BBS22: Nick Taranta

In this episode, we chat with the one and only Casual Brian. Brian is a Marcelo Garcia purple belt known for his wrestle up from bottom half inside the gym. Outside the gym, he is better known as the main man behind the Casual Brand. His main channels include: The Casual Grappler (@the_casual_grappler), The Casual Jazzer (@the_casual_jazzer), and The Casual Producer (@thecasualproducer).  Brian shared with us his story of how he started training BJJ and the difference between MMA grappling and BJJ. Outside of grappling, Brian shared with us his knowledge on how to grow a successful channel and the best tips for producing content. 

Today's guest on our show is our co-host Jin Shin. Jin currently trains at Marcelo Garcia Academy in NYC and competed at the Grappling Industries in New Jersey over the weekend. He went on to win bronze in the Gi division and silver in the no-gi division, gathering a record of 10-2.  In today's episode, he reflects on the weekend and chats about what people can expect to see next in his competitive journey. 

In this episode, we talk to our friend and teammate Kyle "Infinite Play Guy" Fincham. Kyle is a Marcelo Garcia purple belt with one of the nastiest half guard kimuras in the game. He is also the creator of Infinite Play - a movement based idea. Kyle talks to us about the inspiration and philosophy behind Infinite Play and how others can implement this philosophy into their everyday lives outside of an Infinite Play session. 

In this episode, we interviewed the PXC Heavyweight Champion Kelvin Fitial.  Kelvin has been in the fight game for nearly two decades. In fact, he received his blue belt in BJJ this months after 18 years of dabbling in the art. But don't be mistaken, he is a certified killer - battle tested in multiple organizations around the world. He is the heavyweight champion of PXC and has a fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez.  What we can say about Kelvin is that his style of training is not conventional. He doesn't train in the biggest gym or have the fanciest equipment. What he has is his island of Saipan - he uses all elements of the island's resources to make sure he gets the training he needs. 

In this episode, we had the honor of talking to The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 finalist Brogan Walker.  Brogan talks to us about the journey she has had that led her to the finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 30. She gives us the behind the scenes look of what really goes down inside the TUF house - from injuries to drama that that the camera does not capture. She also tells us what's next and what we can expect to see from her moving forward. 

In this episode, we chat with Nicky Taranta, CEO of the soon-to-come BJJ brand "Taranta."  Nicky has been an entrepreneur since a young age, having started a skate apparel brand before finding BJJ. Since he began training, he has decided to take his entrepreneurial talents to the BJJ world to design the next super No-gi shorts. From what we've seen so far, we can promise you that they are worth the wait.   Be sure to keep an eye out for the next super brand: Taranta! 

In this episode, we chat with the legendary Enson Inoue about his decorated martial arts journey. Enson is known for his Yamato Damashii - or Samurai Spirit. It is this spirit that brought us fans some of the most exciting MMA fights in Japan and the same spirit that allows Enson to continue to give back to his community.   If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to share it with your friends and support Black Belt Nutrition at www.blackbeltnutrition.com and follow us on Instagram @blackbeltnutrition_

In this episode, we chat with Judo Olympian Ricardo Blas Jr. who represents the island of Guam. Ric is the first athlete from this region of the world to make it past the first round of the Olympics after his defeat of Guinea in the 2012 London Olympics. While the island of Guam celebrates this victory, the people of Guinea aren't so happy... In this episode, Ric tells us stories of how he started training Judo before he was even born, growing up in a strict Judo school in Japan, and reaching the highest point of athletics (twice). He also tells the story of how Guam's lone victory in the Olympics lead to another athlete seeking political asylum in fear of his life. 

In this episode, we talk with young phenom John John Goldsborough Jr. You can tell from this episode that John John is not your average teenager. At a young age, he has set his eyes on a career in BJJ and has been absolutely crushing it thus far. One of the most interesting things we learned from this interview is that John John is so dedicated to the sport that he decided to learn how to speak Portuguese on his own. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is. If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to share it with your friends and support Black Belt Nutrition at www.blackbeltnutrition.com and follow us on Instagram @blackbeltnutrition_

In this episode, we chat with the BJJ phenom Colby Hernandez about his competitive journey in jiujitsu. With the goal of becoming a Black Belt world champion one day, he has decided to switch to homeschooling and train like a professional as a teenager.  If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to share it with your friends and support Black Belt Nutrition at www.blackbeltnutrition.com and follow us on Instagram @blackbeltnutrition_