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?

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.

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.

Interview by: Dave Contreras    Photos by: Mike Poeschl

Gracie Barra is one of the top schools in all of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and their alumni includes a list of who’s who in the world of BJJ and MMA including Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Ricardo Almeida, and of course the Gracies themselves. Bringing their legendary techniques to Southern CA in 2004, Gracie Barra set up shop in Irvine (located 40miles south east of Los Angeles) with the help of Marcio Feitosa, Marco Joca, and Flavio Almeida (Ricardo’s brother) and quickly established that school as the premiere location for all Gracie Barra academies within the US.  In the following interview head instructor, and multiple time world BJJ champion Marcio Feitosa gives us a rare glimpse into what sets the Gracie schools apart from the rest.

Interview by: Jake McKee    Photos by: Dave Contreras

Gokor Chivichyan was born in Armenia and has been training in the grappling arts since the age of 5. With decades of experience in wrestling, judo, and sambo, Gokor is a wealth of experience to rely on. He’s been training world class Judoka and MMA fighters at the Hayastan MMA Academy since 1991 and is always innovating, improving, and refining the art of submission grappling.

BV: Many people in the MMA world know you as the coach of such fighters as Karo, Manny, and Roman. When you watch these fighters in the ring we’re usually guaranteed to see strong leg attacks, and some good throws. Are these two things emphasized more strongly than other things at your school?

Interview by: Kevin Howell    Photos by: Dave Contreras

The following interview was previously featured in Vol. 5 of the Budovideos magazine (now called Martial Generation Magazine). Multiple time BJJ world champion, and ADCC champion, Leo Vieira shares his thoughts on opening his new school (located in La Habra, CA), the current state of competition, and what it’s like being a new father.

Tell me a little bit about your academy here in La Habra, California.