UFC 122 Nate Marquardt -vs- Yushin Okami by Brian Michelino

     
      Saturday November 13th is UFC 122 in Germany, which means the UFC will
be free live on spike. Typically these free spike cards have a week
line up but this time that’s not the case. The Main event looks strong
in clash for a number one contender spot two string middleweights will
meet in the octagon. Yushin Okami was out preformed in his last title
eliminator when he was out classed by Rich Franklin; Marquardt is also
in the same boat when he fell short against a determined Chael Sonnen.
These fighters have fought against top tier opponents and they know
what it will take to become the champ, this fight should be high
energy and very exciting.
       Okami has been criticized for being a boring fighter, Okami is the
type of fighter that likes to make is opponents work to beat him, and
Nate will be glad to try and take it to Okami. Nate Marquardt is
rarely in a boring fight and has a style that makes me believe this
fight is going to be very exciting despite Okami’s particular fight
style. Okami has been training with Team Quest for this fight most
likely trying to take a page out of the Chael Sonnen game plan to beat
Nate. Though I think this was probably a smart move for Yushin I
believe Nate has a significant advantage in one particular area, and
that is in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game.
       Nate’s a very dangerous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt and I believe
that though Okami is no slouch on the ground he won’t have the
training to be able to keep up with Nate on the floor. Nate knows how
to use BJJ to advance his position without risking it, in the past
like in his last fight he was fighting a more dangerous BJJ expert but
I believe when Nate is better on the ground then his opponent this is
when he’ll be at his best. I believe Nate’s strategy will be to strike
Okami from the distance and then take him to the floor where he will
advance his position scoring from the top. I’m looking for Nate to
take a unanimous decision on the 13th, what do you guys think is going
to happen?

Martial Arts Trainings Unexpected Benefits by Brian Michelino

      There are certainly some pretty obvious effects of training Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. Things like Self Confidence and
Weight loss come to mind when talking about the positive benefits of
Training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts.
       However one benefit that might not be evident to the person looking
in at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or a Mixed Martial arts class which is one
of my favorite things about these sports, and that is the therapy of
training. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu especially when you’re constantly
attacking your opponent and the opponent is constantly attacking you
it’s really all you’re thinking about. In the heat of training your
mind is focused on learning the new techniques and improving what you
are doing and in the heart of sparring at your best you’re on
autopilot.
       I’ve heard some of my training partners at D’Arce Jiu Jitsu tell me
it’s a lot like yoga. For me it’s the closest I get to mediation in my
everyday life. After I come out of a class at D’Arce Jiu Jitsu I feel
like I just recharged my batteries so to speak.

DArce Choke Origin Article

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria Attempting the DArce Choke on Randy Couture

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Lessons is a FanHouse feature in which we ask someone in the MMA world to teach us about one aspect of Brazilian jiu jitsu. Today Joe D'Arce talks about the D'Arce choke.

During the first round of Saturday's UFC 102 main event, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira knocked Randy Couture down and attempted to submit him with a D'Arce choke -- a move that was named after Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt Joe D'Arce. To find out more about the move, I called D'Arce at his gym, D'Arce Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of Long Island, and asked him to explain the move's origins and how it came to bear his name.

For starters, D'Arce wants to make very clear that he did not invent the D'Arce choke.

"It's odd that the choke is named after me because I never claimed to invent the choke, and I never claimed that I'm the only one who does it," D'Arce said. "But when anyone gets good at a certain move, other people associate that move with him. So people started using my name when talking about it. But I didn't invent the move. I was shown that move by one of the instructors at the Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy named John Danaher. He showed me the move, and I really liked it. So I worked hard at it, tried it from all different angles, and became known for using it, and it kind of snowballed to where people started using my name with it."

But when people speak of the D'Arce choke, they usually don't pronounce it the way Joe D'Arce pronounces his name. Joe's surname is pronounced "dee-R-see," but almost everyone -- including Joe D'Arce himself -- pronounces the choke like it rhymes with "farce."

"The person who really made that choke popular on the West Coast was a jiu jitsu coach named Marc Laimon," D'Arce said. "He knows how to pronounce my last name, but he said, 'It's too many syllables.' So he shortened it to 'darce' so when he's coaching someone in a fight or a jiu jitsu match he can yell out, 'D'Arce' quickly. ... No one ever says 'dee-R-see choke.' Everyone just says 'darce.' People often call me 'Darce' because they don't know how to pronounce my name when they see an apostrophe. People say 'Hey, Joe Darce' and I don't correct them, even though it is pronounced 'dee-R-see'."

The choke (which you can see illustrated here or in an instructional video here) is also referred to as the Brabo choke, but Joe D'Arce doesn't use either name.

"I don't even call it the D'Arce when I'm teaching jiu jitsu classes," he said. "I just call it a head arm triangle variation. I just call it the D'Arce when my students say to me, 'Can you show me the D'Arce choke?' Some people call it the Brabo, some people call it the D'Arce. I don't really care. It's just personal preference."

The D'Arce choke is sort of a reverse of the anaconda choke, and Joe D'Arce credited Laimon with pointing out some of the advantages to the D'Arce over the anaconda.

"I've had conversations with Marc Laimon about it, and we both agree that for us, the D'Arce fits our game better -- and is easier to finish -- than the anaconda," D'Arce said. "I have a hard time with the anaconda. ... Marc Laimon is the one who really made this choke popular. He teaches a lot of fighters on the West Coast, he's a well-known jiu jitsu coach, and what he calls the choke becomes what other people call it. He's the one who made the D'Arce choke the D'Arce choke."

Laimon has also added his own first name to D'Arce's surname to provide the name for a less common variation of the D'Arce choke, called the M'Arce choke.

"A M'Arce choke is actually a transition that Marc Laimon came up with," Joe D'Arce said. "It's a way to end up in the same finishing position, but Marc put his own little touch on it. I really like it. It's a good set-up."

Even if the choke isn't pronounced the same way as his last name, Joe D'Arce is, along with Masahiko Kimura, in a very select group of people who have submission moves named after them. D'Arce says that's a source of pride -- he just hopes no one thinks he's the one who gave the choke its name.

"It's flattering, but I hope people don't think I'm trying to take credit for the D'Arce choke, or claiming I invented it," Joe D'Arce said. "Everyone has certain moves they're good at, and I was good at the D'Arce choke, but the person who really made the move popular is Marc Laimon."

Robert Drysdale Transitioning to the MMA Game by Brian Michelino

      Robert Drysdale a World Champion BJJ practitioner plans to make the
move to fight his second fight in MMA. Drysdale is a guy whose Jiu
Jitsu is on par with the likes of Damian Mia and Ronaldo “Jacare”
Souza. However Just because you’re a world champion Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu expert doesn’t always mean you’re going to have success in the
cage, we can recently look at the results of Rolls Gracie’s first
fight in the UFC as proof that you’re going to need to learn how to
deal with some new elements.
       Drysdale started Grappling in 1998 and since then has become a
multiple time world champion; he will have his first fight against
Clay Davidson at Armageddon Fighting Championships 4: Revelation.
Apart from being such a successful grappler Drysdale is one of the
premier trainers to some of the most well known MMA fighters, perhaps
Drysdale is just as famous for his detailed Jiu Jitsu instruction as
he is for his rock solid BJJ game.
       However Drysdale isn’t satisfied with just using his BJJ to win his
MMA fight, Drysdale has been working with the likes of Forest Griffin
and Frank Mir two UFC staples to try and tighten his overall game.
        The fight is Saturday night in Victoria, British Columbia his
second professional MMA bout. In his first bout he defeated Bastein
Huveneers from a triangle choke in just a minute and twelve seconds.
If Drysdale wins a few more fights in impressive fashion I could see
him in a Larger MMA organization like the UFC in no time, and with him
taking his training as serious as he is I believe Drysdale will be a
forced to be reckoned with in the future.

The Importance of Positional Training by Brian Michelino

      Recently at D’Arce Jiu Jitsu in Long island New York, when I’ve been
training I’ve focusing mainly on positions.  Sometimes I feel that my Jiu
Jitsu has been going around in circles.  At times I’ll be focusing on
finishing from the bottom position, and other times I’m working on
sweeping the guy and getting on top.
       However I believe if you a serious competitor and trying to sharpen
your jiu jitsu up for MMA or BJJ competition its best to work on your
position before you attack the submission. In a MMA fight you are in
far less danger of being struck if you are in a good position (I.E. in
side control or mount) and the same goes in BJJ. In BJJ when you
advance your position you score points so working for a better potion
will help you win more BJJ matches.
       It’s important to have a good guard game but it’s also important to
work to advance the position at all times and I believe this should be
a conscious goal of all BJJ and MMA fighters.
       At D’Arce Jiu Jitsu we have some of the best instructors in all of
Long Island and New York that specialize in this aspect of the game.
So if you want to take your BJJ game to the next level or if you’re
looking to improve you Jiu Jitsu for MMA come on down and give us a
try.

UFC and WEC Merger by Brian Michelino

     The UFC’s major announcement this past week was one that personally
excites me a lot. The UFC and the WEC (world extreme cage fighting)
will now become one. This merger is huge in the MMA world that means a
lot of good things for a lot of great fighters. The WEC was also owned
by Zuffa however the WEC houses the lighter weight classes, weight
classes ranging from 135lbs to 155lbs. this means a lot more
opportunities and better pay days for fighters like Jose Aldo and
Urijah Faber.
     Personally I always loved the WEC and always looked forward to
watching the smaller guys slug it out. The lighter fighters always
seem to put on some great shows; they never seem to get tired and are
always supper exciting. This is a great step in the right direction
for our sport; Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC in particular have been
putting on a lot of fights lately so it only makes sense for the UFC
to absorb the WEC at this point. Now that the UFC has more fighters in
their stable they will be able to beef up their cards and give more to
the fans.
     The last two WEC fight cards will air on network television on
November 11 and December 16, these last two events will be the final
WEC events I have a feeling that these events will be spectacular, so
keep your calendar marked.

Armlock Sweep Tutorial from D'Arce Jiu Jitsu

In this video we have D'Arce Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt and Turchiano Judo Brown Belt Timmy "Malibu" Isles demonstrate an armlock sweep.  D'Arce Jiu Jitsu is one of the premier places to train Jiu Jitsu or MMA in Suffolk County Long Island.  Great job by David Hubbard and Brian Michelino on filming and editing the video!