BJJ Balance

In Episode 160 of the BJJ Balance Podcast, Matt opens up about one of the most stressful weeks of his life. After dedicating 24 years to his career, he unexpectedly found himself unemployed, questioning his financial security and what the future would look like for his family.
But the story doesn't end there.
Matt explains how he fought to clear his name, how his union helped get him reinstated, and how faith, prayer, and the lessons learned through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped him navigate the experience.
Kenny and Matt also get into some major conversations happening in the grappling world, including a message reportedly sent by Craig Jones about CJI 3, whether slams should be legal in BJJ competitions, and the importance of continuing to develop your jiu-jitsu game as you get older.
In this episode:
Matt's unexpected firing after a 24-year career and how he got his job back

Craig Jones, CJI 3, and speculation about the next Craig Jones Invitational

Should slams be legal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments?

Why men over 40 need something that belongs to them

The relationship between faith, masculinity, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Is there a conflict between being Christian and hosting an unfiltered podcast?

Why developing your leg-lock game matters in modern BJJ

Cross-training at other academies and dealing with gym loyalty

When should a beginner enter their first BJJ competition?

Why side control is still one of the most effective positions in grappling

The pressure of creating content while dealing with real-life problems

This episode is a reminder that jiu-jitsu is bigger than submissions, medals, and belt promotions. Sometimes the lessons you learn on the mats become the same lessons that help you fight through the hardest moments of your life.
Whether you're a white belt just beginning your journey or a seasoned practitioner balancing training, work, and fatherhood, there's something here for you.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Should slams be legal in adult Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions? Would making them legal actually discourage dangerous guard jumping? Let us know in the comments.
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Kenny is BACK on the BJJ Balance Podcast, and this week we're talking about everything from Craig Jones teasing CJI 3 to why modern dating might be completely broken.
In Episode 159, Matt and Kenny get into the chaos of dating apps, relationships in the age of social media, meeting their wives, and whether dating someone at your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym is actually a good idea.
But this wouldn't be BJJ Balance without some jiu-jitsu news and absolute nonsense.
Craig Jones has dropped another teaser, and we're wondering what it means for CJI 3 and the future of professional submission grappling. With fans hungry for more major BJJ events, could something big be on the horizon?
We also get into Matt's upcoming NEVER A2 tattoo, the ongoing A2 vs. A3 rivalry, which Mario Kart and Street Fighter characters represent our favorite grapplers, and what every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt rank should actually know before moving up.
Plus, we talk about our partnership with Level Black and what having support from an established jiu-jitsu brand means to the podcast.
Whether you're a white belt just starting out, a purple belt developing your game, or a black belt who's seen it all, there's something for everyone in this episode.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Would you ever date someone from your jiu-jitsu gym? Is modern dating really as bad as people say? And what do you think Craig Jones has planned for CJI 3?
Drop your thoughts in the comments!
Subscribe to BJJ Balance for weekly conversations about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, BJJ culture, professional competition, and everything happening on and off the mats.
Find BJJ Balance on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, and Discord.
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #CraigJones
Please Follow BJJ Balance on all of our socials:IG: @BJJBalanceDiscord: discord.gg/bjjbalanceTik Tok: @BJJBalanceYouTube: YouTube.com/@BJJBalanceKenny IG: @KennyDoesBJJMatt IG: @oss_nation_bjj

Could Kenny actually beat Joe Rogan in a jiu-jitsu match? Why do A2s refuse to wrestle? And what would it feel like to roll with Craig Jones at 100%?Welcome back to the BJJ Balance Podcast! Episode 158 is a little different. Southern California weather has Kenny fighting for his life at home, so Matt is flying solo — and absolutely nothing is off-limits.Matt kicks things off with a special moment at Checkmat Murrieta, celebrating his professor's fifth-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt promotion and reflecting on the opportunities that BJJ has created.Then we get into the good stuff.Are guard pullers ruining the stand-up game? Matt has some strong opinions about A2 competitors who sit down before the match even starts. He also answers listener questions about dream superfights, including the hypothetical matchup nobody asked for: Kenny vs. Joe Rogan.And when it comes to Matt's own dream matches? Forget easy wins. He wants to experience what it's like to grapple with the best in the world, including Craig Jones, Gordon Ryan, Mikey Musumeci, and other elite athletes.Plus, we talk about potential PGF opportunities, a possible BJJ retreat in Costa Rica, classic martial arts movies like Bloodsport, Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat, and what it's really like to be a 42-year-old gamer.Matt closes the episode with a hilarious story about his very first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in 2009, where he learned that losing on the mats might be the least embarrassing part of competition.IN THIS EPISODE:Matt's solo takeover of BJJ BalanceA fifth-degree BJJ black belt promotionThe future of BJJ Balance and potential PGF coverageWhy A2 guard pullers need to learn takedownsCould Kenny beat Joe Rogan?Dream superfights with Craig Jones and Gordon RyanRolling with the best grapplers in the worldBloodsport and the greatest martial arts moviesStreet Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and classic gamingMatt's first BJJ tournament and the brutal lessons of losingABOUT BJJ BALANCEBJJ Balance brings you unfiltered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu discussions, grappling news, competition breakdowns, training advice, and the occasional completely unhinged conversation about life outside the mats.Hosted by Matt, a second-degree BJJ black belt, and Kenny, a Checkmat purple belt.With over 500,000 downloads across podcast platforms, we're building one of the most entertaining communities in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.JOIN THE COMMUNITY🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts📺 Subscribe on YouTube: @bjjbalance📱 Follow us on Instagram and join our Discord to submit questions for future episodes.🔒 Want more BJJ Balance? Check out After the Roll, available to Tier 2 and higher subscribers on YouTube and Spotify.LIKE, COMMENT & SUBSCRIBE!Would Kenny beat Joe Rogan in a grappling match? Are guard pullers getting too comfortable? And who would you choose for your dream BJJ superfight?Let us know in the comments!#BJJ #BrazilianJiuJitsu #BJJBalance #joerogan #CraigJones

Could Mikey Musumeci actually make the jump from elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to MMA — and eventually the UFC?
On Episode 157 of the BJJ Balance Podcast, Kenny and Matt break down Mikey Musumeci’s interest in MMA, what his game could look like when punches, kicks and the cage enter the equation, and the potential matchups that could make his MMA debut must-watch television.
But this episode goes much deeper than the professional grappling world.
We talk about why today’s generation of young Jiu-Jitsu athletes could eventually become the best grapplers the sport has ever seen, how specialized training is changing the level of kids coming through BJJ, and what happens when athletes essentially grow up training Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling year-round.
Then we get into one of the biggest problems experienced blue belts run into:
You’re destroying white belts.
You’re beating other blue belts.
But purple, brown and black belts are still eating your lunch.
So what do you do?
Sometimes getting better means deliberately putting yourself in bad positions, abandoning the game you're already good at and becoming comfortable LOSING again.
We also answer listener questions about submissions, the transition from blue to purple belt, what kind of black belt you should aspire to become, competition experience, lineage, coaching, accountability and why the culture inside a Jiu-Jitsu academy ultimately starts with the person leading the room.
Plus: '90s cartoons, getting old, gray hair, cheap Corvettes, gas-station glizzies, UFC nostalgia and considerably more nonsense than any respectable Jiu-Jitsu podcast should contain.🥋 BJJ Balance Podcast — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, MMA, training culture and everything that happens in between.Follow Kenny:@KennyDoesBJJFollow Mat:@OSSNationBJJJoin the BJJ Balance community and send us your questions for future episodes.Subscribe on YouTube and follow BJJ Balance on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.#BJJ #JiuJitsu #BrazilianJiuJitsu #MikeyMusumeci #UFC #Grappling #BJJPodcastPlease Follow BJJ Balance on all of our socials:IG: @BJJBalanceDiscord: discord.gg/bjjbalanceTik Tok: @BJJBalanceYouTube: YouTube.com/@BJJBalance

Can UFC BJJ keep growing — or does PGF have the better long-term model for professional jiu-jitsu?
On Episode 156 of the BJJ Balance Podcast, Kenny and Matt get into the future of professional grappling, UFC BJJ’s move behind a paywall, and why PGF’s team-based format, franchises, trades, free agency and city-based teams could eventually turn jiu-jitsu into something that looks much more like a traditional professional sport.
But before we get there, Matt has another idea: Judo needs to be Americanized.
Not changed. Not renamed. Not stripped of its history. Just given the same American flavor that helped Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu evolve in the United States. Less worrying about what everything is called and a little more “can we just toss somebody?”The guys also discuss the controversy surrounding a UFC BJJ competitor celebrating after an opponent’s arm was injured, why competitors are responsible for tapping, and whether combat sports athletes sometimes need a little showmanship to separate themselves from everyone else.Then things go completely off the rails.Matt explains how a normal round of jiu-jitsu somehow ended with him getting thrown out the front door of the gym, receiving another black eye, and immediately turning the injury into content. That somehow leads to combat-sports injuries, Noah’s Ark, internet trends, Sydney Sweeney, No-Gi Worlds, and Kenny once again reminding Matt about the time he took him down.Just another completely normal episode of BJJ Balance.🥋 IN THIS EPISODE:• Why Judo hasn't caught on in America like BJJ• Should Judo get an “American” makeover?• What Eddie Bravo got right about branding techniques• UFC BJJ moving behind a paywall• The controversy over celebrating after an arm break• Why fighters sometimes need to be the villain• Matt gets thrown OUT OF THE GYM during a roll• 15 years of black eyes from combat sports• Noah’s Ark somehow enters the conversation• UFC BJJ vs. PGF• Why team-based professional jiu-jitsu could be the future• How UFC BJJ could instantly improve its live atmosphere• “DON’T STAND THEM UP” is born• No-Gi Worlds in Las Vegas• The BJJ Balance guys volunteer themselves for Hero Retreat• Kenny vs. Matt gets brought up… again• Matt prepares for another competition seasonSubscribe to BJJ Balance for weekly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu conversations, current events, terrible opinions, life, training, competition, and everything happening around the sport.Follow BJJ Balance on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and social media.#BJJ #JiuJitsu #BrazilianJiuJitsu #UFCBJJ #PGF #Judo #Grappling #BJJPodcast #NoGi #JiuJitsuPodcastPlease Follow BJJ Balance on all of our socials:IG: @BJJBalanceDiscord: discord.gg/bjjbalanceTik Tok: @BJJBalanceYouTube: YouTube.com/@BJJBalanceKenny IG: @KennyDoesBJJMatt IG: @oss_nation_bjj