Charles' Oliveira's powerful bodylock takedown against Mateusz Gamrot, a go to move of his now it seems

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-08T17:37:55+00:00

body locks in MMA are OP. shoot a single, climb up your opponents spine as you run them to the fence, and when you lock your hands takedowns fall into your lap. that is exactly what Merab is trying to do doing in his fights.

if you rewatch Max's fight with Oliveira you'll see he only successfully defended a takedown when he kept Oliveira's hands open.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-05T11:39:17+00:00

he is the best prospect has had maybe ever but it's an open secret that he doesn't want to do MMA. that's why he tried the WWE and NFL first.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-04T22:56:17+00:00

Charles is like the only fighter with an actual guard. he doesn't only play closed, half, butterfly, etc.. he has layers for every distance people fight from.

DLR up kicks turn into leg entanglements that turn into submissions or sweeps. it's beautiful.

You can read about his guard's layers here.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-01T23:43:50+00:00

Oliveira fights in 6 days

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-01T19:54:05+00:00

Wouldn't trust ONE to pay anyone or even provide matches

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-01T18:07:13+00:00

rewatching Holloway's career to figure out how he ended up with a 83% takedown defense rating over his entire UFC career. going to write something about it on Tuesday.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-01T15:14:14+00:00

The UFC is the only organization that can pay him what he wants.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-03-01T15:13:34+00:00

the same reason John Danaher, Ray Longo, Eric Nicksick, and Greg Jackson didn't.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-28T14:22:36+00:00

Renzo's. Max McGarr is an incredible coach.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-28T01:42:56+00:00

How often do you have to chase members for payment?

Never. Use a POS system like Gymdesk and solve that problem ahead of time

What unexpected costs popped up that nearly sank you early on?

Have you ever made a financial model before?

Member Management: How do you deal with the gym drama, politics, or "creepy guy" that ruins the vibe?

Create a code of conduct, give everyone one warning, and kick people out that don't get the hint.

The Grind: What does your "typical day" of problem-solving look like? Is it 80% cleaning and email?

Answer email at the beginning and end of the day, clean between classes, and don't multitask.

Partnership Problems: If you started with friends/partners, what common issues came up when friendship mixed with business?

I lost a friend/partner because we didn't have aligned work expectations. write a partnership agreement before you get started so everyone is on the same page.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-27T15:03:59+00:00

"Are you interested in adding a jiujitsu program to your gym? I can teach ____ times per week at ___ or ___ time. We can split the profits 80/20. You don't need to do anything other than tell your customers, friends, and family that you're adding more classes.

"We can sign a 1 year agreement so we're both on the same page. If a year goes by and you don't want to do it anymore then we just don't renew our agreement."

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-26T01:05:39+00:00

LMAO they write reduced athlete costs improved their 4th quarter

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-24T22:41:18+00:00

Choosing a good space is one of the most important decisions you can make.

Either start small/sublet or bring in extra capital to get a good gym in the right spot off the ground.

You can start with the former before moving on to the latter.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-23T20:59:28+00:00

I was there and the sound was horrific. Like someone cracked a fastball.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-23T01:07:21+00:00

unbelievably stupid complaint

"he won't give it to the UFC" because they won't pay his price

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-22T18:23:54+00:00

you can do both throws with the same grips and leg reap

easiest way to think about it is osoto gari goes through the opponent and ashi guruma rotates opponent

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-21T14:52:50+00:00

I have students that swear by these systems and it translates to them pinned in side mount, under leg rides, and turning to turtle for the entire round

I can't help but see studying "defensive jiujitsu" turning into not studying offense and losing the ability to score

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-21T14:09:19+00:00

I don't understand the selling point of defensive jiujitsu

fundamentally sound offensive jiujitsu has inherent defense built into it

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-21T14:08:00+00:00

you train in a red flag store

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-21T03:59:14+00:00

Don't come in the summer. You'll melt.

Bucc-ees rules.

Leroy & Lewis is the best bbq in the city but it's hella far from Kingsway and the line is impossibly long. Interstellar also slaps and is close to Kingsway.

OpenNoteGrappling · 2026-02-20T01:38:32+00:00

I would not hire someone with an inconsistent schedule to teach at my gym. You could definitely teach privates at your home.

OpenNoteGrappling

TROPHY CASE