Popovitch's BJJ- Mixed Martial Arts Blog

James Brasco is a mixed martial artist fighting out of Team Popovitch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he is also the wrestling instructor. He is a Pennsylvania native where he was a PIAA state runner up with a high school record of 127-10. His wrestling achievements not ending there, he is also a Pennsylvania State Freestyle Champion, 3-times NCCA Eastern Regional Champion and ranked #6 by Amateur Wrestling News. Taking up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu just to see what it was about, he quickly excelled and is a six-time N.A.G.A Champion, 2007 World Brown Belt Jiu Jitsu Champion. He also recently received an invitation to participate in this year’s ADCC. Coming up on September 4 he will be fighting Herbert Goodman at Shine 2: ATT vs The World from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fla. He is currently 5-1 in MMA, but his accolades and skill level supersede his record. He took the time to answer a few questions and gave his thoughts on issues such as why he has a hard time getting fights, The Ultimate Fighter tryouts, and Brock Lesnar.

————————-

MMA Spot:  How much do you know about your opponent Herbert Goodman and how do you see the fight going?
Brasco:  I know he was an NFL player and obviously is a great athlete. I know he doesn’t have a wrestling background or much grappling experience outside MMA and throws hard. But when you’re an athlete like him, you can compensate pretty well for any weaknesses. I am definitely not taking him lightly – I expect a war!

MMA Spot:  From my understanding, you’ve had a hard time getting fights and generally take fights on short notice; do you think it is because of your credentials and accomplishments in grappling circles?
Brasco:  My credentials definitely are intimidating. I am sure, to a fighter who is trying to build a record and gain experience in MMA, so fighting against me is sometimes not in their best interest as even if they are a favorite to win, it isn’t a sure thing. I have taken fights on short notice…most notably the one I lost, that was also held in a boxing ring, which I haven’t ever even trained in. I also took the Bellator fight on six days notice and I won that one. So I am even so to say.

read more »

Courtesy of Shine Fight Promotions:

David McKinney

I’ve never seen Brian Fuery’s desk, nor do I even know if he has one, but I assume that the nameplate sitting atop would read Brian Fuery: Athlete. He’s at an early point in his career, so he probably hasn’t made time to get the promotional business cards, coffee mugs or t-shirts, however, the people will know soon enough.

Fuery started out as a defensive back for the Miami Hurricanes during their heyday in the 1990’s. Although some former football players let the fame go to their heads, Fuery would say of his football career, “The thing about being a football player at Miami is that there is a huge brotherhood.” No bragging about how good he was or dreams about how his football career could parlay into a lush insurance job where he could get clients based on his name. Instead of accepting the cushy office jobs that were offered to him post-graduation, Fuery opted to serve his country by joining the U.S. Air Force.

Upon his return from duty, gone were those cushy job offers. Intuition, however, prevailed careening him towards entrepreneurship as a personal trainer in the Miami area. It was fate for his endeavor as a personal trainer provided Fuery the opportunity to find what he was really supposed to do: train for professional fighting.

“I was actually lifting weights in the gym, and a guy from Team [Pablo] Popovitch was actually doing Russian kettle bells, and I walked into the gym, and he was asking me about Russian kettle bells. He was wearing a pair of Team Popovitch shorts, and I asked him where I could buy a pair. So I stopped by the school and sat down with Pablo, and I was pretty much a wrap. He told me to try a class, because he knew I was a really good high school wrestler. And from the very first class, I loved it.”

And now, Fuery is a two-time world jiu-jitsu champion, a Pan-Am Games champion, a North American Grappling Association (NAGA) champion, and a Grappler’s Quest champion. Now he is a fighter, and he’s a natural, not only because of his athleticism, but because he learned early in his life that there were a lot of people who could help him, and that he would go far if only he allowed himself to be molded into a bad-ass dude.

Perhaps Fuery even learned some of his humility from his coach, world champion Pablo Popovitch, who reigns as one of the most decorated players in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. “The guy is super knowledgeable,” says Fuery, “he has an answer for everything. He’s very humble, and he’s the epitome of the martial way. I won’t train with anybody else. When he’s preparing you for a fight, the guy is so humble, and the great thing is that he’ll stop the entire class if you have a question in order to help you.”

read more »