UFC veteran and BJJ Black Belt Din Thomas joins the show to talk about his long MMA career, the never ending pursuit of perfect Jiu-Jitsu and his current role as a coach of some of modern MMA’s elite fighters at American Top Team! Click “Read More” for show notes!

SHOW NOTES:

Fighters he is currently prepping for fights

His life before Martial Arts / Why team sports weren’t for him

Getting bullied as a kid

The rapid evolution of fighting in the last 15 years

Technology’s role in the evolution of Martial Arts

How a brush with the law changed his life’s path to become a martial artist

His early MMA career

The never ending pursuit of perfect Jiu-Jitsu

His interest in learning self defense / Sparring for haircuts

Jiu-Jitsu being the great equalizer for smaller people

“Getting Lucky” in striking VS “Getting Lucky” in Grappling

A reason why many people quit Jiu-Jitsu

How the appeal of knockouts among fans has changed the structure of MMA

The importance of a well rounded game

Jiu-Jitsu’s effectiveness in no time limit situations

Learning from Master Ricardo Liborio

His decision to pursue MMA as a career

Shootfighting in the 90’s

His quick transition from smaller shows to the UFC

His UFC debut against BJ Penn

The mental preparation of fighting

His defining career moment

The decision to retire

Becoming a stand up and improv comedian

Coaching the new generation of fighters

Future plans

[powerpress]