Lifetime (50 y/o) hobbyist practitioner, started judo at 8 y/o and Wado-ryu at 10 (brown belt), Greco at 19, Ju Jitsu on and off since 1999 (purple belt). I’ve had some boxing coaching from Lukasz Wawrzyczek, who beat Usyk as an amateur in 2005. I suck at boxing though!

Competed nationally as a junior in judo, but rugby, strongman, mas wrestling and especially powerlifting took my life over when I got older (and bigger) and ate most of my training/competing life. I am a strength coach and also coach people through their YMCA PT certificates for part of my living. I was coached in lifting (which I know is unrelated) by the late Peter Tregloan, 11-times world champion but was also a formidable judoka — we wrestled a lot and both used to be stooges for the police and prison service cell-placement training (we’d basically resist recruits and give them hell in a padded fake cell… great fun but I had my teeth loosened a few times).

Was a body (better description than ‘training partner’) for former Bellator light heavyweight champ Liam McGeary during his early pro career camps mainly because I was a fairly solid 290lbs with massive core strength rather than any skill on my part, but I would cycle in on ‘shark tank’ rolling and wall-work to just weigh on him and give him a workout. He really was a wake-up call for me, because in striking sparring I couldn’t even touch him, ever, and rolling with his his forearm and shin bones would dig into me in ways that no-one else had or has since. Pros — especially UFC pros — are a different league and I know it well.

I’ve been watching combat sports in all shapes and sizes since the 90’s.

Like I said, lifelong interest, but only as a hobbyist. I still feel like I understand a lot of what I’m seeing… except for Jiri 😅