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Raf's Recollection | It is always a good time when John Evans stops by the podcast. This week, I surprise my slow witted co-host in our latest installment of Over/Under Kevin with the return of John Evans to help us preview UFC 169.
It seems like it’s been forever and a day since we last had John on the podcast, but we get a chance to catch up on what the very busy jiu-jitsu badass and all-around-good-guy has been up to.
And man, has this guy been busy.
Last week, John hosted the very first BJJ Breakdown Blue Belt, Submission Only invitational. It was a live event that John organized and streamed that featured some great match-ups among some of the most respected blue belts around our community (and ultimately won by the awesome Kyle Buena).
For those who missed the live stream, John just put up the first match from the event up on his YouTube page. I’d highly encourage you to check it out and keep an eye out at BJJBreakdown YouTube page for even more awesome fights.
Verbal Tap Covers RFA 12
So, not only do we preview who will win UFC 169 with a game of Over/Under Kevin between Evans and Kevin, but we also talk about the awesome time we had covering Resurrection Fighting Alliance 12 last Friday.
The fights did not disappoint. Not only did we get to see our friends from Systems Trianing Center pull off a hat trick’s worth of submissions at the event (Dmitry Gerasimov, Terrion Wear, and Pedro Munhoz), but the entire fight card from start to finish provided a set of spectacular finishes, knock outs, and battles inside that cage. It’s no wonder this organization has sent 8 fighters to the UFC recently; the caliber of the fighters involved is nothing short of spectacular.
My eternal thanks to our pal Octavio Villanueva for his fantastic work helping put this all together. In addition to being an awesome BJJ practitioner, Octavio also put together this fantastic RFA 12 highlight reel that deserves your attention and your likes.
Starting a Rukus
We also speak with Fight Music producer Mikey Rukus about his upcoming music tour. If you’re not familiar with Mikey just yet, chances are you’re already familiar with his work—as he’s provided the walk out entrances to some of your favorite MMA athletes.
Mikey’s about to embark upon a music tour that will be touring alongside the next series of UFC events across the country, so definitely go check him out if you get the chance!
Thank You, Readers (and BJJ Reddit)
We also talk about the first entry about my BJJ Training Journal series (Shouldn’t You Be a Blue Belt by Now?) and describe how blown away we were by the community’s support (especially the great folks over at BJJ Reddit).
My mind's still blown that an introspective piece about my own experiences would resonate with so many people, but I'm humbled and encouraged by all of your kind words. It's moments like this that remind me I am involved in the right support and prove why the jiu-jitsu community is the best in sports. As such, I will continue to keep you updated on my progress through humorous essays and recaps. Again, thank you all so much. I can't wait for you to read the next one.
Also, feel free to throw topics and ideas at me. I'll be happy to write essays and jokes about prompts that you guys throw at me, so feel free to do so over at @VerbalTapCast.
In Case You Missed It
Check out my interview with Ralek Gracie from RFA 12, where we talk about Metamoris 3, why it’s so hard to make money in jiu-jitsu, and why you should buy the live stream of Metamoris 3.
And, don’t sleep on my post-fight interview with recent Verbal Tap guest, Dmitry Gigapet.
Or is it Gerasimov? I can never remember.
That's all for now folks. We'll see you back here next week with another thrilling installment of Verbal Tap.