Shark Fights & Fox Fuel TV Sponsorship Opportunities! We Can Explode Your Brand At Almost Any Budget!

MMA Maxim's Sports Consultants Are Working For KO Dynasty To Forge A Strategic Partnership With FOX Fuel TV and Shark Fight Promotions, LLC to Explode Brands & Mixed Martial Arts In Over 30 Million Homes!  Contact Us Today To Tell Us How We Can Promote Your Brand With Your Budget! 
(213) 973-9MMA or by e-mail at MMAMaxim.com@gmail.com & Info@MMAMaxim.com

 Every Friday night at 10 pm ET/P on FUEL TV, Shark Fights pro mixed martial arts competitions feature some of the best names and match-ups in the game. With heavy hitters such as Houston Alexander, Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine, Sokoudjou, Paul Daley, Trevor Prangley, and Danillo Villefort having graced the cage, you know, whatever the card, that your going to witness a war.

We would like to talk to you about an amazing opportunity that is

 available with FOX Fuel (www.Fuel.TV) and Shark Fight Promotions, LLC

 (www.sharkfights.com).  This opportunity would give Netflix excellent

 exposure with one of the fastest growing professional sports.  Shark

 Fights and FOX Fuel have recently signed a deal to air a new Shark

 Fights show as part of FOX Fuel's “Friday Fight Night” programming. FOX

 Fuel specializes in extreme sports like Motocross, Surfing and

 Skateboarding. They are looking to get behind Mixed Martial Arts in a

 big way and are really pushing Shark Fight.

 Just recently, FOX put George Greenberg in charge of FOX Fuel because

 FOX really wants to bring FOX Fuel to the next level. George Greenberg

 has been nominated for over 16 Emmys, and created FOX sports media with

 the NFL, and is a guru when it comes to sports. George believes in MMA

 and actually put MMA on FOX back in the 90’s so he knows the sport, and

 believes that MMA is going to take FOX Fuel to the next level. That is

 why George has created "Friday Fight Night" on FOX Fuel to help build

 the content and audience.

 The reason I am telling you this is because this will have a MAJOR

 impact on you as a sponsor, and being on the ground floor with Shark

 fights, and FOX Fuel. George is a genius and understands the business of

 MMA so this is very good news for Shark fights, sponsors, and FOX fuel.

 This just happened about 2 weeks ago and we all were very excited. Here

 is the press release: 

 http://www.multichannel.com/article/467457-Fox_Sports_Taps_Greenberg_To_Lead_Fuel.php

 *On FOX Fuel they will air the episodes 3 and 4 weeks later in a 2 part

 series so that gives us time to edit, integrate the sponsors, make sure

 we edit out all the boring fights, and have to take a 3 hour show and

 condense into 2 hours. George Greenberg wants to do it this way so all

 the fights are exciting and he can build the audience.

 *Shark fights 13 has re aired already 10 times over one month on FOX

 Fuel to give you a idea of re airs. On the HDnet broadcasts they usually

 re air about twice a month.

 *EACH FOX fuel episode is one hour. So part 1 is a hour and part 2 is

 also one hour.  HDnet is a 3 hour show.

 Here is the schedule for the upcoming fights:

 FOX  FUEL – Shark fights 16  Saturday, June 25  Amarillo  Texas

 1)      July 15th  Friday Night 10pm Friday Night Fights presents Shark

 fights 16  part 1

 2)      July 22nd  Friday Night  10pm Friday Night Fights presents

 Shark fights 16 part 2

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 HD NET – Shark Fights  17  Friday, July 15 Lubbock   Texas

 1)      July 15th  HDnet  fights presents Shark Fights 17  Friday 10pm

 ( LIVE)  3 hours

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 FOX FUEL –Shark fights 18  Saturday, August 20 Odessa  Texas

 1)      September 9th    Friday Night 10pm   “Friday Night Fights

 presents” Shark fights 18  part 1

 2)      September 16th  Friday Night  10pm  “Friday Night Fights

 presents” Shark fights 18 part 2

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 FOX FUEL – Shark fights 19   Saturday, September 10  Location TBD

 1)      September 30th  Friday Night 10pm “Friday Night Fights

 presents” Shark fights 19  part 1

 2)      October 7th Friday Night  10pm  “Friday Night Fights presents”

 Shark fights 19 part 2

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 HD NET –  Shark fights  20   Friday, September 30   Location TBD

 1)      September 30th  HDnet  fights presents Shark Fights 20  Friday

 10pm ( LIVE)  3 hours

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 FOX FUEL – Shark fights  21   Saturday, October 15  Albuq/NM

 1)      November 4th   Friday Night 10pm “Friday Night Fights presents”

 Shark fights 21  part 1

 2)      November  11th  Friday Night  10pm  “Friday Night Fights

 presents” Shark fights 21 part 2

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 HD NET –Shark fights  22   Friday, November 4    LOCATION TBD

 1)      November 4th  HDnet  fights presents Shark Fights 22  Friday

 10pm ( LIVE)  3 hours

 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 FUEL – Shark fights 23  Saturday, December 3 Lubbock   Texas

 1)      December 23rd    Friday Night 10pm “Friday Night Fights

 presents” Shark fights 23  part 1

 2)      December  30th   Friday Night  10pm  “Friday Night Fights

 presents” Shark fights 23 part 2

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UFC Fight Night: Tito Ortiz Returns To Take On Lil Nog In Seattle On Sat. March 26

Do you want to see Tito Ortiz Fight Lil Nog After His Not So Stellar Performance Against Matt "the Hammer" Hamill at UFC 123 in Anaheim?

The UFC hits the Key Arena in Seattle on Saturday, March 26 as former champion Tito Ortiz battles Antonio Nogueira, plus Dan Hardy and Anthony Johnson collide! UFC Fight Club Presale starts Thursday, Jan. 27 - join today for first access to tickets!

Matt Hamill beat Ortiz at UFC 121.  Ortiz was his former coach Tito Ortiz on "The Ultimate Fighter" TV Show.  See http://mmafightingwords.blogspot.com/2010/11/deaf-mma-fighter-matt-hamill-inspires.html 

Elite MMA Bas Rutten's UFC 119 Viewing Party & Grand Opening with MMA Fighters

Location Elite MMA

880 Hampshire Rd. Suite X

Westlake Village, CA

Saturday, September 25 · 11:00am - 5:00pm
http://www.elitemmagym.com/

More Info GRAND OPENING of Elite MMA

"Self Defense and Fitness for the whole family"

Sept 25th 11am - 5pm



Exhibitions during the grand opening:

... - Elite Krav Maga - Sam Sade 11:30am, 2:00pm

- Kids Grappling Exhibition - Randy Khatami 12:00pm, 2:30pm

- Bas Rutten - MMA 101 (plus some of Bas's signature moves) 12:30pm, 3:00pm

- "Extreme Fit" Bag Classes - Chelsea & Randy Khatami 1:00pm, 3:30pm

- CorMax Fitness Demo - Certified CorMax Trainer 1:30pm, 4:00pm



Guests will also enjoy Great Food, Drinks and Special Giveaways



Special Guests include:

- Cris "Cyborg" Santos

- Kevin Randlemen

- "Big John" McCarthy

- Gene LeBell

- Steven "The Fight Professor" Quadros

- Guy Mezger

- Benji "The Razor" Radach

- Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski

- Renato "Babalu" Sobral

- plus MANY more of your favorite fighters and MMA personalities!



Brand New 8,000 sf+ training facility including:

- Over 3,000 sf of mat and heavy bag space

- Advanced Cardio, Weight Training and Fitness Equipment

- Certified Cormax Training Center

- Men's and Women's Locker Rooms, Showers and Saunas.

- Pro Shop with large selection of MMA gear and apparel.



Classes Include:

- Elite Krav Maga - The ultimate in self defense training!

- Boxing - Basics to Advanced!

- Extreme Fit Bag Classes - Not just another workout!

- Kids and Family Programs

- Bas Rutten's MMA System - Learn MMA, Get in Shape and Have Fun!



www.elitemmagym.com

(805) 496-4472

880 Hampshire Rd. Suite X Westlake Village, CA

Paul "Semtex" Daley Signs with Strikeforce; Whom Should He Train with to Improve his Grappling Skills?

PAUL "SEMTEX'' DALEY 25-9-2 SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE!

It is great to see a fighter be able to continue to fight even after making a mistake by hitting an opponent after the match.  However, who doesn't want to hit trash talking Josh "Kos" Koscheck?  Just about everybody for his failure to win the Academy Award by faking an alleged knee strike to the eye by Daley.  Add in his recent accusations that George St. Pierre was "fake" and not a "squeaky clean Superman" and there will be a line waiting to hit him. 
 
Daley won a controversial win against Jorge Masvidal at Shark Fights 13 and responded to the crowd's displeasure thank you for paying my wages.  Daley has impressive striking skills but his take-down defense and ground skills are still lacking to be a belt-holder.  Whom Should He Train with to Improve his Grappling Skills? Did you think his match at Shark Fights 13 in Texas showed enough improvement when he did not make weight?  Shark Fights 13 was on September 11, 2010 at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas and the commentators were legendary Dutch MMA fighter Bas Rutten and American legendary MMA fighter and wrestler Don Frye.










MONTREAL- MAY 8: Josh Koscheck (top) stands on Paul Daley in their welter weight bout at UFC 113 at Bell Centre on May 8, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Paul Daley being restrained by the UFC referee after an illegal punch that landed on Koscheck's head immediately after the fight was over.  Daley lost this match and threw it while Koscheck was walking away.  This resulted in Zuffa's release of Daley from their competition.  Daley's defense was that Koscheck's trash talking in this submission angered him. The real submission win may go to this UFC ref.

NEW YORK (Sept. 15, 2010) - Top-10 world-ranked welterweight, Paul Daley, has signed a multi-fight deal with world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE.



The 5-foot-9, 27-year-old native of London who fights out of Nottingham, England, has won two straight and six of his last seven. Overall, the cocky, brash seven-year pro is 25-9-2.



Nicknamed "Semtex" after an explosive that British armed forces use to demolish large structures, Daley is coming off a unanimous three-round decision over recent STRIKEFORCE signee, Jorge Masvidal, last Saturday, Sept. 11. It was the first time since July 1, 2006, that Daley had won a fight on points.



Daley is a freelance mixed martial artist whose style is an aggressive mix of striking, striking and more striking.

 "I am a striker - there is no secret about that,'' the exciting British bomber said. "I like to knock people out aggressively and quickly. That's my game and no opponent's going to change that. Almost all my fights are exciting and memorable with non-stop action.''

Daley specializes in Muay Thai (Dutch style). He utilizes lead leg kicks often and possesses devastating knees and quick, heavy hands.


"I'm looking forward to fighting for STRIKEFORCE and would really love to fight (current STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion) Nick Diaz,'' Daley said. "He's a big name and a great fighter. Diaz would bring out the best in me and would be a great test.''

Daley, who has compiled a highlight reel of impressive knockout victories, has competed against some of the best since turning professional in June 2003. Three of his most significant victories came against Masvidal, a 2:24, first-round KO (punches) over Dustin Hazelett on Jan. 2, 2010, and a 2:31, first-round TKO (punches) over Martin Kampmann on Sept. 19, 2009.


A former Cage Rage champion, Daley appeared on a STRIKEFORCE co-promoted card on June 22, 2007. On the undercard of Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni in San Jose, Calif., he registered a second-round TKO (punches) over Duane "Bang''Ludwig.



Daley was introduced to martial arts when he began taking karate at the age of 7. Besides England, he also trains in Holland. For a time several years ago, Daley was involved in a project with Mothers Against Guns in London.



About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie."  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

Should Georges St. Pierre (GSP) say Josh Koscheck "I Am Not Impressed With Your Performance?"

According to Josh Koscheck's sparring partner at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Daniel Cormier, Josh is a guy who likes to joke around.  He told us a joke Josh played on a wrestler by putting dog poop in his wrestling shoes.  Josh did buy him another pair of shoes and the wrestler was not fighting when he did this prank.

Listen to GSP and Josh "Kos" Koscheck's Fighting Words as they face off as MMA coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter" then fight in a rematch on the UFC on December 11, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec. "Kos" claims he is portrayed as the villian and GSP is not the "squeaky clean" "superman" as he portrays himself.  Koscheck even ironically called GSP fake. GSP counters that Kosscheck has already lied about three things.  However, GSP forgot to mention Koscheck's fake acting of a knee to his face by Paul Daley (see below).  That fake acting should have had him fined.  We all do not want MMA to experience the acting that occurs in the World Cup FIFA matches.

"Kos" tells GSP to stop wasting his time and money by training with legendary boxing coach Freddy Roach because he will not stand-up with "Kos" once he gets tagged.

We are really surprised Koscheck didn't bring up his allegations that GSP is on steroids and cheats with petroleum products like Vaseline.  Check out the video at the bottom of wrestlers fighting in Turkey while drenched in olive oil.  We think Koscheck will do better than in his first match against GSP especially since he trains with Cain Velasquez but will still lose.  It gets ugly with wrestlers wearing leather pants and putting their hands down their opponent's pants to avoid the oil...we guess?  We are sure glad we have our MMA rules and not the wrestling rules in Turkey.  We also posted a video of GSP swearing in private in Quebecois French only after be insulted after his fight with BJ Penn.


GSP's statement to Matt Hughes that "I am not impressed with your performance" has become a famous and funny comment amongst MMA fans.

Georges St. Pierre (GSP) beat Josh "Kos" Koscheck by Unanimous Decision at UFC 74- Respect on Aug. 25, 2007 in a three round fight. GSP thinking "I am not impressed with your striking Josh!"

Georges St. Pierre thinking "Koscheck I am not impressed with your grappling" when he won by Unanimous Decision at UFC 74- Respect on Aug. 25, 2007 in a three round fight.

UFC 111 Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy on March 27.  GSP's last fight before facing Koscheck with GSP apologizing he made a mistake in his technique when he was unable to submit Dan Hardy.

Georges St. Pierre
Nick Name Rush
Record 20 - 2 - 0 (Win - Loss - Draw)
Wins 8 (T)KOs ( 40 %)
5 Submissions ( 25 %)
7 Decisions ( 35 %)
Losses 1 (T)KOs ( 50 %)
1 Submissions ( 50 %)
Association Jackson's Submission Fighting
Height 5'10" (178cm)
Weight 170lbs (78kg)
Style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Birth Date 1981-05-19
City St. Isidore, Quebec
Country Canada

Josh Koscheck beat Paul Daley in his last fight before his rematch with GSP.  Daley who was released from the UFC for hitting Koscheck after losing the fight claimed "Kos" was talking trash when he was in this hold and apologized for losing his temper.  Unsportsman like yes, but we think the UFC was too harsh in banning him.  A large fine to be donated to charity and community service would have been a better punishment

Josh Koscheck
Nick Name Kos
Record 15 - 4 - 0 (Win - Loss - Draw)
Wins 4 (T)KOs ( 26.67 %)
5 Submissions ( 33.33 %)
6 Decisions ( 40 %)
Losses 1 (T)KOs ( 25 %)
1 Submissions ( 25 %)
2 Decisions ( 50 %)
Association American Kickboxing Academy
Height 5'10" (178cm)
Weight 170lbs (78kg)
Birth Date 1977-11-30
City Buffalo, New York
Country United States

Former Strikeforce Champ Josh Thomson to Face Dangerous Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante in Battle of World-ranked Lightweights, Sat, Oct. 9

FORMER STRIKEFORCE CHAMP JOSH THOMSON
TO FACE DANGEROUS GESIAS “JZ” CAVALCANTE
IN BATTLE OF WORLD-RANKED LIGHTWEIGHTS
SATURDAY, OCT. 9, IN SAN JOSE, CALIF.

Josh "the Punk" Thomson (16-3) punching Pat Healy (23-15)

GESIAS “JZ” CAVALCANTE

Nick Diaz To Defend Belt Against KJ Noons In Grudge Rematch;
Sarah Kaufman To Risk Women’s Crown Against Marloes Coenen
At HP Pavilion Live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK  (Sept. 10, 2010) – On a night when STRIKEFORCE will present a World Championship Doubleheader that includes a grudge rematch between defending welterweight champion Nick Diaz and KJ Noons, former STRIKEFORCE belt-holder and local favorite Josh Thomson (17-3) will meet world-ranked Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante (15-3-1) of Brazil in an important lightweight fight Saturday, Oct. 9, at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

The winner between Thomson and Cavalcante, both world-ranked at 155 pounds, could be next up to challenge STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez.

Healthy again after injuries sidelined him for 15 months in 2008-‘09, Thomson turned back a determined bid from game Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy of Portland, Ore., to score a hard-fought, third-round submission in his most recent start last June 26 at HP Pavilion.

The popular, exciting, crowd-pleasing Thomson earned the victory over Healy in a tight, even match via rear-naked choke at 4:27 of the third despite injuring his ribs along the way.

In his first effort back after the lengthy layoff, Thomson, who shut out Melendez across five rounds to capture the STRIKEFORCE world 155-pound belt on June 27, 2008, lost a thrilling rematch to Melendez by the scores of 49-46 twice and 49-47 on Dec. 19, 2009, at HP Pavilion.

“Fans expect me to fight guys the caliber of JZ and so do I. I want to fight all the best lightweights,’’ said the 5-foot-10 Thomson, who turns 32 on Sept. 21. “Right now STRIKEFORCE has a bunch of top fighters at 155 pounds. There’s always going to be talk about a third fight with Gilbert, but that will come when the time is right.

“In the meantime, I need to keep taking it one fight at a time and I need to continue to win. There are plenty of great fights out there for me, and this is definitely one of them.’’

A prominent member of American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, Thomson is 9-1 in his last 10 starts.

It will be the eagerly awaited STRIKEFORCE debut for Cavalcante, a former consensus top five-ranked lightweight and two-time K-1 Hero's lightweight Grand Prix champion who signed with the San Jose-based organization earlier this year.

Not unlike Thomson, Cavalcante has had to fight through injuries the last few years -- most significantly, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee that sidelined him for several months.

“I train very hard against very good guys every day,’’ said the 5-foot-8, 27-year-old Cavalcante, a top performer in Japan the last few years who is coming off a split decision victory over  Katsunori Kikuno last July 10 at DREAM 15 in Japan. It was JZ’s first start in nearly 13½ months, the longest layoff of his career.

“I think I could have performed better in my last fight,’’ JZ said, “but it was my first in a long time and ring rust was a factor. But, now, I feel great and I’m excited to be able to get back to doing what I love to do.’’

After suffering his initial pro loss in his third outing in July 2004, Cavalcante went 12-0-1 before fighting a hotly disputed No Contest with former world No. 2-ranked lightweight, Shinya Aoki, in a March 2008 fight that was called due to illegal elbow strikes. Six weeks later, he dropped a decision to Aoki in a match in which the Brazilian sustained a severely bruised rib and tore cartilage in his costal area.

Cavalcante has performed in Japan for several years so he doesn’t figure to be intimidated by the surroundings when he faces Thomson on his home turf.

“I’m  happy to be 100 percent healthy and fighting in America,’’ JZ said. “Once the bell sounds, it will just be Thomson and I in there. This is a tremendous opportunity to re-establish myself against a former world champion. The fight is very important. The winner could be fighting for the STRIKEFORCE title.’’

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE:  Diaz vs. Noons II are on sale at Ticketmaster.com, at the HP Pavilion ticket office, or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Doors will open at 4 p.m. PT. The first live, non-televised fight is at 4:30 p.m.

Diaz (22-7, 1 NC) will defend against Noons (9-1) in the main event. Diaz, of Stockton, Calif., has not lost a fight since he faced Noons, losing via disputed first-round TKO on Nov. 7, 2007.  He has won seven in a row. Noons, of San Diego, Calif., has won his last six fights, including the thrilling slugfest against Diaz that ended when a cageside physician halted the proceedings due to excessive cuts around Diaz’ eyes.

In the co-feature, undefeated STRIKEFORCE Women’s Welterweight World Champion Sarah Kaufman (12-0) of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, will make the second defense of her 135-pound title against No. 1 contender and Dutch superstar Marloes Coenen (17-4).

Another featured fight will pit an emerging star, up-and-coming Luke Rockhold (7-1), of Santa Cruz, Calif., against the vastly more experienced, 2000 Olympic Games wrestling silver medalist, Matt "The Law" Lindland (22-7), of Oregon City, Ore., in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie."  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

Shane Carwin announces today his new coach: Amal Easton was the 7th person to receive his black belt directly from Master Renzo Gracie.

Renzo Gracie fighting in Japan at Pride

Amal Easton, Renzo Gracie Black Belt

UFC Former Heavyweight Champ, Shane Carwin announced today he has added a new coach: Amal Easton was the 7th person to receive his black belt directly from Master Renzo Gracie.

Amal Easton began his martial arts journey over thirty years ago with the study of Muay Thai under the tutelage of Ajarn Chai Sirasuti and Kru Doug Pandorf.

He has studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu extensively since 1992. After earning his Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine Amal moved to Rio De Janeiro in 1995. One of few Americans living in Rio de Janeiro, Amal trained and competed out of the Gracie Barra Academy for three and a half years.

Amal was only the seventh person to receive their black belt from legendary competitor and instructor, Renzo Gracie. Renzo and Carlos Gracie Jr. have endorsed Amal’s ability and authorized him to teach the art. Amal was the first American Black Belt National Champion in 2002, is a multiple Pan American and Worlds Masters champion, and one of the original American pioneers of the art.

Mitsuyo Maeda, who left Japan to travel to Brazil and became the original teacher of the Gracie family

Renzo is tough.  We heard him say he wanted his arm broken by Kazushi Sakuraba rather than give up to remind him of his mistake.

Helio Gracie, one of the Guardfathers of Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu