Andy’s Blog

This past Saturday was a witness to another great UFC event as Randy Couture defended his title against Gabriel Gonzaga. I’ve trained with the guy that gave Gabriel his Black Belt in BJJ, Wander Braga, so I knew “Napao” had a good chance if he was able to get the fight on the ground. But as Dana White has said so many times, “Never bet against Randy Couture!”, it came true again. Randy showed why he is probably the only fighter in the world that everyone likes and even though he got hit with some big kicks and elbows, he stuck to the gameplan and took care of business. Should be interesting to see who they bring in next for him to fight! My guess would be Mirko “CroCop” as you don’t keep that kind of talent and payroll on the bench.

The fight that I was very interested in was Koz vs. GSP as this was a glimpse into the future. The days of martial artists fighting is slowly fading away and now it is athletes fighting. If you saw their physiques and conditioning, you know what I mean. GSP is a great example of a guy that has coordinated his fight training along with his strength and conditioning and even though Koz had the more proven wrestling credentials, GSP was so explosive and strong, it would have been hard for anyone to stop him that night. The best part was when they showed Diego Sanchez in the crowd looking very, very sour!

I also was looking forward to the Alberto Crane and Roger Huerta match. Alberto has been in the BJJ scene for years and has one of the best “mooks” in Japan (a book/magazine instructional) and if you train with the dude for even a few minutes, you like him right away. Alberto had some nice reversals off his back, but Roger was constantly chipping away with punches and elbows and earned a victory over a very tough and game Alberto.

Great fights and the level of competition just keeps on rising, which is great for the fans and the competitors alike!

I get asked often what I think is the best style to start training mixed martial arts for and I think most people are surprised when I say wrestling, as I am from a BJJ background.  To be sure, you have to think of martial arts styles the same way you think of academic subjects; to be truly competent in life and in business you need to be able to do it all, read, write, meth, etc.

 MMA training is the same; the more you are able to adapt to whatever situation you are in, the more likely you will be able to come out on top.  The honest truth about hand-to-hand combat is anything can happen; you might be a Golden Gloves boxer but get taken down, perhaps you are a Mundial medalist in BJJ but get a guy that has a great sprawl n’ brawl and so on.

 But of all the styles I have trained in, I think the best foundation would have to be amateur wrestling, and not just for the techniques.  As mentioned above, the more well-rounded you are, the better off you will be technique wise.  But the one thing all wrestlers have in common is that they have a great work ethic and tolerance for pain.  It was common back in the BJJ days to see guy come in a train for 30 minutes and talk for two hours, but tell everyone how they trained the whole day!  You don’t see that with wrestlers.  I’m not sure if it is because of the tough love most wrestlers get in high school or what, but most wrestlers will get more out of an 1 hour practice than others will get out of 3 hours. 

 On the Ultimate Fighter there were a couple of good wrestlers and I got to know Gray Maynard particularly well.  He was an All-American at Michigan State University and his intensity and work ethic was second to none.  One day at practice, while taking tape off his ankle he sliced himself pretty badly.  A lot of other guys would have called it a day and gone to get stitches and sat out practice, but not Gray.  He pretty much just wrapped it up again and got right back on the mats.

 It’s that toughness and attitude that I think makes wrestling an ideal foundation to start with…not to mention that it is always better to be on top in a real fight!

 -Andy

A lot of people ask me the same question, “What happened to Gabe?” While I was friends and occasional training partners with Gabe Ruediger before the show, I was also quite shocked as many of you were when I saw his weight steadily climbing up during the season. I don’t want to rehash what happened on the show, but suffice to say that it is painful and embarrasing when someone does not make weight and it hurts you and your reputation if it does happen.

Let’s be clear on one thing: MAKING WEIGHT SUCKS! When you are training twice a day for a couple of months on a calorie restricted diet, believe me, it’s not the most enjoyable time of your life. Especially if you live in a big city, where there are fast food restaurants on every corner and giant electric billboards flashing pictures of juicy cheeseburgers 24 hours a day…and you happen to be like me, the #1 fan of In-N-Out burgers, it is tough!

But on the other hand, dieting and making weight is part discipline and majority science. It simply comes down to how many calories you are consuming and how many calories you are burning throughout the day. Easier said than done in most cases, as we all enjoy eating and there is nothing better than having a big meal after a tough day of training. But part of being a competitor or athlete is doing the things that other people aren’t willing to do, and watching your weight consistently is one of them.

I’m not a nutrionist, but following is a basic outline of what I do to get my weight down for competition and remember that everybody has different genetics, etc. so what works for one person may not work for another so it is important to find out what works for you and your particular body. As always, you should consult a nutrionist or doctor before undergoing any drastic changes in diet or exercise plans…I’m lucky, my older brother is a nutrionist so I get the good advice for free!

- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it gets your metabolism going and gives you some energy for the day. The biggest mistake is skipping this meal; it does not have to be a big one, a small bowl of oatmeal and some fruit will do. Get that metabolism burning!

- I try to combine for every meal lean protein such as chicken breast, tuna, salmon, a fruit or vegetable and a clean carbohydrate such as brown rice or whole wheat bread. That’s right, CARBS! One of the worst things I ever did was try the no/low-carb diet a few years back and even though my brother warned me, it was all the rage and I did not listen…the result was one of my worst performances ever against Hiroshi Tsuryu in Shooto. Be sensible, but having a serving of carbs each meal will give you the energy you need to perform on the job and on the mats.

- Try to have 4-6 small meals throughout the day. Instead of two or three big meals, go for small meals that will be easier to digest and more importantly, keep your metabolism burning throughout the day instead of once in a while.

- Spinach is one of my favorites as it is a good source of fiber and fills you up without having to eat a bunch of starch. Try spinach salad mixed with chicken, red onions, tofu and some vinegar dressing and you get a good meal and feel terrific afterwards.

Sorry for the delay in adding new entries to the blog but I just returned from a short trip to Costa Rica and it was an unbelieveable experience.  For those of you that have not ever had the chance to go somewhere that it complete and natural country, you should give it a try!

 I pride myself on being a city-slicker to the max; I don’t know where I would be without all of modern day conveniences but being in the country and seeing how people live so in touch with nature and themselves was great.

 There are a couple of BJJ/MMA schools located in San Jose, which is the capitol of Costa Rica and they were very friendly to me, even though I was there during a national holiday.  It’s great to see our sport expanding so quickly and it seems pretty soon that we’ll have access to quality training wherever we go. 

 Also, keep an eye out for improvements to the website and updated video and photo sections.  I’ve been gathering some archived materials of my career in BJJ/MMA and hope to share them with you soon.

-Andy