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[VIDEO] Benson Henderson Competes at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Pan-Am Championships

Last week, UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson was just one month away from a nationally televised title defense against Gilbert Melendez, but he still managed to get in a couple Jiu Jitsu matches in one of the world’s most prestigious grappling tournaments. Henderson competed in the brown belt ability division of the BJJ Pan-Am Championships last week and, though he was eventually eliminated and did not place, he showed that he could hang with guys who spend all of their time training in BJJ’s weird set of gi rules, despite doing it just as a hobby.

In the above match, Henderson takes on Brazilian Pedro Alcantara in the middleweight division. The action comes in spurts but the match is very closely contested with Alcantara threatening with omo-plata shoulder locks and sweeps off of his back, and Henderson defending, working for take downs and passing guard.

The two start the match feinting with shot attempts before Alcantara pulls full guard. It doesn’t take him long to pull in Henderson’s right shoulder and work for triangle chokes, which the fighter shrugs off, and then shoulder locks. Initially, Alcantara is able to use the lock to sweep Henderson, earning points.

Henderson hangs tough and refuses to let Alcantara pass his guard. Eventually, Henderson is able to stand up and score a take down. On the ground, he proves better at passing than Alcantara was and pressures and angles until he secures the side mount and earns more points.

Recovering his guard, Alcantara threatens more with the shoulder lock, but this time Henderson will not be moved, and effectively stops both the submission and sweep attempts. The match ends and Henderson has won on points.

(Video by Budo Videos)

Some professional fighters, like Henderson, routinely compete in grappling competitions in between training camps for fun, to stay sharp, what have you. But it is a bit nuts for Henderson to compete in a high level international competition during his training camp, just weeks before defending his world title. That’s straight Jeff Monson territory right there.

Can’t imagine that the UFC would have taken kindly to their champion and Fox television headliner twisting an ankle and pulling out of his title fight so soon to the event. Maybe Henderson has a “love of the game” type clause in his contract. Back in the 80′s, Michael Jordan made the Chicago Bulls put so-called clause in his contract so that he could play pick up games, as he was said to do in inner city Chicago during his early pro years, or participate in summer leagues.

We love the passion for competition that guys like Jordan and Henderson show. We’re also glad Benson apparently came out unscathed and that we still get to see him fight Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez on April 20th.

– Elias Cepeda

Photo of the Day: Ben Henderson’s Mom Earns First BJJ Medal, Officially a BAMF

(Great job, Mom! Now all I have to teach you is how to get your arm bent 90 degrees in the opposite direction without breaking a sweat and you’ll be unstoppable!)

It is a scientific fact that UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson has one of the most supportive/adorable MMA moms in the bidness. According to Bendo’s Wikipedia page, his Korean-born mother, Song, was not only responsible for introducing Benson to martial arts through Tae Kwon Do, but is apparently so supportive of her son’s career that she has begun to take some martial arts classes (specifically, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) of her own despite being 50+ years of age.

And if the above picture is any indication, it appears that Song was born to be a fighter as well. Henderson tweeted the above photo this morning with the following words of wisdom:

My mama’s 1st ever #BJJ (any kind of) competition, from this past weekend…this 4’9″, 50+ year old Korean lady inspires the crap outta me everyday…earned herself a standing ovation and bronze medal too…she was nervous as crap but pulled thru like a #Champ

(Great job, Mom! Now all I have to teach you is how to get your arm bent 90 degrees in the opposite direction without breaking a sweat and you’ll be unstoppable!)

And if the above picture is any indication, it appears that Song was born to be a fighter as well. Henderson tweeted the above photo this morning with the following words of wisdom:

My mama’s 1st ever #BJJ (any kind of) competition, from this past weekend…this 4’9″, 50+ year old Korean lady inspires the crap outta me everyday…earned herself a standing ovation and bronze medal too…she was nervous as crap but pulled thru like a #Champ

After Bendo originally captured the UFC’s lightweight crown, he and Song took a celebratory trip to South Korea where they received a hero’s welcome. It’s good to know that their ability to inspire knows no cultural bounds. One thing’s for sure, this is one senior citizen you sure as hell don’t want to get into a tussle over some marble rye with.

So, Potato Nation, who’s interested in seeing Bendo’s mom take on Keith Jardine’s for the right to be called the baddest MMA mom on the planet?

Speaking of Bendo, check out a video of the lightweight champ picking up a win over Arizona local Christian Broadnax in the 8th Arizona Open Jiu-Jitsu International last weekend below. Like mother, like son.

–J. Jones

[VIDEO] Scariest BJJ Coach Ever, Wanderlei Silva, Coaches Son to Glorious Victory

(The family who pimps together, stays together.)

Folks on the mats at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments tend to notice whenever a coach is shouting our instructions to their students in Portuguese or even a Portuguese accent. The reason being that it probably means they are from the fighting style’s native country and therefore know certain deadly secrets to convey to their pupils in their mystical coded language.

Or something.

The point is, some times the opposition can get psyched out by the ol’ Romance languages during tournaments. Imagine you’re a coach doing his best to prep a young student for his or her first Jiu Jitsu match and then you hear their opponent’s coach talking to them in Gracie-speak. Now, imagine if said Brazilian coach was Wanderlei Freaking Silva coaching his own son in his first tournament.

That’s just what happened last weekend, as Wandy was recorded…er…recording his son’s very first tournament performance whilst shouting instructions that likely left everyone else’s dad looking for the nearest exit. Fresh off a brutal KO victory of Brian Stann at UFC on FUEL 8, Wandy showed up, head shaved, tribal skull tattoo on full display, but holding a cell phone camera up to his face to capture his son on tape just like any other dad. Check out the video of Silva coaching his son, Thor, after the jump.

(The family who pimps together, stays together.)

Folks on the mats at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments tend to notice whenever a coach is shouting out instructions to their students in Portuguese or even a Portuguese accent. The reason being that it probably means they are from the fighting style’s native country and therefore know certain deadly secrets to convey to their pupils in their mystical coded language.

Or something.

(Video by MMAInterviews)

Pay special attention to the 1:49 mark, where Thor brutally soccer kicks his opponent until he falls face first onto the canvas in a bloody pulp. Just kidding.

But seriously, Son of Wand does indeed look to possess his dad’s trademark aggressiveness and nasty head clinch. It doesn’t take Thor long to grab his opponent by the arm and top of the head and snap him down to the mat. The take down appears to hurt Thor’s opponent and he is given time to recover.

Son of Wand stands, watches his opponent and smiles. We’re not kidding. Shades of Wand vs. Rampage I, anyone?

In any case, Thor passes guard, takes cross side and mount and wins on points. Father of Son of Wand then raises his own right arm and hand in proud celebration.

Let’s hope the other kid at least got some ice cream and an autograph after that.

– Elias Cepeda

“The Conversation With Elias Cepeda” Podcast Ep. 1: Renzo Gracie Discusses Bouncing at a Brothel, His War With Sakuraba, And the Meaning of Courage

By Elias Cepeda

Hey ‘Taters. I’ve been working on a new MMA podcast called “The Conversation” over the past few months, and we’re finally ready to debut it. The concept is simple — in depth, retrospective conversations with the most fascinating people in the fight world.

The production is basic and it’s something that I’ll be working to improve over time. What I hope shines through are the incredible stories that the remarkable people we speak with share during these honest and intimate conversations.

For this episode I traveled to New York to visit with everyone’s favorite Gracie, Renzo. In fact, it was just about a week or two before his now famous mugger smackdown tweet-a-thon. In my own head, I like to think that Renzo discussing self-defense and street fights during this podcast recording got his old-school juices flowing again. That, of course, is nonsense.

Renzo is always Renzo. He has deeply held convictions and stories that would make the fictional “World’s Most Interesting Man,” look like a mail room clerk in comparison.

And if you thought you’ve heard all the crazy stories Renzo had to tell before, I guarantee you have not before now. Renzo details a very independent childhood that had him fighting drug dealers on beaches to living in an Amazon brothel, experiencing lots of firsts. He goes on to talk about his pioneering family and a bit about his own time in Pride and the UFC.

He also opens up about the direction his careers have gone, possible regrets, and looking towards the future. If you love fight stories, life philosophy, and laughing your ass off, join us after the jump for this informal conversation with Renzo Gracie. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

By Elias Cepeda

Renzo is always Renzo. He has deeply held convictions and stories that would make the fictional “World’s Most Interesting Man,” look like a mail room clerk in comparison.

Check back here and at BestConversation.tumblr.com for a new episode every Monday.

[GALLERY] 16 Photos of Kyra Gracie Boxing and/or Looking Hot

For the past few years, the MMA world has been anxiously awaiting the debut of a certain Brazilian grappling phenom with a list of credentials that reads like “been there, done that” of the BJJ landscape. No, not Braulio Estima, although seeing him pick up his first MMA win was pretty outstanding. We’re talking about none other than Kyra Gracie, who has been honing her boxing skills with Claudio Coelho for the past two years in preparation for her MMA debut, which she promises will happen by the end of 2012.

Recently, Brazilian fight site BJJPix.com did a photoshoot with Kyra during one such training session, so we’ve decided to compile a collection of those photos, along with some generally enticing photos of Kyra, for your enjoyment. Because like we said, you could use a distraction. Check out the gallery after the jump, and make sure to follow Kyra on Twitter. Who knows, if she gets enough followers, maybe they’ll book her against Ronda Rousey just for the hell of it. One can only fap…I mean dream!

–J. Jones

Joe Rogan Delivers Inspirational Speech After Receiving Jiu Jitsu Black Belt [VIDEO]

Of course 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu founder and instructor Eddie Bravo couldn’t do an old-fashioned belt ceremony when he awarded his long-time friend and student Joe Rogan his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu earlier this week. As you’ll see in the video above, Bravo plays all coy before making a surprise announcement that our favorite stand-up comic, UFC commentator, and donkey semen drinking cheerleader has been promoted to black belt after class on Tuesday night.

Rogan — rocking a rash-guard and grappling tights because he’s that serious — is moved to tears by the promotion. Rogan has done more for promoting Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts than he is usually given credit for, and Bravo speaks to this. But the teacher also says that he waited so long to give him a black belt (Rogan had been a brown belt for eight years) because he wanted to make sure Joe was legit and had gotten his mat time in. Besides, Joe already had another black belt to hold his pants up.

The video is sweet and heartwarming, for those into that kind of thing, but it turns straight poetic and slow-clap-worthy once Rogan is given the floor and addresses his teammates. “This is seriously one of the proudest moments of my life,” Rogan said.

“Out of all the shit I’ve done in my life…becoming really good at jiu jitsu is probably one of the most difficult things a person can do and I think it helps me with everything I do. I think the more I train and the more I meet people who are in jiu jitsu…people who are in jiu jitsu and train on a regular basis, they’re healthier people. Their egos are healthier. Especially men. They’re easier to talk to. They’re easier to hang out with. Because they’re facing reality on a regular basis.

Something that my tae kwon do teacher told me when I was a little kid that I never forgot was that martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential. And nothing in my life has ever put me in face with reality better than jiu jitsu. In life, we can all distort our perception of things in order to make ourselves more comfortable, in order to make ourselves accept where we are. And there’s a lot of people out there that are running around in life full of shit. You can’t be full of shit when you do jiu jitsu. When you do jiu jitsu, its impossible to be full of shit because reality comes at you in the purest form possible: A life or death struggle, using your determination, your focus, your techniques, your mind, and your training, over and over and over again.

“And its reality. And if you fuck up and you get caught in a triangle, you’ve gotta tap. That is the end of story. It’s as real as it can get and that has made me a better person. It has made me a better man, it’s made me understand myself, my weaknesses, my strengths, the shit I need to work on. Jiu jitsu has been one of the most valuable tools that I’ve ever had in my life.”

Preach on and congratulations, brother Joe.

– Elias Cepeda