VERBAL TAP (Episode 98) with Mac Danzig

[buzzsprout episode='222389' player='true'] Raf's Recollection | I'll never forget the time I discovered Mac Danzig and I had a mutual set of friends.  Years ago I discovered that Mac and I were only a couple degrees of separation away from each other all thanks to my best friend Bobby.

And when you're in good with my long-time best friend (and future best man at my wedding) and his family, in my book, it means you've already been vetted and that you're good people.

Before I had a podcast, or even really knew I'd take up jiu-jitsu, I was just a UFC fan who enjoyed Mac's work in the Octagon.  Perhaps it's my knowledge of how reality shows work and get spliced together, but even when I sat at home watching his time on The Ultimate Fighter I always thought he got a bum wrap on the way he was depicted. It's not entirely surprising, it's just the nature of the beast known as reality TV.

But as someone who doesn't tend to get caught up in that sort of thing (even then), I just knew I liked his fighting style and thought he had a promising future (in retrospect, I can see that I have a long history of rooting for the jiu-jitsu guys).  Naturally, I was stoked to see him go on to win the show and have a solid run in the UFC.

After years of hearing great things about him and the way he teaches from our mutual friends, I was pleasantly surprised a few months ago when I heard he was holding a Striking for Submissions seminar down here in LA.  I packed up the gym bag and made it down.

Before the seminar, I got the chance to meet and exchange pleasantries.  We talked about our mutual connections and BS-ed about a number of MMA and BJJ topics, all the while Mac lived up to all of the great qualities our mutual friends had come to say about him.

By the time we got around to the seminar and I saw him demonstrate his first BJJ transition, I realized something I had long since forgotten: Mac was one of the first people I watched and learned how to do jiu-jitsu technique from.

While I had watched a number of fights before his tenure on The Ultimate Fighter, I never really paid attention to the science of it all.  For whatever reason, his style just clicked with me and, while I may not have understood the exact reasoning behind every grip or underhook, I remember finding myself interested in the craft and wanting to learn how to break it all down.

And on this day, on these mats, there he was telling me to stop doing the technique so wrong and try to get it right for a change.

He didn't actually say that, but you're all familiar with how I roll by now.

Nonetheless, it was just a cool moment in my training journey and all the more reason his appearance on the show was so cool for me personally.

On the podcast this week, Mac (37:20) drops in to provide a little more insight about the actual production of The Ultimate Fighter, the awesome connection he has to the world of animation, his interest in photography, what its like to transition out of fighting, and even describes what it's like to be on the other side of the cage as a referee.

It's a fantastic first conversation with a guy who's been a friend of podcast long before we even had him on.  We look forward to having him back on some time soon.

In the meantime, check out his work at http://www.macdanzigphoto.net/.

As an avid photography fan, I'm not one to put over work if I don't find it really good.  But his stuff is awesome and I strong encourage you all to give it a gander.

But Wait, There's More!

Our pal, Alex Perez returns on this week's podcast to find out if he beat Kevin in our UFC 180 edition of Over/Under Kevin. 

In addition to finding out the results, Alex helps us recap all of the awesome (that sick main event), the disgusting (Ultimate Fighters taking a #2 in the cage), and the really disgusting (the worst PSA for Cauliflower ears ever) things that made one of the shortest UFC PPV's in recent memory a fun and unpredictable night of fights.

Metamoris 5: The Game Show

Because no Metamoris card is complete without at least three match-up changes, we had to get creative with our latest Around the Mat preview series.  We always like to record these things a week out of the show as to try and get you a preview that's the most up-to-date possible, but when the news hit that Kevin "KO" Casey was out of his match-up (prompting the BJJ equivalent of American Idol to take place) as I was editing the latest installment of our Metamoris Preview Series, I had to do something.

This was that something.

The following is a sneak preview of our show that's coming out a little later tonight.  Hope you all enjoy it!

EDIT: And here's the entire full length episode for your viewing pleasure:

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VERBAL TAP (Episode 97) with Garry Tonon

[buzzsprout episode='219848' player='true'] Raf's Recollection | We all know Garry Tonon [46:54] as one of the most exciting grapplers on the planet.  With an aggressive style on the mats that relentlessly goes after submissions, Garry has made a huge name for himself in the world of competitive jiu-jitsu as one of the most reliable "sure bets" for an exciting match.

Even when if it means putting himself in terrible positions.  And that's just part of what makes his matches so unpredictably exciting.

The guy has a gas tank that puts a great number of us to shame (despite a number of well-documented accounts of how much fast-food the kid ingests).  But, as I came to find out last week, even interviewing Garry Tonon can be a workout.

Not because the guy is a difficult interview (our conversation is a lot of fun), but because he just has so much energy, you have to match his level of intensity during the interview.  Even in the moments we spent talking with Garry off-air, before our interview officially began, Kev and I found ourselves having a great time comparing notes and jokes.  As I overheard the rapid-fire cadence in his voice, it began to make complete sense:

Garry Tonon doesn't do anything slow.

With that in mind, I encourage you all to give a listen to a dynamic interview we do with Garry, as we touch upon all the bases: his match at Metamoris 5, what his expectations of his opponent Zak Maxwell, if his eating habits are truly as terrible as some Metamoris preview videos lead us to believe, what it's like to train with Rory MacDonald, and what he really thought of my interpretation of his BJJ game at Metamoris 5.

Yep.  This one.

It should be noted that a running joke at my gym has been how when I played Garry, my jiu-jitsu was way better than normal.  Leaps and bounds better.  So while I'd love to base my game entirely on Garry's movement, I will remind you that too is an exhausting endeavor (the guy never quits moving).

Be sure to give Garry's episode a listen and then let us know what you think!

Peace Out, JEvans

Last week, we said goodbye to our pal, John Evans who is forging ahead with his journey to open out his own jiu-jitsu school.  Mind you, he'll still be here in the Valley, but he's going to be opening up his own place for BJJ instruction very soon.

As one of the most influential people in my BJJ career, I can't thank John enough for his patience and his help with my game.  Any gains I've made over the past few years are due in part to his superb coaching abilities.

And because no goodbye is without it's hardships, allow me to post the video of the way we closed out John's experience here at VMAC.

[embed]http://instagram.com/p/vE4UiBj6r5[/embed]

Be sure to follow him on Twitter at @BJJBreakdown and look out for more updates about his school at BJJBreakdown.com.

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VERBAL TAP (Episode 91) with Steven Briggs

[buzzsprout episode='207144' player='true'] Raf's Recollection | I first met Steven Briggs when I was working for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

Steve had a goofball sense of humor even back then.  But whenever there was some down time while working the show, we'd shoot the shit about MMA and wrestling.

At the time I had no idea Steve had any stand-up comic aspirations (but to be completely fair I'm not even sure he was aware that I was a comedy performer myself).

In the years since, Steve has blown up and has made a great name for himself touring across the country doing a truly unique brand of stand-up comedy.

He's even been on my talk show (Early Late Night) multiple times and remains a crowd favorite for the really funny stories he shares during our sit down interviews (for the record, he is the only person who I actually tolerate who beat boxes, it's quite impressive).

Steve has always been quick with an opinion on all things MMA which is why I thought he'd make a great opponent for Kevin on this week's installment of Over/Under Kevin.

This week we preview the stacked card that is UFC 178 and go over all the major scenarios.  And from the tremble you hear in Kevin's voice, he is truly scared that we brought someone who is not only knowledgeable about MMA, but can actually spit out funnier jokes than Kev.

It makes for a fantastic segment and I think y'all will dig it this week.

But beyond giving Kev a run for his money on the podcast and being and all-around funny guy, Briggs also happens to have a pretty solid wrestling background and has trained with me a few times over the past  five years.

As one of the guys who was there for my humble beginnings in jiu-jitsu years ago, Steve's always been a great guy to train with.

I like to refer to him as a pace-setting training partner: a partner who you don't train with all that often, but who will push you to get even better each time.  He's one of the few people I allow myself to talk shit to about BJJ because I know he'll bring it on the mats the next time we train (and that he'll talk shit right back at me).

And every time we've rolled, Steve's always been helpful identifying a cool wrestling trick or complimenting any improvements in my game.  He recently came up to train with us at Valley Martial Arts Center a couple months ago and he hasn't lost a step.

Not to say I haven't taught him a thing or two myself.

Steve has one Achilles heel.  He's literally defenseless against a sharpshooter.

But I felt bad for him and decided to teach him a finisher he could use to defend himself. It still needs work.

When we took the picture he wanted to make sure everyone knew he was not only applying a Boston Crab, but that he was also flipping off the camera with two middle fingers.

Layers this kid has.

Nonetheless, give it a listen and let us know what you think of this one folks and hit us up on our social media to let us know what you think!

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Oh, and also, don't forget to check out our Metamoris 4 recap here.  On our latest, we review Keenan vs. Vinny.  Let us know what you think, folks!

VERBAL TAP (Episode 51) with Chris Leben

VERBAL TAP (Episode 51) with Chris Leben

[buzzsprout episode='136326' player='true']

Raf’s Recollection | When I had the chance to interview Chris Leben about a year ago, I was prepared for just about anything.

And I mean, anything.

At the time, I didn’t know where the conversation would organically go or what kinds of topics he would be open to talking about.

As one of the longest tenured employees of the UFC (and one of the last original members of the Ultimate Fighter cast still actively fighting), we’ve been privy to the many ups and downs in Leben’s life. Like any of us, Chris has his demons.  However, unlike most of us, he’s had to battle a great deal of them in the public eye.

We’ve all seen the incredible fights.  We’ve witnessed the confrontations from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. And we’ve read about the changes in training camps and heard about the struggles in his personal life.  It’s all part of the Chris Leben narrative, and all very well-documented.

And yet, through it all, Chris has remained a fan favorite all of these years for his ability to walk into an octagon as both a showman and enigmatic fighter.

So when I talked with Chris Leben for the first time last year, I found myself pleasantly surprised by his willingness to talk about his past.  Chris doesn’t hide behind it or cleverly find ways to get around questions revolving around it.  He tells you like it is: good, bad, and all that’s in between.

On our latest podcast, we find that Leben is the same candid speaker who reveals how he could have improved the performance of his last fight and what you can expect in his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 168.  It’s a refreshing kind of honesty in a sport that can often be filled with excuses disguised as explanations.

But, like any of our interviews, we get to bring out the funny in the fighter.  Chris gets some opportunities with us to joke about Frank Trigg, missed merchandise opportunities, and even former nicknames.

Aside from getting the chance to joke around more this time with Chris, I found the conversation a strong indication of an individual working to make good in their life.

You can hear how happy he is to be part of a new training team.  You can hear the optimism.  You can hear the hunger he has to be a stronger and smarter fighter.

It’s a story we can get behind here at the podcast, as we will definitely be rooting for him come December 28^th.

Bigfoot Silva vs. Hunt

So who thought this was going to be such a great fight?

Be honest.

On the podcast, we discuss our surprise.  And while Kevin tragically works his limited capacity for metaphorical language (he struggles several times during the podcast to come up with different ways of calling these guys “fat”), I think we do a decent job at capturing our relative surprise at how good this fight  actually ended up being.

We’re not really sure what this means for the division (or, frankly, even if we’d want to ruin what we saw by seeing it again in rematch form), but we elaborate some of our favorite observations from the now classic Heavyweight match-up.

Paul Walker

Kev and I take a few moments during the podcast to lament the loss of Paul Walker, specifically on behalf of the BJJ community.

It’s been a story that’s bummed out folks for good reason, and the tributes that have poured in for him from fellow BJJ practitioners and enthusiasts alike have been great to read.  We also slightly discuss the need for there to be new ambassadors of the sport who will pick up where he left off.

But Wait, There’s More…

Also on the podcast, we talk to “GSP” about his upcoming press conference that he’s holding on Friday afternoon.  That’s right, Verbal Tap EXCLUSIVE.  GSP reveals what the hell is going on.

Is it a mall opening?  Is he just signing autographs like Dana White said?  Does he have some kind of marketing scheme up his sleeve?

Tune in to find out!

Oh… and…

Seriously, don’t forget to leave us a review and rating (5 stars!) on our iTunes page. Just look for Verbal Tap Cast

We’ve really been gaining some momentum the past few months and want to start making an even bigger presence on our iTunes page.

So be a pal, click the link HERE, press find in iTunes and then leave us a cool rating and review.  We love the feedback, as it helps us make an even better Verbal Tap podcast for you all.  Thanks much in advance!