In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, I was invited to be a part of a 16-man bracket for JitzKing Promotions in Florida. In the first round, I was matched up against a friend and premier guest on the Open GuardCast, John Combs in the first round.

John won via guillotine (the famous “Combatine”) and I was out of the tournament. After a bit of disappointment and sulking, I went to watch the rest of the tournament. At this point, Danny O’Donnell and I had a good number of podcasts under our belt and continually reached out for commentary opportunities, getting none.

I noticed as I sat that one of the commentators got up right before a match to use the restroom and handle some business, as he was one of the owners of the gym the event was being held at. I seized the opportunity and asked if I could have a chance, to which I was granted 2 matches. The first? Roberto Jimenez vs. Pedro Marinho, which ended up being a pivotal result in the tournament that I added plenty of color to.

From this small opportunity, I was a guest commentator for Third Coast Grappling, and then I was given my first official shot on EUG Promotions with Hector Vasquez.

From EUG 1, where I traveled to Las Vegas to commentate, interview, MC and host the show, the ball was rolling, and I kept growing until I became the main commentator for both ADCC and IBJJF. Onwards and upwards, let’s continue to grow!