By Felix Rodriguez, Staff Writer
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was modified from its Japanese roots to compensate for lack of explosiveness and power by emphasizing leverage and momentum. It was designed for the weaker person to neutralize the advantages of the stronger and bigger assailant with the idea that it was a martial art for everybody. This series of profiles highlights the point first emphasized by the successes of Jean Jacques Machado at the highest levels of competition: The only limitations in Jiu-Jitsu are the ones set on yourselves. Ivan Delgado, Wes Covington and Garrett Scott are three incredibly talented, courageous and remarkable guys who have not let their varying physical disabilities stop them from learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and further prove Machado’s point. Jiu-Jitsu is for everybody.
The Story of Ivan Delgado
One of the most exhausting ways of training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is to do so with a hand tied behind the back. Immobilizing an arm during sparring is grueling because compensating for not having both arms to recover positions against opponents takes much more energy. Aside from the physical taxation, fighting one-armed is also incredibly frustrating because not having all four limb makes executing some techniques significantly harder and others altogether impossible to perform. This is what every day is like for Ivan Delgado. The 23 year-old Mexican-American is a congenital amputee born with his left arm undeveloped past the elbow. Having to learn a martial art with only one fully functioning arm would seem like a daunting task to most, but Delgado is undeterred by his own circumstances. When asked if deciding to take up BJJ was a scary process Delgado told TXMMA it wasn’t because instead of being intimidated by the added challenges he “acted “ on his impulse knowing that he had “the will and heart to do it [learn BJJ].”
Delgado began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Laredo, Texas a year and four months ago “to learn about himself and become a better person.” He is currently a one-stripe green belt under Edgardo Venegas at Sangue Novo Academy and works as an assistant coach for the children’s program at his instructor’s academy. When discussing how jiu-jitsu has changed his life Ivan told TXMMA that BJJ “helped my temperament (become more even-keeled) and also (helped him) become a nicer person and develop a good friendship with everyone. You take out your stress through Jiu-Jitsu and it helps out a lot. I believe that and it has improved my life. I was a troublemaker back then [before training] but Jiu-Jitsu kicked out that old Ivan from my life.”
His courage, dedication and perseverance have not gone unnoticed by his instructor. When describing Ivan’s will Venegas noted, “The first time he walked into my academy, he asked me if he could train Jiu-Jitsu because he was not sure he could do it. I told him yes, I will show you. I put my hand inside my belt and rolled with him one handed. When I submitted him, he only smiled and said when can I start.” Since that point Delgado has been using BJJ as a litmus test to push the boundaries of what he can do and continuously challenge his own limitations as a person, student and competing athlete.
According to his instructors Delgado is “a very humble person who is very helpful and a very easygoing person with big dreams who is also very intelligent and respectful toward his instructor, peers and the academy.” When discussing what’s most impressive about Delgado, his inner-strength was the first thing mentioned by his instructor: “What most impresses me about Ivan is his heart and will to learn Jiu-Jitsu. Since the first day he walked into my academy he has never given up in learning no matter what. He trains just as hard as or even harder than any other student in my academy. He always shows up to train no matter how hot it gets in Laredo or cold. Ivan is a mat rat who is hungry for knowledge and shows no fear when he fights in tournaments.” Ivan’s fearlessness and humility are put on full display when discussing his experiences competing in jiu-jitsu tournaments. He told TXMMA, “I have competed two times, both I lost. But one of my biggest challenges was against a guy named Seth he had same disability as me and I learned that this guy had a bigger heart than mine and he was super strong but although I won by points I considered it a tie for us because we had the will to test our Jiu-Jitsu.”
Delgado’s willingness to turn defeat into a learning experience that leads toward self-improvement is an admirable attitude worth emulating. He approaches life head-on and won’t allow anything to keep him down for long. This positive outlook on life has allowed him to tackle the process of learning new techniques with an open mind in order to modify what he learns and progress as a martial artist. Delgado believes “it is difficult to modify some techniques but jiu-jitsu is like chess; using your head instead of relying on strength. Though I am weak and skinny I always keep modifying my jiu-jitsu making my style.” Ivan’s love for the art of jiu-jitsu is nurtured at Sangue Novo Academy and his instructor doesn’t see many challenges in teaching Ivan over other students. Venegas explained, “Ivan has much strength on the mat. One is he is very strong and smart. He has a tremendous grip in his hand. He is very flexible and has good speed. His attacks and defenses are very unorthodox. He keeps me and everyone else on our toes. In Jiu-Jitsu you always have to adapt your technique. I only adapt or modify the technique so Ivan can learn it. We work on it until he feels comfortable with the technique.” This willingness to confront, adapt and overcome by both instructor and student has allowed Ivan to find the rewards and fulfillment that come with embracing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle.
When Ivan isn’t perfecting his favorite lapel choke or working on his butterfly guard he does what anybody else his age would; he hangs out with his friends, cooks his own food and takes care of his own laundry and house chores, stressing that he doesn’t want to be treated different than anyone else on or off the mats. Ivan Delgado helps prove that a person can achieve things beyond reasonable expectations if they set their mind to it. He believes that people like him should not be underestimated in their ability to do things independently and would like to invite people with physical disabilities to defy their circumstances and improve their life by trying out a class of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was an art adapted from techniques taught by a native-Japanese speaking man to Brazilians in Portuguese. Sort of. When the Gracie family proved the art’s effectiveness through the first UFC tournament this helped create a demand for quality instructors in the U.S. that slowly began making their way here from Brazil, some of whom spoke little to no English before arriving. Before these instructors became comfortable with English it is safe to say that students and teachers had to work together in overcoming the occasional language barrier to change a message from Portuguese to English in order to properly articulate an intended message. 
Scott began studying combat sports 12 years ago. He started wrestling as teenager after experiencing bullying when he was a student at the Texas school of the Deaf and took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu five years ago looking to become healthier and more active as an adult. Scott has also been training in Muay Thai and MMA for the past three years and will make his amateur MMA debut in 2013. The effort Scott has put forth in adapting to his circumstances is not lost on his teachers and teammates whom describe him as “a good friend and loyal student with a sense of honor & of right and wrong that has the willingness to never quit, who they can “hang out with for long periods and forget that he is deaf” because he has “the ability to swim in the world of the speaking, a place few deaf people venture.”
Wes Covington is the third and final Texan profiled in this series. Wes was born in Floydada, TX. He’s been spending most of his life showing people that he can do anything others can just as well except for giving someone a thumbs-up or reaching for things above his head –but he’ll still try to figure out a way to do things on his own. The fiercely independent 27-year-old was born with LADD syndrome. The name of this disorder is an acronym that stands for the areas it affects, which are Lacrimal and salivary glands, Audio, Digits and Dental. Covington told TXMMA that aside from appendages 
Covington began training to lose weight at first, but has fallen in love with the sport and is beginning to prepare for his first competition as he works towards earning his blue belt. When discussing how learning jiu-jitsu is different or more difficult for him than someone with full use of their arms and hands he explained, “obviously a lot of jiu-jitsu training, especially training with gi, involves being able to grab onto the lapel, maybe able to reach around the backside of somebody, being able to reach places that I’m not going to be able to reach. I can grab onto the lapel, but to be able to hold it strong, I don’t have the strongest grip, so I mean, that would probably be the biggest disadvantage,” but “the only way to learn is to make the mistake. You make a mistake and you get chocked out, you get tapped out, what have you. You make the mistake and you learn from that mistake. You learn what you did wrong and you don’t do that again in that situation. If a higher belt is able to submit me, or if a higher belt is aware of a situation that would be beneficial to me, a lot of times they’ll say, you should try this and you could beat me. So it’s a level of pride that no one has [at his academy]. No one has a real pride in terms of I’m not too good to let this white belt beat me where I train because this is for their benefit and this is for my benefit.”
Jackson Fortunato is one of his instructors at RGA and has had a close hand in Covington’s development on the mats. Fortunato agrees with Wes that people should not let small problems keep them from trying new things in life and described Covington as having “good abilities to work with his legs,” as “naturally good at takedowns and stand-up” and said that “on the ground he has a sick triangle, and he’s developed a very good guard, because he has strong legs, so he’s going to be a very good guard player.” Fortunato also told TXMMA that “Wes has become one of the favorites here [at RGA] for the fact that he has to put much more effort than anybody else to practice martial arts, and surprisingly, he’s getting really good” and that he is really proud to have Wes in the club.”
2012 Award Winner – Steven Peterson vs. Matt Hobar 2 (LFC 16) – 325
2012 Award Winner – Ryan Benoit (3-0, wins over J. Sandoval, R. Villarreal, C. Williams) – 138
2012 Award Winner – Geraldo Abadie over Jeff Lawson by punch/knee (IMKF 4) – 168
2012 Award Winner – Jeff Rexroad over Lucas Pimenta by “Rexangle” (Legacy 14) – 69
2012 Award Winner – Ricky Turcios vs. Ryan Hollis (Legacy Amateur 7) – 112
2012 Award Winner – Tommy Guerrero over Eric Hallier by knee (PCG 6) – 223
2012 Award Winner – Ryan Hollis over James DeHerrera by armbar (Cage Combat 9) – 85
2012 Award Winner – Stephanie Alba vs. Paulina Granados (Cage Combat 12) -115
2012 Award Winner – Carlos Diego Ferreira (3-0 in 2012, all submissions) – 151
2012 Award Winner – Derrick Lewis over Jared Rosholt by KO (Legacy 13) – 74
2012 Award Winner – Chris Rose (3 fights, 2 on less than 24 hour notice *amateur) – 95
2012 Award Winner – Lucas Pimenta over John Malbrough in 3 and not 5 rounds at tourney finals (UWF 4) – 117
2012 Award Winner – Mick Maynard, Legacy Fighting Championship (Houston, TX) – 155
It’s been another great year for consistent growth in MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,and Submission Grappling in 2012.
This award is meant to recognize the association who had the most successful year overall in Texas during 2012.
This award recognizes the team / organization for the most successful competition year overall in Texas during 2012. This award also replaces the coach of the year award for 2012 as whoever wins this will assume that award de-facto.
In another close Category, Alvarez once again went head-to-head with someone formidable in his own instructor Bruno Bastos. Daniel scored six IBJJF wins (includ. Euro, Pans, Masters, No GI Words, San Francisco, Las Vegas) along with several silvers (Rio, Chicago) while Bruno also won at Pans and No-Gi Worlds and also competed in the IBJJF Pro League in 2012. Both guys deserve recognition here but Daniel Alvarez is our 2012 black belt of the year.
Winning the 2012 honor at brown belt is Luis Rubalcava of Arsenal BJJ / Alliance. He scored a silver in the Houston Open absolute division (along with bronze at weight) and medaled again in the Dallas Open. Meanwhile his biggest accomplishments during the year included a double gold at the IBJJF Pan-Ams and a bronze at the IBJJF World Championships – all while competing and winning on the regional circuit as well. Coming in behind him are his Alliance teammate Raul Jimenez (who also had an amazing year nationally and regionally but fell to Rubalcava head-to-head) and Mike Harmon of Paragon Austin (who won gold at No-GI world and scored a few other IBJJF wins but otherwise did not have as busy a competition year as the other two).
Winning at purple belt in 2012 is Rilion Gracie Academy’s Pedro Migliano. He scored some big finishes in 2012 including a third place finish out of 100+ division competitors at the IBJJF Pan Ams. He also medaled at the American Nationals, Miami Open, Rio Open, and scored double silver at the Houston Open. Meanwhile he scored golds (a few of those doubles) at Europa, Summer Classic, Texas Open, etc. all while fighting everything in the adult division. Coming in behind Pedro are Masters World winners Jeremiah Matthews and Brad Barnes along with another top up-and-comer in Braden Masters (who grand slam winner Keenan Cornelius said gave him a really good battle this year).
Winning at blue belt for 2012 is Cooper Cardinale of Alvarez BJJ. His annual accolades include medals at the IBJJF San Francisco Open (gold + bronze in open), a silver place finish at the Worlds, and numerous medal finishes on the regional circuit. Following Cooper here is No-GI Worlds winner Kevin Cordova (GB Texas), Corey Bacack (GB Woodlands), and Bobby Alexander of Team Lutter.
Winning the purple-black women’s award for 2012 is Lora Hallock of Paragon Texas. This was a close choice in this one with several of the women listed doing really well but in the end Lora (Laurah) wins out due to her dedication and sheer competition output in addition to her numerous medals on the regional circuit. Her medals include gold at TOC 9 and many other tourneys including some wins in the men’s purple belt division as well as she likes to test herself there also.
In another close category, Danielle Alvarez wins the female award for the second year in a row ove Alvarez BJJ teammate Natalia Biasca. The Texas State student only competed for about six months this year but took gold in most every tournament she entered – including the IBJJF Houston, San Francisco, and Chicago Opens. She also competed admirably losing only by decision to IBJJF 
In a repeat of the people’s choice voting, Andy Cordova of Gracie Barra Texas narrowly beat out Alvarez BJJ’s Justin Rebolloso for the official award – proving once again that the people’s choice vote can be a tie-breaker in close categories like this one was. Justin and Andy had probably 30+ gold medals between them last year including wins at the highest level (IBJJF Pans, World, No-GI Worlds, etc. etc.) As for the winner Cordova, he can hang his hat on the merit of his No-Gi World and Pan-Am champion status as the deciding factor but we can’t say how so very close this one was. Congrats to both Andy and Justin on one heck of a year in 2012.
This was a very close category and a tough one for our panelists to consider. In the end, the official award mirrors our people’s choice voting with Fitness Fight Factory’s Dillinger Kovach winning again in the official vote due to his outside year in three places – BJJ, No-GI, and scholastic wrestling (where he is a nationally-recognized competitor). Congrats to all the kids nominated though as there really are no losers in this one with all of them surely doing well in 2012. Next year (2013) we request that parents and supporters really provide us with a detailed statistical breakdown (competition records, etc.) so we can really refine our process for how to choose a winner here.
Renan Chavez wins this year’s award due to his sheer output of tournaments refereed. It was close between him, Brandon Quick, and Eric Lincoln for this honor but the Peruvian edged it out due to the fact that he refs more tournaments than the other two and is also IBJJF certified to work all their tournaments here in Texas along with Grappler’s Quest, UAEJJ, GPG, Fight to Win, etc.
The purpose of this award is to recognize the best submission in a BJJ/Grappling match that we were able to capture in the state of Texas during the 2012 year.
The purpose of this award is to recognize the best overall tournament of the 2012 year that was held in Texas by Texas-based promotions.
The purpose of this award is to recognize the best overall tournament of the 2012 year that was held in Texas by out of state promotions.
Don Coleman Coliseum wins the official award for 2012. Great location, lots of parking, stadium seating, well-maintained, and easy access to the mats and bathroom. What’s not to ask?
Rubicon Fightsport’s red belt seminar featuring Deoclecio Paulo wins the official award this year over Nova Uniao’s Worlds Training Camp. Definitely well-earned considering it was the very-first red belt seminar in Texas BJJ history.
Shoyoroll wins the GI brand category this year considering overall popularity. In the end, the judges looked at the question “What do we see most players wearing the most” and “what is the most anticipated brand” as the primary factors for this decision. With that being said, DKFC, DOM, and FENOM also deserve honorable mention here along with up-and-coming national brand (and another proud sponsor to several top Texas athletes) in Do or Die Hyperfly.
DOM Fight Gear wins the sponsor of the year award for their support of tournaments and athletes statewide. You can find DOM at pretty much every tournament around and they’ve been consistent in their support for a long time now. Coming in right behind them is newer entrant Da Firma Kimono Company who has been doing likewise as of late, specifically with athlete sponsorships.
This award is in recognition for outstanding community service in 2012. Consideration given to those mentioned during our end-of-the-year nomination period.
This award is in recognition for the following individuals’ lifetime achievements in furthering the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specifically within the state of Texas. Achieving this official award places the winner into our TXMMA Hall of Fame.
HOUSTON, TX – The Legacy Fighting Championship has been making noise as one of the top regional promotions in the country. Mick Maynard and Collin Cantrell have been quite successful at pairing raw, but talented up-and-comers with grizzled veterans that have name recognition. Legacy’s business model has been smart, and they have a home on AXS TV that makes them an attractive option for fighters looking to get more exposure before getting the call from Zuffa.
Maynard and Cantrell are looking to step out of their comfort zone and gamble big with their next decision. Legacy’s brain power are aiming to become trendsetters and capitalize on the attention that Fallon Fox has been receiving by signing her to a mega fight deal. Though that is not big news on its own, the fact that Fox will be the first fighter signed to Legacy FC’s transgendered division certainly is. When discussing their decision to create a TG fight league, Maynard explained that only a fool would fail to recognize Fox’s talent which is “somewhere between that of Ronda Rousey and Megumi Fuji’s on their best day.” Cantrell told TXMMA he believes anyone who refuses to fight Fox is a fool and they are going to put an end to all these fighters ducking her. The plan is to provide her with a platform to fight in against opponents who won’t say foolish things about alleged unfair advantages. Her next opponent in this newly created fight division remains to be announced, but is rumored to be Butterbean in an open-hand pancrase match. You would be a fool to miss it when it goes down!
HOUSTON, TX, May 8, 2013 – In search of an authentic Thai experience we (Mike and Felix) recently visited the famed gym and restaurant of Kru Pong (Thussayu Phumswarng) and his wife Toon on the southwest side of Houston, TX and got exactly what we expected.
Smile.
Kru Pong has had a hand in molding a who’s who in the 
The school is run in the traditional Thai style. Kru Pong explained that he does not teach a Muay Thai “class” in the classic western sense of the word. Kru Pong’s classes operate more like a well-organized circuit-training machine that is designed to push fighters to the point of breaking while they’re being asked to 
Our training at Kru Pong’s began with a light warm-up exercise that consisted of kicking a heavy bag while simultaneously holding dumbbells and throwing punches with the opposite arm that one kicks. We went from the warm up bag straight to hitting the pads. Pad work on its own is fairly tiring, but hitting pads while being told to smile brings things to a whole other level. Trying to maintain a consistent striking pace without lowering the rate of speed or level of power was exhausting and made us appreciate the demonstration given by Alexis even more once we tried out the Kru Pong Pad working style for the first time. Few sounds have been sweeter than the bell-which brought that first round of pads to an end. A round on a speed bag and another session of pads followed with only thirty seconds of rest between each round.
Going mainstream means guys like 
TXMMA wanted to explore the differences between what it’s like being a male and female mixed martial artist. We interviewed several female mixed martial artists in diverse stages of their careers to learn about their own experiences in Women’s Mixed Martial Arts. We found out that although fighting is fighting, when it comes to gender and the treatment of females in MMA, a fighter is not always just a fighter.
HOUSTON, TX, July 17, 2013 - Houston-based Legacy Fighting Championship recently released an insightful video profile on their origins as a promotion dating back to 2006 when they promoted their very first events under the guise of the name Lonestar Beatdown in College Station, TX.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, July 24, 2013 – David Berube is like a lot of other Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. He’s very positive and has a highly motivated attitude towards training. Ever since that first day at San Antonio’s Dominion MMA (Marcello C. Monteirro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) back in November 2011 he fell in love with the sport and never looked back. From there it’s been a continuous journey of learning new techniques, tapping training partners out and getting tapped himself, and an ongoing test of his capacity to learn and adapt to grow within the sport and outside of it using the lessons derived from the art.
On May 21, 2010, three year old Eve Smith was crossing her pre-K school parking lot with her mother when a vehicle ran her over after crossing their path. The driver, on the cell phone and not paying attention, had put her car in reverse and knocked Eve to the ground, barely missing her mother in the process. Eve’s mother reached out trying to grab her daughter but could not reach her on time. That one moment when they weren’t holding hands (Eve pulled away) was all it took for tragedy to strike. Eve’s mom pounded and pounded on the vehicle trying desperately to get the driver to stop but it was too late. When the car came to a rest Eve Smith was pinned underneath.
