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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

3 days ago
BTG 141 - Most Mid UFC Card?
3 days ago
3 days ago
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
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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

Monday Apr 14, 2025
BTG 134 - Fighting Smart
Monday Apr 14, 2025
Monday Apr 14, 2025
I just got back from my trip to the Turks and Caicos, just in time to watch UFC 314. It was a great night of fights. I break it down, and vent some frustration at fighters that are fighting dumb that if they fought smart, could be winning their fights more.
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 07, 2025
BTG 133 - My Bloody Best Fight
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Monday Apr 07, 2025
My fight in BodogFIGHT Season 4 was my best MMA fight, and also the most consequential to my whole life. I took the fight on 2 weeks notice, with no training camp prior, with a popped rib and a torn knee. I had every reason not to do it, yet I persisted.
I'll share my story, how I trained alongside future big names like Chael Sonnen, Roy Nelson, Cain Velasquez, Jake Shields, how this helped me get into ADCC 2007, and made the Kimura Trap System 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 Mar 31, 2025
BTG 132 - The Ultimate Submission Showdown
Monday Mar 31, 2025
Monday Mar 31, 2025
I was finally able to watch a match that my brother and I have been trying to see for decades: David Avellan vs Rener Gracie! I was able to find it online (I will post the link below), but I decided to talk about the whole event and my experience with it:
https://tubitv.com/movies/577551/the-ultimate-submission-showdown
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