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A Mixed Martial Arts talk show featuring Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts David Avellan (creator of the Kimura Trap System and ADCC 2009 Bronze Medalist) and Robert Drysdale (2005 IBJJF World Champion, ADCC 2007 Absolute Champion, co-founder of Zenith BJJ). Both of them have extensive backgrounds in MMA and BJJ as students, competitors, coaches, and school owners - pulling on their combined experiences to discuss the mental aspect of training, proper preparation, championship mindset, and more.
Episodes

5 hours ago
BTG 144 - The End of an Era
5 hours ago
5 hours ago
I return from my trip to Florida with a new black belt, review more episodes of the UFC BJJ show, discuss the main event of that last UFC fight night between Hill vs Rountree, and finally, talk about the announcement of the official retirement of Jon Jones.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
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Monday Jun 16, 2025
BTG 143 - Enhanced Combat Sports League
Monday Jun 16, 2025
Monday Jun 16, 2025
I was asked about my stance on PEDs after a previous podcast, and while I have talked about me thoughts about them on several podcasts, I have never focused on it entirely. So I dedicate the first half of this podcast to that. I then answer a different question, which was how would I feel of having a "clean" fight league and an "enhanced" fight league.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
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Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Sunday Jun 08, 2025
BTG 142 - I'm the crazy one
Sunday Jun 08, 2025
Sunday Jun 08, 2025
Spoiler alert, I talk about UFC 316 on this podcast, and I realize I might be a bit crazy. I also talk about the difference between being sore vs being hurt, and some secrets that Merab revealed about his conditioning program.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday Jun 02, 2025
BTG 141 - Most Mid UFC Card?
Monday Jun 02, 2025
Monday Jun 02, 2025
I don't think anyone was excited about this card, and it seemed to get worse as the event closed in. We had 3 fighters miss weight, one fighter was ill and couldn't fight, and two of the fighters that missed weight ended up dropping out of their fights last minute. This sparks a conversation about weight cutting again, where I really go against the practice and blame the athletic commissions. I close on some new developments with my website, and ask for your help making it even better.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday May 26, 2025
BTG 140 - What's better, a big team or a small team?
Monday May 26, 2025
Monday May 26, 2025
I talk about the pros and cons of big teams versus small teams, making the case that small teams are usually better. However, it is a bit more nuanced than an objective yes or no answer, so I take a deep dive to explore the differences.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday May 19, 2025
BTG 139 - Relearning the Basics
Monday May 19, 2025
Monday May 19, 2025
Many people think that once they "learned" something, they never have to revisit the topic ever again. From my experience with life and the martial arts, this is nearly never true. I'm constantly learning new things from something I "knew" decades ago, and some of my best breakthroughs were learning new tidbits about something I'm an expert in.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday May 12, 2025
BTG 138 - It's okay to just be a champion
Monday May 12, 2025
Monday May 12, 2025
After UFC 315, the topic of double champions becomes an even bigger distraction, as 3 champions are moving towards achieving a double champion status, instead of defending their division. I make the case for why it's better for a champion to stay in their division, instead of trying to grab as my titles as possible.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday May 05, 2025
BTG 137 - Monday Morning Quarterback
Monday May 05, 2025
Monday May 05, 2025
I become a big critic of fighters and coaches after watching UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo, so I fully aware of my Monday morning quarterbacking. Nonetheless, there is plenty to criticize here, as the main event had one of the worst game plans I have seen in recent history.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday Apr 28, 2025
BTG 136 - UFC and BJJ Stars and the Future of New Wave
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Hot off the heels of BJJ Stars 15 and UFC Fight Night: Machado vs Prates, I give a review of the matches that took place and my thoughts on them. I explore the ideas of retiring on your own terms, and the athlete vs warrior mindset. I also discuss a new development with New Wave, which might be a thing of the past.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard

Monday Apr 21, 2025
BTG 135 - Who is the best Heavyweight in BJJ?
Monday Apr 21, 2025
Monday Apr 21, 2025
I review the aftermath of the matches from WNO 27: Duarte vs Rodriguez, and their implications on the heavyweight grappling scene. I can't recall a time where I was more excited about the match ups in heavyweight BJJ, as the top 5 active heavyweights have nearly all traded wins and losses. With Gordon out of the picture, we have chaos, and that makes for some exciting match ups where it's harder to pick winners - even though I did pick this card 100% correctly, I was doubting a few of my picks mid-match.
Visit our sponsors:
DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.
Follow me on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on Instagram: https://Instagram.com/DavidAvellan
Follow me on X: https://X.com/DavidAvellan
Tag us on Social Media with #BreakingTheGuard