The Sonny Brown Breakdown

I talk to Daniele Bolelli, author, martial artist & university professor. He is the host of multiple podcasts, including the Drunken Daoist podcast and the History on Fire podcast and a frequent gues…

I talk to Priit Mihkelson, A Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt From Estonia and founder of Defensive BJJ. Priit always has a lot of interesting takes on the teaching, training & traditions of Jiu-Jitsu and after …

I talk to Erin Herle, Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt & Founder of #submitthestigma. Submit the Stigma is a mental health advocacy group, so we discuss the work they do and the interplay, boundaries and roles t…

I talk to Richy Walsh, A veteran of The UFC & The Ultimate Fighter who now works as an MMA Coach at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China. We discuss the goals of the UFC P.I, how they run…

I talk to Heath Pedigo, Founder of Pedigo Submission fighting, aka Daisy Fresh. We discuss the culture and mindset used to build Daisy Fresh from Mt. Vernon to win the Pan Ams and the work ethic he l…

I talk to Eric Uresk, a Judo & Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt who coaches at Alliance MMA. We discuss his martial arts career and how he advocates for embracing vulnerability in his training to help conquer ad…

I talk to Tum "Energia" Voorn who is a Jiu Jitsu Practitioner with a Capoeria background and who also trained as a teacher. We discuss an inquiry-based instructional strategy that he describes as "Te…

I talk to Chris Brennan, the O.G of No-Gi. Chris is an MMA Hall of Famer and 3-time No-Gi world champion, but perhaps might not be as well known for starting the first No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu school in Ameri…

In this episode, I talk to Priit Mihkelson and Andy from School of Grappling. The episode takes on a unique debate format on the topic of Offense Vs. Defence, With Andy taking the side of offence and…

I talk to Robert Degle who is a Danaher Death Squad member and trains under John Danaher. We discuss the use of leg locks in MMA, how leg attacks can be used either poorly or how they can be applied …

I talk to one of the forefathers of American MMA & submission grappling, founder of Combat Submission Wrestling, Erik Paulson. We discuss the benefits of note-taking and the ability to be a free thin…

I talk to Christian Graugart who is the founder of BJJ Globetrotters, a community that runs seminars & camps around the world that discourages jiu-jitsu politics. We discuss the role of tribalism in …

I talk to Denis Kelly who runs the Australian Combat Sports Academy in Melbourne and has a Black Belt in BJJ, Zen Do Kai Karate and has fought MMA professionally while training worldwide. We had this…

I talk to Craig Jones about his start in Australia, to moving to America to train with the Danaher team and now preparing in Puerto Rico. We discuss how his goals grew over time, how he teaches semin…

I talk to Matt Kwan who is a BJJ Black Belt under Rob Biernacki and also Co-Hosts the podcast BJJ Mental Models with his brother Steve Kwan. We discuss concepts of belt tests and grading with the dif…

I talk to Chris Paines who describes himself as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt who has never done Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He started training submission grappling somewhat isolated from the larger BJJ…

I talk to Priit Mihkelson who is a BJJ Black Belt with a unique take on how BJJ can be taught and learned. We discuss how Priit structures his class and sparring sessions to encourage new behaviour b…

I talk to Vlad Koulikov who is a Master of Sport in Sambo aswell as a BJJ & Judo Black Belt who grew up in Russia and before moving to America where he started an academy with a blend of grappling ca…

I talk to Robert Degle who is a BJJ Black Belt who trains under John Danaher and is also a philosophy major. We discuss how he started BJJ in the blue basement with Danaher, His start with philosophy…