Best MMA Complex Podcasts (2025)

1
Rob Wilson - UWA Philosophy Professor discusses eugenics & singularity 1:13:47

9d ago1:13:47

1:13:47

The Dark History of Eugenics, AI Ethics & Transhumanism with Prof. Rob Wilson on Rational Grounds This episode blends academic curiosity, moral urgency, and philosophical intrigue. What does it mean to be human in an age of AI and transhumanism? In this deep, mind-bending episode of Rational Grounds, Professor Rob Wilson — UWA's Professor of Philos…

1
Bitter Belief on Faith and Authenticity: Escaping the Music Industry Traps 1:47:41

4M ago1:47:41

1:47:41

In this compelling episode of Rational Grounds, I sit down with Perth rap artist Bitter Belief to explore the intersections of religion, ethics, and politics in both his music and his life. We discuss his journey to faith, starting with a profound moment in Bali that led him to embrace Christianity and find deeper purpose. Bitter Belief shares how …

1
Russia, the West, and the Putin Paradox: Victor Oganov Unleashed 1:29:20

4M ago1:29:20

1:29:20

An explosive conversation with Russian boxing legend Victor Oganov on navigating politics, societal pressures, and staying true to oneself. 1×0:00-1:28:16Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. How does one navigate a world divided by power, ideology, and culture? In this fantastic episode of the Rational Grounds Podcast, I…

1
ep#107: Cameron Branch - Meeting God, Finding Purpose, and the 'Return To 0' Philosophy 1:35:09

5M ago1:35:09

1:35:09

In this episode, Cameron Branch, comedian and co-host of The Hard Yarn Podcast, discusses his transformative spiritual journey, including an encounter with "God" during a guided mushroom trip, leading to profound self-discovery and healing. Cameron explores the concept of "returning to zero," a philosophy centered on shedding trauma and limiting be…

1
#53 - Philosophy, physics and phighting! - Andy from the School of Grappling FINALLY joins me to chat. 1:49:08

6M ago1:49:08

1:49:08

Send us a text In this episode, I’m joined by Andy from the School of Grappling, a coach and physicist whose analytical approach to no-gi grappling and wrestling has made him a respected figure in the sport. We discuss the science behind skill development, biomechanics, and training methods that align with the ecological approach. As the podcast ne…

1
#52 - Getting Emotional! - Dr Laura Cuijper's talks about the emotional aspects of training and performance. 1:26:30

7M ago1:26:30

1:26:30

Send us a text In this episode of the Primal MMA Coaching Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Laura Cuijpers, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen, to explore the emotional and psychological aspects of martial arts training. We dive into Dr. Laura's work on agency, resilience, and the application of the ecological approach in self-defense…

1
Ep#106: Tahlia Casella - Raising Champions: Insights from 11-Year-Old Australian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion 50:38

7M ago50:38

50:38

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Tahlia Casella, an 11-year-old Jiu-Jitsu world champion from Perth, Western Australia, and the future of Australian Jiu-Jitsu. Tahlia shares her journey from starting in the sport to dominating on the world stage. We also dive deep into an important conversation for parents: how to encourage and support y…

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ep#105: Grady Stewart (Australian Prison, MMA, Boxing & Self Improvement) 1:12:19

7M ago1:12:19

1:12:19

In this compelling episode, I sit down with Grady Stewart, an American pioneer in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Grady shares his incredible journey from touring the globe with legendary fighter Ken Shamrock to bringing the sport of MMA to Perth, Western Australia. As a promoter, he made waves in the industry by bringing top-tier fighters l…

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#51 - Beyond Eco! - Sony Sahota on bridging Ecological Psychology with an Active Inference Framework. 1:47:49

9M ago1:47:49

1:47:49

Send us a text Today I welcome Sonny Sahota from Praxis Gym in Canada. Sonny, a judo black belt and manager of Kensington Judo Club in Vancouver, shares his insights on integrating Ecological Dynamics and the Active Inference Framework (AIF) into martial arts coaching. Sony introduces some of the tenets these approaches, discussing how they inform …

1
#51 - It's complex, keep it simple! - Coach Rob Cole on playing the ecological long game. 50:51

10M ago50:51

50:51

Send us a text Coach Rob Cole joins me today to talk coaching within an ecological dynamics framework. Rob is a long time mixed martial artist, globetrotters BJJ coach and a regular coach at Ascension Athletics in Connecticut.

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ep#104: Joel Jammal - Rise of Right-Wing Politics in Australia 1:22:57

11M ago1:22:57

1:22:57

Joel Jammal is a prominent right-wing political commentator in Australia, known for his incisive analysis and outspoken views on national and international political issues. As the leader of Turning Point Australia, Jammal has been at the forefront of promoting conservative values and policies, inspiring a new generation of politically active Austr…

1
#50 - Exploring Eco Psych and perception - Gray Thomas of U-Con on ecological Psychology and it's implications for practice and development. 1:12:14

11M ago1:12:14

1:12:14

Send us a text Gray Thomas joins me today to talk about the Ecological Psychology side of ecological dynamics. Gray is a PhD student at the university of Connecticut where he studies and researches Ecological Psychology. I enjoyed my chat with Gray and learn more about eco psych. The ecological approach really hangs on the theory of direct percepti…

1
#49 - Pitching and Punching - Pittsburg Pirate Coach John Baker on an eco approach to Baseball, BJJ & MMA skill development. 1:42:54

11M ago1:42:54

1:42:54

Send us a text Today's chat was with Pittsburgh Pirate's coach John Baker John is a former MLB player and current performance and skills coach alongside Andy Bass in the Pirates Baseball organization. Also a BJJ purple belt, Ecological dynamics advocate and MMA fan. We had a fun chat covering all things eco, baseball and combat sports.…

1
ep#103: Jacob Malkoun - UFC Middleweight Division Basher; "I want to bash everyone" 56:07

12M ago56:07

56:07

Today we sit down with formidable UFC Middleweight Fighter, Jacob Malkoun. Nick Named 'Mamba', Jacob not only holds multiple wins in the UFC but also boasts accolades such as winning the ADCC Asia Trials and the Pan Pacific Gold in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, alongside a 3-0 in professional boxing record. In this deep dive, Jacob shares the captivating jo…

1
#48 - Hot Off The Press - The Boys from Emergence talk about their recently published Ecological Approach to MMA Journal Article. 1:35:55

1y ago1:35:55

1:35:55

Send us a text The boys from emergence are back to discuss their recently accepted and published paper on "Applying an ecological dynamics framework to mixed martial arts training". This paper followed their previous publication from 2023 "(Re)conceptualizing movement behavior in sport as a problem-solving activity". Both of these papers were suppo…

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ep#102: Adele Fornarino - Australian BJJ World Champion (Current 2024 ADCC Double Gold) 53:38

1y ago53:38

53:38

In this riveting episode of our podcast, we sit down with the remarkable Adele Fornarino, a trailblazer in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Australia's premier female athlete in the discipline. Not only does Adele hold the prestigious title at America's Grapple Fest, but she has also spectacularly defended it, showcasing her exceptional s…

1
#47 - "ACTION ~ perception" Coach James de Lacey on building action capacities for combat sports. 56:30

1y ago56:30

56:30

Send us a text In this episode I talk with Coach James de Lacey of Sweet Science of Fighting. While most discussions on the podcast have been biased toward the perceptual half of the perception-action loop. Coach James talks about how we can support the action side through science informed exercise programming. While James doesn't offer a specific …

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ep#101: RAW CHICKEN EXPERIMENT (John) - The Science Of Eating Raw Meat 1:08:06

1y ago1:08:06

1:08:06

In this episode, we are joined by John. He is the owner and creator of "raw meat experiment". A Page dedicated to the experience of eating Raw Meat directly from the packet. His “raw meat experiment” videos have truly gone viral, with some reaching up to eight million views. However, John has decided to eat Raw Chicken now on a new page called "raw…

1
#47 - All Choking Aside - Dr Andy Bass talks about self-talk, attention and focus and how these can interfere with us all on game day. 1:35:03

1y ago1:35:03

1:35:03

Send us a text Today I talk with Dr Andy Bass. Andy is a researcher, educator, former pro baseball player and is currently a performance coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Andy talks about both the mental side and motor learning side of skill development. How the two can be separate but also generally integrate. I have linked several episodes that …

1
#46 - The gimmicks of the Gram - Coach Jon Mackey returns to discuss agility ladders and other questionable training tools. 1:49:32

1+ y ago1:49:32

1:49:32

Send us a text Today I chat with Irish National Kickboxing Coach Jon Mackey about the role of training tools in striking sports. We'll explore whether these tools actually support skill acquisition and debunk some of the popular training gimmicks that are flooding social media. Coach Mackey brings not only an extensive coaching experience, but his …

1
EP#100: Rabbi Dr Dovid Slavin - Israel vs Palestine From a Rabbi Perspective 46:21

1+ y ago46:21

46:21

Rabbi Dr Dovid Slavin is one of the most prominent Rabbi's in Sydney, Australia. and he joins us for episode 100 of FIVE8 Podcast to discuss his philanthropic work with Our Big Kitchen and the Palestine v Israel conflict. TIMESTAMP: (0:00) - Introduction Presented by Loanoptions.ai (3:33) - Episode Starts - The Story of Our Big Kitch explained by R…

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#45 - Game on! - Kit Dale and Greg Souders on ditching the drills to become better quicker! 2:44:00

1+ y ago2:44:00

2:44:00

Send us a text Today I welcome Kit Dale and Greg Souders on to the show. Kit is well know in the jiu-jitsu world for his rapid development in the sport and his achievements at high level no-gi grappling in a short few years. An advocate of 'learning through trial and error and one that has been preaching the anti-drilling message for years' it seem…

1
#44 - A student's perspective - Standard's Noah Shaffner talks about learning to grapple at the black temple. 1:29:21

1+ y ago1:29:21

1:29:21

Send us a text Today, I chat with Noah Shaffner from the Standard Jiu-Jitsu Grappling Team, mentored by Greg Souders. Unlike my usual guests who are coaches or academics, Noah stands out as a student who has embraced the ecological approach to skill development. Despite being only 17, his insights into the sport and its methodologies are profound. …

1
#43 - Managing Expectations - Rory Singer on playing the long game in developing Mixed Martial Artists. 1:43:11

1+ y ago1:43:11

1:43:11

Send us a text Today I talk with Coach Rory Singer. Rory is the younger brother of Coach Adam Singer and together they have run and coached MMA in Athens Georgia for several Decades. Rory is an UFC Vet and lifelong martial artist. In this convo we spoke about the expectations we have for new students entering the sport and particularly those who ha…

1
#42 - Demystifying Strickland's win over Adesanya - Shawn Myszka joins me to discuss last week's UFC title fight. 1:26:10

1+ y ago1:26:10

1:26:10

Send us a text Emergence founder, NFL skills coach and MMA superfan Shawn Myszka joined me to discuss Strickland's win over Adesanya last week. As stated during intro. Must of this analysis is somewhat speculative given we are not privy to the innerworkings of both fighter's camps, preparation and day to day training methodologies.…

1
#41 - Grappling with memory and perception - Ed Ingamells on 2:30:09

2y ago2:30:09

2:30:09

Send us a text Today I am chatting with Ed Ingamells. (Aka the Partybear). Ed is a black belt and coach at the Institute of Grappling in North London, UK. As a former Neuroscience PhD student, Ed has a deep understanding of cognitive psychology. Ed talks about his shift in recent years to a more ecological approach and how ecological psychology and…

1
EP#99: Jeffrey Morgan (Leadership & Mentorship) 1:19:47

2y ago1:19:47

1:19:47

Jeffery Morgan has helped positively change the lives of more than 650,000 Australians as well as countless organisations through his coaching programs, workshops and events. He uses everything he has, from his lived experiences and street smarts to his qualifications as a Nutritionist, Coach & Consultant to inspire, motivate and educate others to …

1
#40 - On the shoulders of the "Aliveness" Giant! - SBG's Adam Singer on alive training environments. 2:12:20

2y ago2:12:20

2:12:20

Send us a text Adam Singer joins me today to talk coaching, culture and continuing the SBG philosophy of aliveness through an ecological lens.By Scott Sievewright and Ben Schultz

1
#39 - 'Second Guessing the Traditional Approach' - Coach Josh Root on doubling down on the Ecological Approach. 1:01:58

2y ago1:01:58

1:01:58

Send us a text Today I am joined by Coach Josh Root from Gravitas Martial Arts in Arkansas. Josh has recently re-visited an Eco D approach to grappling after initially abandoning it due to uncertainty. With a deeper understanding and support from Standard's Greg Souder's, Coach Josh is not looking back and has been all in on the approach. Enjoying …

1
#38 - 'It takes two to Tango' - Professor Alan Dunton on 'information rich' training practice to develop metastability. 1:02:09

2y ago1:02:09

1:02:09

Send us a text Professor Alan Dunton is back. Alan is a lecturer and researcher at MTU Cork, Ireland. With a PhD in Skill Acquisitor and having been a long time martial artist himself and a National TKD team competitor, Alan is well informed on both the theory and practical sides of the sport and training. Alan and I discuss developing metastabilit…

1
#37 - 'Light for Learning' - Coach Jon Mackey on Kickboxing Training and Sparring Culture. 1:49:00

2y ago1:49:00

1:49:00

Send us a text In today's podcast, we're honored to have Jon Mackey as our guest, a celebrated coach in both Taekwon-Do and Kickboxing. With a career that began in 1987, Jon has trained numerous national, European, and world gold medalists in Taekwon-Do and Kickboxing, including Amy Wall, Lauren Bradshaw, and Robyn McDonnell. As the founder of Red …

1
EP98: Drew Weatherhead (Consciousness, Reality, Purpose.) 1:06:13

2y ago1:06:13

1:06:13

Drew Weatherhead is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt under Dave Rothwell. Drew has over 12 years of experience training and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He runs the @because_jiujitsu page and also hosts the Social Disorder podcast in which he has spoken to people from all fields for over 200 episodes. Drew is now the author of 'Consciousness, …

1
#36 - Developing wizards from Oz - Ricky Pachon on taking his Gracie comp team ecological. 1:52:03

2y ago1:52:03

1:52:03

Send us a text In this episode I speak with Coach Ricky Pachon . A young coach from Gracie Barra, Bondi Beach, Australia. Ricky leads a successful youth competition team and is himself an avid competitor on the Australian BJJ/Grappling scene. Recently a parent of a student of Ricky reached out to me to introduce him. Following several years of empl…

1
#34 - On the other side of the mic - My interview with Brian Willis talking about Primal's approach to practice design for striking and MMA. 1:11:24

2+ y ago1:11:24

1:11:24

Send us a text This episode is the first of two interviews by Brian Willis of the Excellence in Training Academy. Brian reached out to both myself and Standard Jiu-jitsu's Greg Souders to talk about our application of Ecological Dynamics to Striking and Grappling respectively. With Brian's blessing he allowed me to share these interviews here on my…

1
#35 - The Black Temple's Greg Souders - Coach Souders interview with Brian Willis. 1:07:28

2+ y ago1:07:28

1:07:28

Send us a text This episode is the second of two interviews by Brian Willis of the Excellence in Training Academy. Brian reached out to both myself and Standard Jiu-jitsu's Greg Souders to talk about our application of Ecological Dynamics to Striking and Grappling respectively. With Brian's blessing he allowed me to share these interviews here on m…

1
#33B - Battling the Biases! Josh Peacock on resistance to change in combat sports training. 50:37

2+ y ago50:37

50:37

Send us a text (PART 2) Today my guest is my friend and fellow podcaster Josh Peacock. Josh is the host of the Combat Learning Podcast and a fellow advocate of an ecological approach to combat sports training. A real student of the science of skill development, teaching methodologies and the history of combat sports, Josh is also a 4th degree TKD c…

1
#33A - Fighting the fallacies! Josh Peacock on resistance to change in combat sports training (PART 1 of 2). 59:11

2+ y ago59:11

59:11

Send us a text Today my guest is my friend and fellow podcaster Josh Peacock. Josh is the host of the Combat Learning Podcast and a fellow advocate of an ecological approach to combat sports training. A real student of the science of skill development, teaching methodologies and the history of combat sports, Josh is also a 4th degree TKD coach/prac…

1
#32 - Embodied and Embedded! Danny Hatcher talks about Ecological Dynamics and how we learn skills. 2:24:17

2+ y ago2:24:17

2:24:17

Send us a text Danny Hatcher joined me to talk more about ecological dynamics for sport. Danny is a Podcaster, youtuber, educator, coach and sport scientist from the UK. We connected after I watched his terrific youtube video on Ecological Learning. Among his many endeavors, Danny has spent a lot of time researching in the areas of psychology and l…

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ep#97: Matt Wong (Discernable.io Founder) 1:08:57

2+ y ago1:08:57

1:08:57

Most recently Matt has created the Discernible.io platform. An independent Media studio based out of Melbourne that focuses on delivering high-quality entertainment, intellectual, & news pieces.By Diogo Cohea

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#31 - Another Drill Ditcher! Kaboom's Kabir Bath talks to me about going full ecological! 1:44:57

2+ y ago1:44:57

1:44:57

Send us a text In this episode I welcome on Coach Kabir Bath, founder and owner of Kaboom Jiu-Jitsu in Surrey, British Columbia. Kabir is a Raphael Lovato Jr Black belt/affiliate and was a Lovato associate coach of the year 2017. As Kabir explains in the episode, he recently and abruptly shifted to an ecological approach while abandoning the more t…

1
#30 - The Reddit Technique Debate! Greg Souder's clarifies some misconceptions. 1:59:41

2+ y ago1:59:41

1:59:41

Send us a text Today I welcome back Standard Jiu-Jitsu's coach Greg Souders. Greg and I were chatting about a very recent reddit post aptly named, 'Training at a gym that doesn't teach technique'. The post was specifically posing the question about Standard's training approach and garnered many perspectives and opinions. Greg, and I decided to talk…

1
#29 - Shifting the Red line! @Doctor_Kickass on increasing physical capacities. 1:11:16

2+ y ago1:11:16

1:11:16

Send us a text On this epsiode, I welcome Dr Mike Piekarski aka. @doctor_kickass about to talk about S&C for MMA. As I discuss with Mike, I've believe that in being so focused on skill development in practice, I've been guilty of undervaluing the role of S&C, in particular when it comes to competition. My concern with not cutting into valuable 'lea…

1
#28 - If Fred learned to fight! Professors Blau and Wagman discuss their new book, 'Introduction to Ecological Psychology'. 1:12:22

2+ y ago1:12:22

1:12:22

Send us a text On this episode we delve a little more into the underpinning science of Ecological Dynamics. I recently read 'Introduction to Ecological Psychology' written by Dr Julia Blau and Dr Jeff Wagman which was a terrific read. The book was just recently published in the summer of 2022. Had this book been available years ago, it might have s…

1
ep#96: AFTER DARK (Boys Only) 1:05:21

2+ y ago1:05:21

1:05:21

ESCAPE FROM THE MATRIX.By Diogo Cohea

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#27 - Play the whole game every day! Greg Souders is back to talk about practice design. 1:16:06

2+ y ago1:16:06

1:16:06

Send us a text In this episode, I talk with again with Coach Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu , Rockville MD (Maryland). Greg is a black belt who founded Standard Jiu-Jitsu several years back following many years of training and competing with Team Llyod Irvin. A product of the high repetition and traditional development approach, Greg largely ab…

1
#26 - Pugilist turned Professor! Dr Andy Lane, chats about developing psychological skills for combat, in and out of the ring. 1:16:58

2+ y ago1:16:58

1:16:58

Send us a text Andy Lane is a professor and researcher in sports psychology at the University of Wolverhampton UK. Andy joined me to discuss strategies and methods for developing and building psychological skills in training and competition. A former boxer with 50 fights, Andy is an advocate for responsible and ethical training/sparring and suggest…

1
#25 - Thoughts on Coaching! Dr Tom Parry talks about his recent twitter thread on effective coaching. 1:40:56

2+ y ago1:40:56

1:40:56

Send us a text Dr. Tom Parry is the founder and owner of Kestrel Performance Psychology. He has a Ph.D. in Human Performance from Indiana University with specializations in Skill Acquisition and Psychology. He wears many hats including Professor, Father, Coach and Consultant. These roles have blessed him with a detailed understanding of human beha…

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#24 - Raising the Standard! Greg Souders on an ecological approach to elite level jiu-jitsu. 1:46:39

2+ y ago1:46:39

1:46:39

Send us a text In this episode, I talk with Coach Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu , Rockville MD (Maryland). Greg is a black belt who founded Standard Jui-Jitsu several years back following many years of training and competing with Team Llyod Irvin. A product of the high repetition and traditional development approach, Greg largely abandoned the…

1
ep#95: Anthony Rai (Conservative Ant) 59:55

2+ y ago59:55

59:55

In this episode we are joined by a special guest by the name of Anthony Rai a.k.a 'Conservative Ant'.By Diogo Cohea

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EP#94: Lance Simon (THE LUCKY LANCE) 1:47:10

3y ago1:47:10

1:47:10

Today i am joined by Australia's #1 ANTI-SCAMMING activist Lance Simon aka Lucky Lance. Lance has an incredible life story from selling drugs and partying in Melbourne's underworld where he murdered someone over a petty drug deal and got away on self-defense to now him having turned his life around to the point where he now has registered informant…

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