I was blessed with great parents.  Just wanted to give my mom a shout out on Mothers Day.  She’s a great mom and has always been active in my life.  As a kid she was my soccer, basketball, baseball and whatever sports season was going on coach.  If she lived here in Phoenix I wouldn’t be surprised if she picked up Jiu Jitsu to coach me in that too.   Thanks for being such a great mom and role model, Love you.

It was cool to walk into the Sunday afternoon girls class today.  I was expecting small numbers beings that it is Mothers Day; but there was 14 girls and 4 mother/daughter combos in class.  This Jiu Jitsu epidemic is spreading around the world quickly, watch for it around you.  Happy Mothers Day Ladies.

Last night at Rage in The Cage 159, Siege MMA’s Head MMA Instructor Joe “Diesel” Riggs defeats UFC Vet Aaron Brink via Armbar in the second round.  The first round the fight stayed on the feet with both fighters landing punches.  The round ended after Joe was taken down.   The second round Brink was able to take Riggs down again, off the transition from the takedown Joe secured an Armbar off his back.   Congratulations to Joe Riggs who improves his record to 36-14.

I will post the video of the fight when it comes available.  Here is one of my favorite Riggs fights.

So my boy Johnny “J Mose” Moses finally parted with his hair today.  Johnny has been growing out his hair for three years for the Wigs For Kids foundation.  I have only know Johnny with his long hair so it was shocking to see him post haircut.  He needed to grow his hair to six inches of usuable hair for the program.  It is great to see ordinary people do something that will mean so much to somebody they don’t even know.  Johnny’s hair will be made in to a wig for a child with cancer, if you would like to take his lead on this go to http://www.wigsforkids.org/.  Johnny you make me proud to be your instructor and friend.

Decisions decisions

One Blue Belt.   Stumbled across this picture from the 2007 Mundials of Roger Gracie, one of my best friends Blake Barth and me.  Roger Gracie was the best Black Belt in the world at that time and arguably still is today.  This was the first time that I traveled to a major tournament and got to see so many world class Jiu Jitsu players.  It changed my training upon returning home and made me realize how far I had to go.

Today at training I had a white belt Jason tell me, “in three years I will be able to do much better against you.”  I think that he thinks I started off as a brown belt so I had to bring out some proof.  It is funny how high I wore my belt back then.  When I first came to Siege I still remember Professor Ricardo Zanelato pointing and laughing “You wear your belt like American.”  In three years Jason, I am going to be three years better than I am today so good luck.

Hope to train with my boy Blake again someday.  Blake lives in Colorado and is expecting his first child shortly, Jiu Jitsu is no longer in his everyday routine.   Some day I will be knocking on his door with a GI in my hand saying it is time for you to earn your Blue Belt buddy.