Interview by: Jake McKee    Photos by: Dave Contreras

One was the teacher, the other the student. One is a legend in BJJ, while the other is looking to forge his own path, and make a name for himself in MMA. Wherever their respective paths take them one thing will remain true for Gracie Barra black belts Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes and Romulo Barral. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is in their blood.

Interview with Draculino:

Can you talk about how you moved from Brazil to Texas?

Article by: Marcelo Alonso (in collaboration with Guilherme Cruz, Eduardo Ferreira, and Erik Englehart)    Photos by: Marcelo Alonso & The Gracie Family

After over 80 years devoted to Jiu-Jitsu, the man who revolutionized the Martial Arts concept around the world has passed away.

On October 1st, 2008, family and friends gathered to celebrate the birthday of Hélio Gracie. Though he was turning 95 years old, Hélio took center stage and delivered a heartfelt speech to those in attendance detailing his storied life, and thanking them for taking the time to celebrate with him. Following the party the general consensus among guests was that Hélio had never looked better, and not only would they be returning the following year to help celebrate his 96th birthday, they would also return years from now to mark his 100th birthday.

Technique by: Marcio Feitosa    Photos by: Dave Contreras

The single leg takedown is a common way to get taken down, particularly when training without the gi. While there are numerous ways to escape when your opponent has one of your legs in the air, this particular counter becomes even more effective the tighter your opponent holds on. This sacrifice throw relies on you being able to keep your opponent’s grip locked on tight to your leg. His committed attack is what ends up sending him flat on his back on the mat enabling you to get on top and apply a submission of your own - in this case an armbar or an americana.

Technique/Article by: Rik Brown    Photos by: Dave Contreras

Martial Artists, MMA Fighters, BJJ, and Wrestlers, when your grip is gone so is your chance for victory.  Without a strong, powerful grip, you can’t control or hold your opponent.  You can’t “Lock Him Up!” in your submission attempts.  And without grip endurance, you can’t fight him off as the match wears on.

Interview & Photos by: Manabu Takashima

The following interview was previously featured in Vol. 6 of the Budovideos magazine (now called Martial Generation Magazine). Current UFC Middleweight contender, Yushin “Thunder” Okami sat down with us prior to his fight with Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister at UFC 92, to discuss a number of topics. Among them were, how Yushin got his start in MMA, what he feels his status is within the UFC, and what he’s got in store for the future.

We teamed up with Caleb from the fightworks podcast to bring you a quick recap of the finals of the Mens Blackbelt finals from the 2009 World Jiu Jitsu championships.

Article by: Joe Romero    Photos by: Dave Mandel

The following article was previously featured in Vol. 6 of the Budovideos magazine (now called Martial Generation Magazine). Former PRIDE champion, and current UFC Middleweight contender, Dan Henderson talked with us prior to his UFC 93 main event fight with Rich “Ace” Franklin. In the article, Dan talks about how he got his start in MMA, his life outside of the octagon, and his plans for the future.