BJJ Charleston Podcast

Brian Edwards is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, decorated competitor, Citadel graduate, entrepreneur, and former owner of Swampfox Jiu-Jitsu in Florence, South Carolina. Over nearly two decades on the mats, Brian has accumulated an extraordinary competitive résumé, including two IBJJF Masters World Championships, three Pan Masters titles, and dozens of IBJJF gold medals. He has endured multiple surgeries, including a total hip replacement. He is a husband, father of five daughters, and successful businessman.

Instagram: @jiujitsudad

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Chris Popdan is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and owner & head instructor at Chango BJJ in Summerville, SC.

Chris has trained in martial arts for more than 40 years, beginning with Judo before continuing into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

His teaching style focuses on making high-quality training approachable to beginners while still giving experienced students room to grow.

His focus is on creating a strong culture and helping students develop confidence, skill, and consistency through training.

https://www.changobjj.com

Instagram: @changobjj

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Rose Miller is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, a longtime competitor, performance coach, and content creator based in San Diego, California.

With more than a decade of experience training and competing, Rosie has worked with major organizations in the sport, including the IBJJF and FloGrappling as a writer and content creator.

Known on Instagram as @rosierollz, she has built a following by breaking down complex Jiu Jitsu concepts into practical, easy-to-understand lessons. Her approach emphasizes training smarter, understanding the learning process, and helping everyday practitioners reach their potential.

Beyond Jiu Jitsu, Rosie brings years of experience in strength training, boxing, nutrition, and performance coaching. Through her content, instruction, and coaching, she advocates for a thoughtful approach to improvement, encouraging practitioners to embrace both the physical and mental challenges of the sport.

Her philosophy centers on bridging the gap between recreational practitioners and high-level performers, demonstrating that you don't have to be a professional athlete to approach your training with purpose and intelligence.

http://rosierollz.com

Instagram: @rosierollz

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Robert Ingram is a martial artist, content creator, and the founder of McDojoLife, a platform dedicated to exposing fraud, questionable practices, and misconduct within the martial arts industry.

Through McDojoLife, Ingram has built an online following by examining fraudulent martial arts credentials, ineffective self-defense techniques, misleading instructors, and dangerous training environments.

His work focuses on helping consumers distinguish legitimate martial arts instruction from schools and instructors that exploit students through deceptive marketing, unrealistic promises, or abusive practices.

McDojoLife combines investigative content, commentary, humor, and martial arts education to encourage greater accountability throughout the industry.

https://mcdojolife.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@McDojoLife

Instagram: @mcdojolife

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Mike Sanda is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, instructor, and owner of Holy City Jiu-Jitsu in Charleston, South Carolina. A longtime member of the Lowcountry grappling community, Mike has helped shape the local Jiu Jitsu scene through his dedication to teaching, mentorship, and the growth of the sport. He's the author of the new book, The Emerald Gospel: A Gift of Love, Batteries Not Included.

The Emerald Gospel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKTKJ3CR?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_32GH8Y9N0Q183SECDWJ8&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_32GH8Y9N0Q183SECDWJ8&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_32GH8Y9N0Q183SECDWJ8&bestFormat=true

https://holycityjiujitsu.com/

Instagram: @classic.sanda/@holycityjiujitsu

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Jacob Weaver is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu white belt, professor of anatomy and microbiology at The Citadel and Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC, and the founder of MatNotes; a digital curriculum and video-review app built specifically for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies. MatNotes gives academies a way to turn their daily instruction into an organized, searchable technique library. Coaches record short videos of techniques taught in class, and students receive those lessons again on a spaced review schedule designed to help the information stick.

https://thematnotes.com

Instagram: @thematnotes

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Michael Key is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Grandmaster Relson Gracie and the owner & head instructor of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu of Charleston, a Relson Gracie affiliate.

As an owner and instructor, Michael carries forward the academy’s connection to the Gracie family lineage and its place in Charleston’s Jiu-Jitsu community. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu offers training for children and adults, with programs spanning fundamentals, self-defense, MMA, and grappling.

Many of his students are fixtures on the competition circuit in both Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

Their new location, 2467 Savannah Highway Suite 130, opens Monday, October 5th.

https://graciecharleston.com/

Instagram: @mikekey843/@graciejiujitsucharlestonsc

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Jerry Brewer is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Grandmaster Relson Gracie and one of the foundational figures in Charleston’s Jiu-Jitsu community. Beginning his Jiu-Jitsu journey in 1998, Jerry is credited with bringing Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to Charleston and establishing what became Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Charleston.

A successful competitor and longtime instructor, Jerry earned gold in the Advanced Heavyweight Division at the 2004 South Carolina State Grappling Championship and silver at the 2003 Arnold Gracie World Championships. Under his leadership, his team also captured six consecutive state championships.

Beyond competition, Jerry’s influence can be seen through the generations of Charleston practitioners who came through his academy, including future instructors who went on to build programs of their own. He also became a Level 3 Modern Army Combatives instructor, an accomplishment achieved by relatively few civilians.

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Heather Morgan is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, accomplished competitor, coach, and content creator based in San Diego, California.

A former competitive gymnast, Heather discovered Jiu-Jitsu after college while working as a personal trainer in South Carolina. After quickly falling in love with the sport, she made the decision to leave behind her life on the East Coast and move across the country to San Diego to pursue Jiu-Jitsu at the highest level.

Heather spent years training at the legendary Atos Jiu-Jitsu headquarters under André and Angelica Galvão, earning multiple IBJJF World titles throughout the colored belts before receiving her black belt from André Galvão in December 2022.

Her competitive résumé includes an IBJJF World Championship at purple belt, a No-Gi World Championship at brown belt, and numerous medals at major IBJJF events.

In recent years, Heather has evolved from primarily being a competitor into a coach and educator. She now teaches in San Diego and has built a significant online presence through instructional content focused not only on technique, but on helping students understand Jiu-Jitsu, develop their own games, and become better problem-solvers on the mat.

Instagram: @heather_morganbjj

http://beacons.ai/heathermorganbjj

https://www.youtube.com/@Heather_MorganBJJ

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Sean McSwain is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, founder & senior pastor of Church 242 in Hanahan, SC, and owner & head instructor at Hanahan Jiu-Jitsu. He's a former Naval officer and member of Water Mission; a North Charleston–based Christian engineering nonprofit that designs and installs safe-water, sanitation and hygiene systems in developing countries, refugee communities and disaster areas.

https://www.church242.org/

https://www.hanahanjiujitsu.com/

Instagram: @Sean.mcswain/@church_242/@hanahanjiujitsu

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Pedro "Pepe" Lacerda is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, competitor, and coach at Gracie Barra Charleston & Gracie Barra West Ashley. He frequently cross-trains at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Charleston and is a fixture in the competition scene, including wins at Scrap Super Fights.

Instagram: @pepelacerda

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Miyo Strong is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the Program Director of Smart Defense for the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She helps lead a trauma-informed self-defense program designed to give woman and girls practical tools to recognize danger, establish boundaries, defend themselves, and build confidence. She has helped develop the Smart Defense curriculum, which incorporates elements of BJJ, Krav Maga, and Muay Thai.

https://www.elizabethsmartfoundation.org

Instagram: utahjitsmama

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Jeff Robertson is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, head instructor at Folly Jiu Jitsu, and a retired Charleston Police Department law enforcement officer. A life long martial artist, he served 26 years and retired as a Sergeant and the lead defensive tactics instructor. He still serves as peer support staff for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program (SCLEAP).

https://www.follyjiujitsu.com

Instagram: @follyjiujitsu

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Henrique Carepa is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the owner, operator, & instructor at Gracie Barra Charleston & Gracie Barra West Ashley. He is also a former director of IBJJF & AJP USA. Originally from Brazil, Henrique has built a career that has taken him from working behind the scenes at some of the biggest stages in Jiu-Jitsu around the world to competing and coaching on the mats, as well as opening multiple schools in the Charleston area.

https://graciebarracharleston.com

https://www.gbwestashley.com

Instagram: @graciebarracharleston/@gbwestashleysc/@hcarepa

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Raf Esparza is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, the creator and host of The Grappling Hour; the only weekly grappling variety show, a commentator for Subversiv BJJ, and the former host of The Verbal Tap Podcast. Through years of interviews, live coverage, commentary, and conversations with some of the biggest names in Jiu-Jitsu, Raf has developed a unique perspective on both the evolution of the sport and the community surrounding it.

https://www.youtube.com/@GrapplingHour

https://www.patreon.com/cw/grapplinghour

Instagram: @grapplinghour

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Charleston Men's Clinic is a local men's health and wellness practice focused on helping men improve their health, confidence, and quality of life. Through personalized care and treatment options, Charleston Men's Clinic addresses issues ranging from hormone optimization and sexual health to overall performance and well-being.

https://www.charlestonmensclinic.com

Instagram: @charleston_mensclinic

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*** WARNING: NOT FOR CHILDREN ***

Chris " Bones" Burns is a 3rd Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, the Owner & Head Instructor of Zero Point Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Sydney, Australia, and an instructor for The BJJ Project; an online instructional and training community. He is also a private student of Master Rickson Gracie and a professionally trained instructor by the Gracie family themselves.

https://zeropointgjj.podia.com

https://www.thebjjproject.com

IG: @chrisbonesjj/@zeropointsydney

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Robert Drysdale is a Brazilian-American Jiu-Jitsu black belt, ADCC Absolute Champion, IBJJF World Champion, coach, author, and historian of the sport. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished American grapplers of his generation, Drysdale captured the 2007 ADCC Absolute title and has coached some of combat sports’ biggest names, including UFC champions Forrest Griffin and Frank Mir. He is the co-founder of Zenith Jiu-Jitsu and has also dedicated years to researching the history and evolution of Jiu-Jitsu, authoring What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Today?, Opening Closed Guard and The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

https://drysdalejiujitsu.com

Instagram: @robertdrysdalejj

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Andrew Wooten is a third-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Joshua Miller and has been training and competing for over 14 years. Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Andrew started his BJJ journey in Augusta, Georgia in 2009. Over the next decade, he was fortunate to train with and learn from some of the best BJJ and UFC/MMA competitors and professors in grappling. He is now the owner and head instructor of Gracie Barra Summerville in Summerville, South Carolina.

https://gbsummerville.com

Instagram: @graciebarra_summerville/@awootengb72

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Paige Ivette Clymer is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and elite - level competitor based in San Diego, California. A standout on the professional grappling scene, Paige has competed against some of the best women in the sport and recently signed with ONE Championship. She is currently training for the upcoming ADCC World Championships taking place September 12th-13th in Kraków, Poland.

Instagram: @paige.ivette

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