Benson Henderson getting his Black Belt!

Well, the time has come…. Ben Henderson is getting promoted to Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! Next Monday night, June 3rd, we will be holding a promotion ceremony from 7-7:30 pm in the north parking lot of the MMA Lab. We would like for our entire Lab family to be there to celebrate a very special moment with the best fighter on the planet. We are so proud of Benson and how he has represented himself, his family, and his team through the years with a special sense of purpose and integrity.  We are all very excited for this special night.  This will not be an autograph/photo session, but we will take a group shot at the end of the ceremony. Can’t wait to see everybody there for this special occasion!

 

JCBJJ Technique of the Month: May 2013

As our programs have grown, we have attracted many new people into the Lab and into our JCBJJ family.  One of my favorites is UFC fighter, Jon Tuck.

Jon is from Guam, and was training in San Diego with his wife, Christianna.  The UFC matched him against a guy that was training in San Diego too, and Jon chose to come to Arizona to try it out.  It was a perfect fit!  Jon and his family came in and made our team better right away, and we are so grateful that he is here with us.

Jon, a brown belt, shows us a cool choke variation from an arm wrap from the guard.  Thank you so much Jon, looking forward to making some great memories with you here.!

 

Four New JCBJJ Purple Belts at The MMA Lab

It has been a great week at The Lab, as four long-time students got their well deserved promotions to purple belt.  On Monday night, Vivian Freitas and Brian Weinbrandt were promoted at the 7pm class.  Then, in the Wednesday 9am class, it was Tony Nolan and Alex Mendez’ turn.  It is such a great moment when you get your purple belt, a long tough wait, but one that is so very satisfying when you get there.  We want to thank these students for their hard work and dedication, you are role models for us all.  Congratulations guys, big things ahead for you all!

Top Row: (l to r) Chris Zubrycki, Michael Benjamin, Luis Ordonez, Jonathan Hill, Chad Wilson, Scott Boehler, James Strang

Bottom Row: (l to r) Jared Doctolero, Renato Freitas, Vivian Freitas, John Crouch, Brian Weinbrandt, Benson Henderson, Joe Gemma

Alex Mendez and Tony Nolan

Benson Henderson Ties BJ Penn’s record and Gets The Girl

On April 20, in San Jose, CA, Benson Henderson tied BJ Penn’s record for most lightweight title defenses in the UFC.  As if that weren’t enough, he then dropped to one knee and proposed to his long time girlfriend Maria Magana. Maria happily accepted, and then the Champ’s night was complete.

Congratulations Champ, we are so proud to be associated with you and all that you do.  Thank you for always putting yourself out there and giving everything that you have.  Congratulations, too, on your engagement, we  wish you and Maria the very best and know that you are going to have a wonderful future together.  Way to go Benson…