.

It's not the way I thought like your

mannerisms would be and how you,

your character is, and it's, yeah.

Yeah.

Looking at you.

A guy covered in Tattoo,

who's black belt and Juujitsu.

That's scary.

Like he, he's gotta, he's gonna

be quite deeply spoken quite.

In your face, like carry himself a certain

way and you just, you're not at all.

Mm. You're completely, that is

the exact chill, same answer I

get from pretty much everyone.

Yeah.

Like every, like, everyone that's, I

guess people aren't generally heavily

tattooed themselves, kind of get that

perception, but like a lot of people Yeah.

Say the same, say the same thing.

So it was just intriguing to kind

of see what your perception is.

Um, 'cause which I guess I kind of like

it like that in the sense that like,

maybe I come across a bit more mysterious.

Yeah.

Um, and then when you meet

me you're like, oh, cool.

So almost like.

If you expect someone to

be nice and they're nice.

Yeah.

It's cool.

Yeah.

Do you know if you don't expect

someone to be nice and then they are

it'ss, like it exposes you, it's Yeah.

And it's a good thing and

then you remember it more.

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

I mean, I especially, I don't

mind looking unapproachable.

Yeah.

Like when I walk through the

street, I look very unapproachable.

Yeah.

And I'm happy with that.

Yeah.

I don't want you to speak to me

while I'm walking through the street.

Yeah.

I don't, I don't just stop

trying to sell me something.

Just let me go into the shop lush and stop

clocking to me when I know what I want.

Just, I, I do look miserable half the time

when I'm on my own just walking around.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um, which, and I guess, yeah, I

guess, I guess that's a good thing

looking a bit more unapproachable

sometimes, but then when you know me,

you, you know that it's not the case.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

I think, I think I quite like that,

that it, that it's a bit of a shock.

Yeah.

Nicest guy going, but you'll

still fold people in half and

make them eat their feet on that.

I can be a cunt.

Everyone, everyone, everyone can,

like, I think there are some, um,

this'll, this'll be down to the A

DHD and the fucking autism because.

I dunno if you have this, but I know

it is a big thing in both a DH, ADHD

and autism is justice sensitivity.

Yeah.

Um, which for those that don't know, if

you see any injustice, you, you like,

you have a really strong reaction to it.

Yeah.

Um, that could be is anything you

feel is in unjust that could be

driving and someone doesn't use an

indicator that, that winds me up.

Yeah.

Only for a split second though,

like, I don't think about

it for the rest of the day.

She's, I'm just like, you

fucking cunt and I'm gonna follow

you, but, and then I'm fine.

Yeah.

Um, but the biggest thing for me

that really winds me up is shoes on

the mat or bare feet off the mat.

Yeah.

I have, I have, like, I had arguments

with people about this before and I

don't, if someone doesn't know fair

enough, but it's always the first thing

I tell someone in the gym and then you've

literally just told them and then just

walking around barefoot, I'm like, bro.

You've just put your shoes there.

Did you send any shit outside?

I don't know.

Like, I'm like, I'll give

them the benefit of doubt.

Like, look, this is the rules.

Yeah.

And then I see him, he was

like, put your shoes on please.

And then I have, I've, like, I,

I've, I've got much better at

doing than not doing this, but I

have flipped quite a few times.

Like I have shouted at people

and I've been like, mate, you

just fucking listen to me.

Alright.

So maybe I don't come

across quite well there.

And I'll be honest, it happens.

But that I know why that is.

And again, so, and I have been able

to stop doing that and I haven't.

Uh, God, it's got me a couple of

years now since you've had a fucking,

since I, but it's, it's a little

bit of common sense, isn't it?

Like we're on the floor.

Like you say that, but No,

it's, yeah, it a few places

that I train in, it's like that.

It's like, oh, we going to the toilet?

Put your shoes on.

Yeah.

I'll be like, mate, no one's wearing

their, their sliders or their shoes.

Like as soon as they come off the mats and

they're like still on the mats that are

probably dirty in toilet, I get people to

wash their feet if I ever, if I see you

leave the mat, like if it's just you step

the foot off, I'm like, dude, come on.

Yeah.

If I see them go fucking go on a wander,

I'm like, dude, wash your fucking feet.

It's just good personal

hide, you know, isn't it?

You know, like I don't want the shit

that's outside in my face, in my mouth.

And if I get an infection, I can't train.

That's gonna affect me, isn't it?

It's what else?

I have other injustice, like if anyone

stares at backer, I fucking, like,

she's very heavily tattooed, but doesn't

give anyone the right, just stare.

There's a difference between going.

Going Haven't and just, yeah.

Eng gooping or just staring?

Yeah.

Like not once has anyone ever turned

back around to me and said anything back?

Yeah.

I've sent it to people on their own.

I've said to people in groups, I've said

it to people with their fucking wives.

Yeah.

Like, and I guess that comes to the

way that I look now and they're, yeah.

Fuck yeah.

I don't know if you wear

your black belt in public.

Yeah.

I'm just like this.

I'm just like pulling

on the cauliflower here.

Look, pushing my neck out there look.

Doesn't mean I'm good at juujitsu.

Yeah.

Or cauliflower.

I like it.

That's one.

Go on.

A few of our guys vote.

If you have cauliflower here, does

it mean you're good at juujitsu or

does it mean you put your head where

you shouldn't be putting your head?

I don't think it means either.

It's just it is what it is.

It happens.

Couldn't motivate you there, could I?

No, I don't care.

I actually think you look like

a pussy if you don't have it.

And you're a black belt.

Lower it cop mate.

I, I, I don't know if people agree with

this, but I think it's fucking cool.

Yeah.

Like I've wanted it the entire

time I trained it took me three

and a half, four years to get it.

Wow.

And I remember like, I only

have it really on one ear.

I've got it inside on one.

Yeah.

Which looks a bit better now.

And then I've got it on the top on the

other, but I think it looks fucking cool.

Mine was, that one was Uncle Tarek.

Mm-hmm.

Knee and me in the side of the head.

And then telling Josh Gibbs

be a bit careful because it's,

it's actually pretty sore.

Yeah.

He's like, first thing he did

pressure, nothing was in my ear.

Like, need some more tomorrow.

Wow.

Gibbs.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

And you know what, I'll,

you know what I'm doing.

I'll go for a, um, a, a hot, a hot take.

I don't even think cauliflower

ear hurt ear hurts.

Everyone thoughts about how much it

hurts or, mine has never hurt me.

When, when I took that knee to the side

of my head, my ear felt like it was

gonna explode and it instantly filled.

I, I bought some, um.

Little really small

needle insulin needles.

Yeah.

Online.

They're the ones, and I pulled three and a

half mil liquid outta my air the same day.

Yeah.

It was just, I've kept them, I'm

like, I just, I just leave it.

It's, I like, I'd like if it was this,

the one where it was filling my ear hole.

Yeah.

I did take that a little bit out,

but then every time you take it

out it just fills back up again.

So, and eventually haven't been too bad.

When it hardens, it shrinks anyway.

Yeah.

So I'm like, ah, this is what it is.

And then at least now it's there and

it's not gonna come back any worse.

Is it?

I think it looks quite cool.

Yeah.

It's like, yeah.

Look at people leave you alone.

Yeah.

You see someone, I don't

think you play rugby.

Which I did.

Yeah.

Um, or they, yeah,

they, they, what's that?

What's that?

Like meme?

It's like if you start to fight with

someone of those co and they, you

notice they have qualifier wear.

Yeah.

Just walk away.

Yeah.

Dunno that like most

people at Juujitsu do.

Just juujitsu.

Yeah.

You know, you're probably not

gonna get a broken jaw, but.

You might lose your heel.

Another, I guess this won't be a hot

take for people at Juujitsu, but if

you do Juujitsu, regardless of the,

of, um, whether you strike or not,

you are gonna win most street fights.

Yeah.

Like one on one.

Yeah.

Like people are Oh yeah.

But you just, you are on the ground.

Yeah.

Arms should come and kick you in the face.

Or you think I'm gonna pull guard

on the fucking ground, mate.

You know, nothing.

Yeah.

Like literally I could

just like foot sweep you.

Like I'm terrible at foot sweeps.

Yeah.

Like, yeah.

That's my, that's another hard take.

Doesn't like sport Juujitsu

is still better than nothing.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

It one-on-one.

Alright.

Like if you Yeah.

If there's multiple people just run.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

Best, best deep way to

you can get, isn't it?

Yeah.

Um, a piece of advice from someone

that's like, like me, that's like on

the fence of like, should I start jitsu?

Obviously I'm gonna get

injured, I ain't got time.

Or if I don't commit so much.

What's your advice to someone

thinking about starting?

Um, like even if you don't have

time, say, say, say, most people

have time, like once a week.

Once a week is better than nothing.

Like twice a week.

That's even better.

Like obviously the more you

train, the better it is, but it's

not, it's not short term thing.

It's gonna be with you forever.

Um, but lot more less of advice,

more of just try one session.

That's it.

I feel like I am really good at

convincing people to try one session.

If they don't like it

after one session, fine.

Yeah.

But most people will, like, most

people will like, like after one

session, and if they don't, then yeah.

It's not for you.

Like for me, like as a man, I feel

like I have to be able to fight.

Like I don't need why

people wouldn't want to.

I'm not a fighter.

Alright.

What if you have to be Yeah.

Like why would you not want to be able to

look after yourself and then even women

with your partner, why would you not

want to be able to defend your partner?

Yeah.

And, and to an extent like your

partner by them to defend themselves.

Yeah.

Like I just, I, this is one

thing I just cannot grasp why

you'd want to be a fucking pussy.

Yeah.

Frazier, are you listening back there?

Fraser's our podcaster.

We are looking at him.

He came to a juujitsu

session and um, he loved it.

And now he says he doesn't have time.

Don't fucking Could we hear that?

He said don't rope him into it.

Pussy Shane called you a pussy.

To be fair, he is a turbo mon.

He thought it would be a good

idea to jump off a cliff.

A parachute.

I'm just, we we're gonna get there.

So he, he thought like jumping off

a cliff with a parachute would be

a good idea and he decided to smash

into a cliff and now, oh my leg.

That's nice.

He did get very badly injured,

but he should still do it.

Right

mate, thank you so much for coming down.

Thank you for joining us on the podcast.

Absolute.