Memories ADCC 2017: The recent world championships in Finland were doubtless a source of great pride for me due to the accomplishments of my students – first for qualifying an unprecedented number of entrants and secondly for fine performances in the event itself. One of my favorite memories however, and one that I shall treasure for all my life, was my time cornering my dear sensei, Renzo Gracie in his Masters rematch with the former ADCC champion, Sanae Kikuta. They had fought an epic mma match years ago, with sensei winning via his legendary guillotine stranglehold. Once again they had a closely contest match – with Mr Gracie winning a very close bout due to higher work rate/passivity penalty. It was a great honor to watch sensei prepare for and contest his match – I have watched him spar ten thousand times over two decades in the gym – seen changes and adaptations in his game as he gained in age and experience- to watch it all up close and be a small part of it was a memory I shall always cherish. Photo @banejitsu
