Johnny Yaps

In this episode Kaine Wilken joins me to chat about life, arborism, jiu jitsu and more! Kaine has recently started his own Jiu Jitsu Academy - Reign Grappling Club in the Sutherland Shire so it was a good opportunity to see his space and chat to him about his own experiences with martial arts, life and more! From growing up in a small town and experiencing bullying to bodyboarding, dealing with anger, history and more, we chat about a whole range of topics in true podcast fashion! Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/reigngrapplingclub/ https://www.instagram.com/wilkojiujitsu/

I first met Perry a couple of years ago at his second MMA fight. It's amazing to see how much people can grow in a short period of time. I actually did a little interview with him backstage and he was such a quiet kid that Josh Culibao (as his corner) was there poking fun at him. From living in Japan & starting his own little backyard fight promotion to deciding to come back to Australia by himself to find his own way, Perry is a committed guy chasing his goals. Links: https://www.instagram.com/perry.jamesprivate/

I recently caught up with Jake O'Driscoll when he was in Sydney for Subversion. It was great to be able to sit down with him and chat about life, from family to his experience leaving AFL to pursue Jiu Jitsu, starting his own academy, picking a fight with Sonny Bill Williams and much more I'm really blessed to have conversations like this, I apologise for the technical issue with the video, the most important thing is that the audio is all there, so I hope you enjoy this conversation and listening to the insights that Jake shared. Links: https://www.instagram.com/jakeod_essencebjj/ https://essencebjj.com.au/ https://linktr.ee/essencebjj

Hi Everyone! In this episode I sat down with Coopar 'Rush' Royal. A talented mixed martial artist who is fighting this weekend at One Championship! People often think that Coopar has a traditional martial arts background, however his 'style' is actually from him incorporating the movements of his favourite fighters into his own game. Growing up in Rockhampton and not having the best influences around him as he was going through school and it's the realisation that he was always chasing the 'rush' that led him to find martial arts. Anyway, make sure you tune in and watch Coopar in action again this Friday! Links: https://www.instagram.com/rushthefighter/ https://www.onefc.com/athletes/coopar-royal/

In this episode I sat down with Josh O'brien, a young hungry MMA athlete who is not afraid to chase his dreams. I enjoy chatting with people at all different stages of the journey as anyone who has chased something would know that feeling of dreaming big and trying to find a way to put it together. I actually commentated Josh's first fight alongside @SonnyBrown at Wollongong Wars and it's interesting to reflect on Josh being so active despite being early in his career in the sport. If anything, I also found that this conversation made me even more interested to follow his journey. There are plenty of people who would dismiss other people for having big aspirations, however I think one of the exciting things in life is that there are no guarantees of how it all pans out. Shout out to Rival Gym Castle Hill for letting us use their space to record - apologies if there is a bit of background noise! Links: https://www.instagram.com/joshobrien11/ https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/386163-joshua-o-brien

In this episode I sat down with James O'Leary of Undisputed Performance & Rehab, a qualified physio, PT and strength and conditioning coach who also runs these 'project' style challenges that allow people to build strength / skill, get fit among likeminded individuals. The other guest in this episode was Cameron Scott, a registered Nurse who is a Bobsled (bobsleigh) pilot who is looking to compete at the olympics in this crazy sport. I think for most people our introduction to the sport is the movie 'Cool Runnings' and it was really cool (pun intended) to chat with the boys to talk about the sport, how the strength & conditioning / training impacts their performance in the sport and also to just see 2 guys who have been friends for a long time interact with each other. Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/cameronscott333/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesolearyphysio/ https://www.instagram.com/undisputedpr/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/670687475206765/?ref=share&mibextid=K35XfP https://undisputedpr.com/

In this episode I sat down with Janice 'Ling Ling', a training partner and friend who I've had plenty of great conversations with. It's always interesting to find out more about people so aside from knowing her skills in the training room it was fun to chat with her about a broad range of topics, from her experiences with skydiving to motorbikes, Janice is the kind of person to go deep when she gets into something. She's also full of great stories from punching her skydiving instructor in the face to having a motorbike getting set on fire to writing articles for a men's magazine. Janice also creates some ridiculous (yet informative) jiu jitsu content and is available for jiu jitsu coaching! Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/cutiep1e666/

In this episode I sat down with Rebecca Fitzgerald, an engineer, potter, mother of twins, time traveler (jokes!) & more. I know Bec through Jiu Jitsu as she's a serial competitor who just loves the sport. It's great to see people getting bitten by the combat sports bug at any stage in life. That said, life isn't always easy. From experiencing difficulties with fertility to going through rounds of IVF to a pleasant shock of ending up with twins, it's nice that Bec was willing to share her experience on such a difficult topic. Bec also started her working life as an accountant, before walking away from a career with a 'big 4' accounting firm to pursue engineering. We also chat about sustainability, her pottery ventures and a whole bunch more! Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/becfitzjitz/ https://www.instagram.com/hi_there_chuchu/

Hi Everyone, In this episode, I got to sit down with Ben10 Nguyen, a former top 8 UFC Flyweight and it was really cool to actually be able have Brian Ebersole sit in with us at the start to talk about this crazy moment that changed the trajectory of Ben's entire life. From growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to being the non-academic sibling, Ben had been fighting for a while and was at this point of deciding whether he was going to settle into a more 'normal' life when he received a call from Brian Ebersole at Tiger Muay Thai. Ben also went viral for his fight against Julian Wallace and was featured on Lawrence Kenshin's Striking Breakdowns and it was cool to listen to his mindset going into that fight. Nowadays Ben spends most of his time coaching and is a great wealth of knowledge for MMA - if you're interested in those things check out the links below! Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/ben10mma/ https://www.instagram.com/strykemma

In this episode I sat down with Danie Dynamite, a content creator who also has an upcoming Combat Jiu Jitsu match at Fusion Fighting Championship. From a negative experience in school that led her to working in hospitality and event management to getting into rave music, DJing and through to dog grooming, Danie eventually found her way to Wimp 2 Warrior (now called Train Alta) Little did she know that this little program would change her life and ignite her passion from combat sports and Jiu Jitsu. It's always difficult to align the things you love with the things we have to do for work, so it's also pretty cool to see other people making a go of the things that they love. As such, seeing Danie get opportunities from something she enjoys is a great example for people to realise it can be done! Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/danie__dynamite/ https://www.instagram.com/fusionchampionship/

Hi All! In this episode I sat down with the 'Duke of Canberra' - Duke Didier. It was awesome to listen to his journey of pursuing the Olympic dream from grieving a missed goal and self-medicating to re-framing and setting new goals. Duke is currently signed to One Championship and should be returning to the big stage again soon. We also discuss starting a Martial Arts & Fitness gym - Progression MMA in Canberra to fixing the vein structures in his legs and so much more. Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/duke_didier/ https://www.instagram.com/progression_mma

In this episode I sat down with Colby Thicknesse, a professional mixed martial artist fighting out of Freestyle Fighting gym in Windang. It was fun to chat with him about life, from being a twin to having the competitiveness of wrestling drive a small wedge between them to his mindset, approach to injuries, his mindset and so much more. With an upcoming bout at Hex Fight Series against Michael Mannu, I'm excited for 'Slickness' to get back in there and do his thing. It was also cool to chat about the early days at Freestyle, before Alex Volkanovksi was the champ and it was a small room of core people grinding away from the shining lights to having some of the best martial artists in the world coming to the gym to help and share their knowledge and insights. Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/colbythicknesse https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/166902-colby-thicknesse https://hexfightseries.com/

In this episode I sat down with Gabriel Antonio Teixeira Dos Santos (a mouthful of a name right). I didn't realise part of the reason the names could get so long was due to the inclusion of the parents surnames in the kids names, it's always interesting to come across these cultural norms. There was a particular memory that Gabe shared with me of seeing his mother crying and tearing up photos when he was a young child that brought this memory to the surface for me of seeing a very similar thing with my own mother when I was maybe 16 or 17. There's something so raw about that memory that it definitely forms a part of my person today. Anyway, Gabriel is a really great person to train with and it's always admirable to find people who are pursuing a better life. Links: https://www.instagram.com/gabreubjj

In this episode I sat down with Dori Duncan, a professional female Muay Thai athlete (#13 in the World Female Featherweight rankings) who has an upcoming fight against the #1 contender Judy Humber on the 24th February 2024. Shout out to Kristof from Strive Dietetics who connected Dori and I, it was great to sit down with Dori to talk about all things life, mindset, training, working, having a sibling 11 years older and delving deep into the world of being a Professional Female Muay Thai Athlete. It's always difficult for an athlete to balance pursuing their competitive goals wholeheartedly and having some form of a living at the same time and it's probably even more difficult for female athletes, as such it was great to talk with Dori about the balancing act she plays whilst also doing her best to promote female participation in the sport. Enjoy! Links: https://www.wbcmuaythai.com/female https://www.instagram.com/duncbuns https://www.instagram.com/muay.thai.league/ https://www.instagram.com/teamedmondsoncoaching/

In this episode I sat down with Fran Bavaro, a female jiu jitsu athlete who coaches, competes and also works in aged care. Fran describes herself as the 'slightly more forgotten' middle child which no doubt has played a role in her perspective on things and it was really interesting to talk about how she had to analyse herself for her tertiary studies. We often forget how fortunate we are in a 1st world country, so it was interesting to listen to Fran's perspectives on humanitarianism and 'volunteerism'. One of the other things I really appreciate about this conversation is the candour that Fran provides in sharing her own stories and struggles. Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/franbavaro/ https://www.instagram.com/australiangirlsingi/ PS. The book I was referencing was the Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley

In this episode I sat down with Finn Canning the 'Guardian of Gi' and Frederick Daniel. I always enjoy chatting to younger athletes as they pursue their goals. From Jiu Jitsu to general degeneracy, betting on the UFC to finding lucrative side hustles in the Sneaker game, this was a really fun conversation with a couple of guys who really love the sport. Finn, despite being a serial guard puller actually started with Judo. As a smaller kid, he was looking for a way to not get pushed around and found his way into combat sports. Freddie never surprises me with some of the stories he pulls out, from talking to women or his sneaker hustle, to watching endless amount of Jiu Jitsu. Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/grapplingeducation/ https://www.instagram.com/finncanning/ https://www.instagram.com/frederickdaniel3/ https://www.instagram.com/grapple.mania/

In this episode I sit down with Gase Sanita - a Female Professional Mixed Martial Artist who in her amateur career won IMMAF worlds 2 years in a row. It's amazing the different journeys people take in life, from being a mum early in life to finding martial arts as a way to get fit, fighting her way down from 95kg+ divisions to the Bantam / Feather divisions she competes in nowadays. Gase is an amazing person, who grew up as one of the only Polynesian families in Christchurch, New Zealand. There's so much in this episode that makes me appreciate the attitude and work ethic that Gase has, from her experience with post natal depression to her commitment to the sport. I hope you enjoy this episode and support Gase in her career (if you like the fighting stuff) Links: https://www.instagram.com/gase_sanita11/

In this episode I sit down with Brian 'Bad Boy' Ebersole. I remember watching Brian's fights and thinking that he must be such a wild dude that it's a little bit crazy to think how twists and turns and we've become good friends through working together. I suppose when the guy used to shave an up arrow into his chest hair and throw cartwheel kicks in cage fights, what other impression are you meant to get? I still remember at a local Showdown Fight night when I was getting involved in the local scene that I grabbed Brian backstage for a short interview and I asked him 'Have you got any advice for aspiring fighters?' and the response he gave me was something like 'dont do it how I did it'. Brian is such a gentleman with a big heart that it's amazing to be able to share a conversation like this with him about his life, wrestling, travelling and much more. Enjoy Links: https://www.instagram.com/brianebersole/

Hi Everyone! In this episode I sit down with John Luhr, a father, jiu jitsu enthusiast, General Manager at a digital web and app development company and much more. John is a great example of not judging a book by its cover. Despite his 'viking' like look, he works in a very intellectual field and always seemed to be a bit of an entrepreneur despite some fairly humble beginnings (to be fair, that's probably a product of circumstance). I think that's fairly obvious when you see all the different businesses he's involved with from Puppi Lovers (dating apps) through to Oktion (Charity / donation apps) It's always interesting when I do episodes like this to understand how people get to where they are in life and these episodes are such great snapshots of this particular moment in time. Anyway, Enjoy! Links: https://www.instagram.com/thehalfguardprince/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-luhr/ https://digiground.com.au/ https://smartb.com.au/ https://oktion.com.au/ https://puppilovers.com/

Hi All! In this episode I sit down with Luke Pezzutti, an OG of the MMA scene in Sydney. From his involvement in Cage Fighting Championship to the running of Lion's Den Academy, Luke has been involved with the sport for a very long time. t was great to sit down and listen to his stories, from the early days of trying to learn Jiu Jitsu from the 'seminar' circuit, to his experiences with Hector Lombard, to the pressures of running the biggest promotion in Australia at the time - Cage Fighting Championship. Today, Luke has a great promotion he runs - Superfight, however is focused on getting his current crop of athletes to the pinnacle of the sport. Links: https://www.lionsdenacademy.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSuperfight/ https://www.instagram.com/lions_den_academy/