JIU JITSU: FIGHT TO WIN PRO 78 BLACK BELT PREVIEW
Fight To Win Pro is back tomorrow night to follow up on their spectacular Minnesota debut last year. Over 30 professional gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu matches are scheduled to take place. Last year, the jam packed arena witnessed first hand Fight To Win Pro’s unique blend of rock-star competitor entrances and music mixed with high level grappling. This year’s show features 7 black belt gi matches. The night’s action begins at 5:30 pm at the Hasse Arena in Lakeville, MN. FloCombat will be streaming the fights live.
Minnesota Fight News was able to catch up with most of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts heading into tomorrow nights fights. We asked them to talk about their background in and out of jiu-jitsu, how they got into the sport, their favorite BJJ accomplishments, what is expected fight night, and more.
Main Event 175 lbs: Brandon Bergeron (The Academy) vs John Combs (Easton BJJ)
Minnesota’s Brandon Bergeron will put his skills to the test against IBJJF World and Pan American 
medalist John Combs of Colorado in Saturday nights main event. Combs, now 28, grew up in California and is a former All-American wrestler. He began training jiu jitsu in high school but started seriously training during his college years after joining the Easton Training Centre in Colorado. Combs is a teammate of Fight To Win’s promoter Seth Daniels and received his BJJ black belt in 2016 under life long martial artist Professor Amal Easton. Combs is one of Fight To Win Pro’s most dangerous athletes as he is known for going all in while seeking submission wins.
Brandon Bergeron grew up in small Wisconsin towns before heading over to Minnesota. He says that he wrestled for 7 years as a youth before beginning Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA training when he was 17. After 17 mixed martial arts fights, Bergeron began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu full time. Last October, Bergeron lost a split decision to Thomas Keenan in the main event at Fight To Win Pro 50 here in Minnesota. The decision did not sit well with most on-lookers as many felt Bergeron’s constant submission and sweep attempts had earned him the win. Now, he is ready to put on another show in tomorrow’s main event.
What was the overall experience like for last years Fight To Win Show?
Brandon Bergeron: The experience was great! With the hype, the venue, the amount of people, the lighting, the music, the smoke, and the center stage, it was like being back in MMA but without the risk of brain damage. Seth (Daniels) and crew really put on a fantastic event that I was really happy to be a part of, and I’m thrilled that they’ve chosen to have me back again.
You faced a good opponent in Thomas Keenan. The both of you put on a fun main event but most people felt you won the fight. The judges didn’t see it that way. Talk about your match with Keenan.
Brandon Bergeron: My match with Keenan was a blast! It felt good to be back in a setting that was reminiscent of my MMA days as I mentioned in my answer to the previous question. Keenan had some incredible balance. I was able to obtain a strong X-guard position, and I still couldn’t sweep Keenan. I also remember that I had a couple tight foot locks including a toe hold and a straight ankle lock, but I obviously didn’t have them locked up perfectly since Keenan was able to squeak away from both of my strong submission attacks. Maybe there were more, I don’t remember for sure, but I remember those 2 because I felt that either one of them could have ended the match.
Keenan did a tremendous job maintaining top position, avoiding my sweep attempts and trying a couple dynamic guard passes. He’s one tough dude. It means a lot to have the support of so many of my friends and even some strangers who approached me after the event and voiced their opinion that I should’ve received the decision victory, but I know that’s what happens when you leave it to the judges. I did everything I could to try to obtain a submission that night, but I couldn’t. And if you can’t finish the match decisively, then every combatant knows that you risk coming up defeated in the eyes of the judges. Hats off to Thomas Keenan for his win over me in October. I just hope I have a more desirable outcome this time around and can secure a submission victory over John Combs. Securing a victory over a tough guy like Combs would be great, but ultimately, I just really hope that he and I put on a great BJJ match worthy of being the main event. Everyone is there to see good Jiu Jitsu, and I really want to give that to them!
Can you talk about your background? Where you are from, what you do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Brandon Bergeron: Wow, that’s an open-ended question. I’ll try to be brief. I grew up in a couple smaller towns in Wisconsin and spent of most of my early life in the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area. I wrestled for 7 years throughout my youth and teen years. I started training BJJ and MMA when I was 17 in Eau Claire under Nate Homme, and just 3 months after that I started fighting in MMA. I went pro very quickly, and over the course of three years I had built up an MMA record of 14-3 (11-3 as a pro, 3-0 as an amateur). I then decided to pursue pure BJJ after that. I spent some time going back to school earning a law enforcement degree, and I became a police officer for a brief period of time. I’ve also worked a number of security jobs until eventually I decided to take a gamble at making a living with my passion by opening up a BJJ Academy. My academy has now been open for over 2.5 years, and I couldn’t be happier.
As far as outside of jiu-jitsu, I’m a husband and have been married for 1 year to my wife, Sami, and we own 2 dogs. I enjoy playing with my dogs, riding my motorcycle, playing video games (as long as there is something good, I’m kind of picky about my video games), and that’s about it. I’m pretty active as far as BJJ goes, but that’s probably the most interesting thing about me.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Brandon Bergeron: I started training in BJJ near the end of my junior year of high school at 17 years old. I used to enjoy watching MMA, and I would think to myself, “I could do that! That looks like fun!” So when I finally got a computer, within probably the first month of owning it, I did a google search for MMA gyms in the area, and I found Nate Homme who taught BJJ. And three months later, I took my first MMA fight. In short, I started jiu-jitsu because I wanted to fight, and I did it using a simple google search.
You are very accomplished in the sport of jiu-jitsu. What is your favorite memory or accomplishment on the competition side of jiu jitsu for you?
Brandon Bergeron: Well, Thank you. I don’t always see myself as being very accomplished yet, but I really appreciate that. My favorite accomplishment would probably have to be placing 3rd place in the Metamoris Challenger Tournament. On a related note, can someone let Ralek Gracie know that he still owes me $500 for that? (laughing)
As far as favorite memories, I don’t think I can pick one. I’ve made so many friends training jiu-jitsu. In fact, I could probably count the number of non-BJJ friends I have on 1 hand. I guess I’m not very well rounded. But every training session, every tournament, and every event is a great time where I get to hang out with my best friends. It’s hard to narrow all of that down to one favorite memory.
Every great competitor has an equally great team that they work and live with. Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Brandon Bergeron: While I’m at the Saint Paul BJJ Academy, I focus mostly on teaching the best classes that I can and making sure that my students are all improving and having a great experience. So most of my time training there is more focused on their development.
I train hard 3 times per week at the Academy in Brooklyn Center. Since I’m not the head instructor there, that is where I can be a bit more selfish with my training and really focus on my game and development. I have a lot of teammates, and I certainly have a few that stand out as being people who are able to push me more and develop. Greg Nelson has obviously been a huge influence. He is a wealth of knowledge, and he can still push me and make me work on his good days even being almost twice my age. It’s inspirational. I hope to be someone like him one day. Nate Homme was an enormous help and influence during my early years of training. Nowadays, I’d say my favorite training partners who really help me develop include Bennet Dahl who is more willing to train with me than anyone else (sometimes I have a problem of people refusing to roll with me or being willing to train with me but doing so reluctantly or only doing maybe one round per day with me. But Bennett, man he is someone who is always eager and willing to train with me.) Andy Grahn, Kelly Johnson, Hayden Buckner, and Kurt Hartmann can all push me and make me have to work in some way, especially on their good days!
What do you know about your opponent John Combs for Fight 2 Win and what kind of match are you expecting? What can the fans expect?
Brandon Bergeron: From what I’ve researched, John Combs is a Brown Belt Pan Ams Champion, and he took third place at Worlds as a purple belt. He’s apparently known for his guillotine, and I think I read somewhere that he does some wrestling training in addition to BJJ. He’s also been featured in several Fight To Win events. I’m very excited to get the opportunity to be featured in the main event on the big stage against such a tough guy again. I love testing myself against guys like Combs! I’m expecting a pretty high pace match against an athletic, agile opponent. As far as what to expect, I suppose I can’t say. You can never know for sure how two styles are going to match up against one another until they’re thrown on the mat together. I wish the best of luck to John Combs, I hope we both walk out injury free, and I hope we put on a technical, exciting match for everyone in attendance!
What would like to add in closing?
Brandon Bergeron: I hope Seth and Fight To Win keep coming back to MN. These events are awesome! I think what Fight To Win is doing is fantastic. It gives jiu-jitsu competitors a chance to compete and show off their skills and their passion in front of family and friends who would not want to spend all day at a school gymnasium for a jiu-jitsu tournament. The production values of these events really help to pull in a wider audience. It’s really great!
Mike Miskowiak (MCFM) vs Antoine Evans (Fumaca BJJ)
I would like to start by asking you to talk about your background. Where you are from, what you do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Mike Miskowiak: I’m originally from Wausau, WI and 
slowly migrated towards the Twin Cities area over the years. Central Wisconsin is a pretty strong wrestling area so I ended up wrestling since the first grade. I’d like to think that my wrestling cross-pollinates with my jiu jitsu. I coach at MCFM a few classes a week, but that is more my passion. My profession is email marketing, which I’ve been doing for over a decade. It’s permission based marketing, I swear.
Antoine Evans: I am a Marine Veteran, From Chicago, Illinois. I’m a friendly and hardworking individual that is always trying to help anyone and everyone in any way possible.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Mike Miskowiak: I started BJJ in October of 2009. I got into BJJ kind of by accident. Jiu Jitsu had far fewer schools back then and I just moved to the area for work. I went on a walk to acclimate myself with neighborhood I just moved to and also to locate a weight room. I couldn’t find the weight room and happened to walk by Mike Ellefson’s MCFM and saw Jiu Jitsu on the sign. I tried other martial arts in the past, and knew kind of what BJJ was like so I called and joined the very next day. One of the best decisions I made in my life.
Antoine Evans: I started jiu-jitsu about 11 or 12 years ago. A buddy of mine from a past job took me to my first class and I’ve been in love with it ever since. It’s a sport that’s more than just physical. The mental side is the hardest part of learning the art.
Can you share details on some of the accomplishments that stand out to you in jiu-jitsu both in competition, and teaching and working with others?
Mike Miskowiak: My biggest BJJ accomplishment happened recenly when I received my black belt under professors Chris McCune, Mike Ellefson, and Tim Mahedy. I’ve been training consistently for 8.5 years and I’ve set goals since I’ve started BJJ with black belt in 2018 as the big goal. Otherwise I’ve kind of taken a back seat to competing and got into coaching and developing our team. With my black belt promotion, I feel like it’s my responsibility to compete simultaneously as well as coach so my team gets the best “me” as possible. I’m kicking off getting back into the competition mindset with this Fight to Win match up.
Antoine Evans: Here is a link to my page, it will best assist with this question. www.fumacabjj.com
Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Mike Miskowiak: I train at the Midwest Center for Movement directly under professors Mike Ellefson and Tim Mahedy. Our gym is based out of Hudson, and we are affiliated under Rigan Machado. In the area we have 10 total affiliates so we have a ton of resources to tap into. I owe a lot of credit to this affiliation, and the black belts that have built our foundation in the area. I also wanted to spread love to other gyms and affiliations that have opened their doors sans-politics, held seminars, and open mats. The Jiu Jitsu community in this area is pretty great. I also need to extend gratitude to my old wrestling coach, Dan Hein. It’s been almost 20 years since I’ve been wrestling but I still remember his lessons and methods.
Antoine Evans: I’ve started my own lineage, Fumaca Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve trained all over the USA, Canada, Thailand and Brazil.
What do you know about your opponent for Fight 2 Win 78 and what kind of match are you expecting?
Mike Miskowiak: Since Antoine is out of the area, I can only go off what I’ve read and have viewed on the Internet. He’s got a couple negative pieces written about him, but I’m not a judge on a complete stranger’s character. Pick away the gossip columns, you will see that the dude competes and competes at a high level. I have a few ideas on how to crack open his game, and I’ve been rolling with my training partners with this game plan in mind. Regardless of the outcome, I’m planning to have some fun in front of my rowdy MCFM family that is coming out for the fights.
Antoine Evans: I only know my opponents name. I’m expecting a fun and exciting match. The fans can expect a wonderful show of jiu-jitsu.
What would you would like to say in closing?
Mike Miskowiak: Just this, this card is stacked. I’ve rolled with most of the people on the show. If you need to sell someone on jiu-jitsu, these are the right people to do it. It’s going to be an incredible night!
Antoine Evans: In closing I would say to always have fun and be true to who you are. Thanks again.
Joao Alfredo Tavares Marinho (GFT) vs Mark Vives (New Breed Training Center)
I would like to start by asking you to talk about your background. Where you are from, what you
do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Mark Vives: I’m originally from the Philippines, but have been residing in the Chicagoland area for a large portion of my life. While in College in the Philippines, I was first introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in ’97, ’98 and pretty much was hooked. I had to give up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a period of time from 1999 to 2003, but was able to pick it back up in 2003 and haven’t looked back. After bouncing around due to life for a little bit, I moved back to Chicago and continued training. It was the following year in 2004 that my younger brother (one of my original Jiu-Jitsu instructors), started New Breed Training Center (back then called New Breed Academy Chicago). I later took over the Academy in February of 2005 and have been pretty much running it since then. I was able to transition into a full-time gym owner and competitor at the end of 2006 and have never looked back. It’s been quite the ride so far.
João Alfredo Tavares: I’m from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Jiu-Jitsu is my full time job since I moved to America. In Brazil, I was also a lawyer.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Mark Vives: I think the article that best describes how I got into Jiu-Jitsu and my long history with it is probably this one… http://www.bjjtees.com/blog-2/vives-gon-give-it-to-ya/
João Alfredo Tavares: I started to train jiu-jitsu as a kid, when I was 7. My mother saw a kid from my school beating me on my way home and then my parents decided to have me train in a martial art. Jiu-Jitsu was the choice. Both of my brothers and a cousin started it with me. Today, all of them are also black belts.
Can you share details on some of the accomplishments that stand out to you in jiu-jitsu both in competition, and teaching and working with others?
Mark Vives: As a competitor, I’ve been pretty successful as of late. I don’t have the greatest Fight 2 Win Pro record (4-5) but have been pretty successful in the realm of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and other local Chicago tournaments. I would say that my greatest accomplishments have been being a 2x IBJJF Asian Open Champion as well as finishing in second Place this Year at the 2018 IBJJF Pan Championships.
João Alfredo Tavares: As a competitor, my most important title is Pan-Ams and Brazilian National. It was a good experience to participate of Fight To Win and EBI. It is nice to be part of a jiu jitsu big show!
Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Mark Vives: As a teacher, I’ve been very fortunate and lucky to have had the opportunity to help teach so many great people. When we first started New Breed Training Center, it was basically just a few friends that came together to just train because we wanted to get better together. I’m very blessed to have many of those friends still stick with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and continue to grow and develop. Those friends, have undoubtedly become my brothers and family. To date, we have developed twenty four black belts. I’m so very happy and proud to have contributed to their growth in some way. Those guys are the best. That is probably the accolade that I’m most proud of.
João Alfredo Tavares: As a teacher, most of my students train jiu-jitsu as a hobby, and I think it’s great! It’s good to be part of something that make them feel healthier, safer, more confident and use jiu-jitsu as something that can add to their lives. I want my students to feel like home at the gym. When I was in Rio, I used to train at GFTeam HQ. That is the best place in the world. My brothers and cousin that always helped me, since I started. Júlio César Pereira, Marcus Bello and Alexandre Baraúna were fundamental people to my development as an athlete and professor, but I could not forget my first professor, Laerte Barcellos. He taught me all the basic and fundamental stuff.
Here in America, my main training partner is Jose Varella. He helps me to be ready for competitions and I’m really grateful to have him here. Without my students, it would not be possible. They give me motivation. At home, I have my family. My wife and my daughter give me all the love and support that I need to win.
What do you know about your opponent for Fight 2 Win 78 and what kind of match are you expecting?
João Alfredo Tavares: I know that my opponent is really tough. I expect a hard fight, and both of us have chance to win. The fans can expect my best. I’ll do everything to get a submission!
Ryan Pottebaum (Spartan Martial Arts) vs Sergio Hernandez (Baret Submissions)
I would like to start by asking you to talk about your background. Where you are from, what you 
do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Ryan Pottebaum: I grew up in Burnsville, MN and have been living in the Twin Cities area most of my life. I am an attorney and work at Thomson Reuters in Eagan.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Ryan Pottebaum: I started Jiu Jitsu in the summer in 2010. I grew up wrestling so I was pretty confident in my grappling abilities. I remember Tom Schmitz had me go against one of the smaller guys at the class in front of everyone, I took him down and was submitted in a triangle in about 10 seconds. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Can you share details on some of the accomplishments that stand out to you in jiu-jitsu both in competition, and teaching and working with others?
Ryan Pottebaum: Winning my first match as a black belt in front of friends and family at Fight 2 Win last year was a great moment, but making the semi-finals of the Black Belt Masters division at Pan Ams this year was probably tops.
Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Ryan Pottebaum: I train and teach at Spartan Martial Arts in Oakdale. I’ve been with Tom Schmitz from White to Black belt and it’s been a great learning experience. Chris Dachel who is also competing at F2W is one of my main training partners and he has helped pushed me every step of the way. It’s a small community here in Minnesota so I also try to spend time training with as many other gyms and competitors as possible. The people at M-Theory, Rio Jitsu, The Cellar and MTT all have great programs and are great places to train whenever I get the opportunity.
What do you know about your opponent for Fight 2 Win 78 and what kind of match are you expecting?
Ryan Pottebaum: I know he’s no stranger to the big stage, I think he’s a 3-time EBI veteran and has a really unique style of jiu-jitsu and a lot of great wins under his belt. I try to be as aggressive as possible when I compete so anyone watching can expect to see an action-packed match.
Oscar Hipp (Alliance) vs Matt Leighton (Tipping Point BJJ)
I would like to start by asking you to talk about your background. Where you are from, what you 
do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Oscar Hipp: My name is Oscar Hipp, I’m 24 years-old and I’m from Minnetonka, MN. I am currently an Engineering Apprentice in the United States Air Force.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Oscar Hipp: I started Jiu-Jitsu when I was 13, I grew up wrestling and I found BJJ through the wrestling community. I have been doing some form of grappling since I was 5 years old, I grew up on the mat and that’s where I feel most at home.
Can you share details on some of the accomplishments that stand out to you in jiu-jitsu both in competition, and teaching and working with others?
Oscar Hipp: When I was 17, I was a blue belt and placed third in at the World Championships in the super heavyweight bracket. Although I got third, this was the tournament that stands out the most. At the time I was a lanky teenager and I was outmatched psychically in every match. This allowed me to trust my technique and my coaching.
Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Oscar Hipp: I train at Alliance. MN under Damian Hirtz. I have trained with Damian for 11 years now, very few people know me like that guy does. I have the best team in the Midwest and I wouldn’t be where and who I am today without them.
What do you know about your opponent for Fight 2 Win 78 and what kind of match are you expecting?
Oscar Hipp: I don’t know much about my opponent but I have seen his name in the IBJJF circuit. I think the match will be fast paced with a lot of movement. It will be the best match of the night for sure.
What would you would like to say in closing?
Oscar Hipp: I’m excited to showcase my skills against a very game opponent on the 30th. I think I’m going to turn some heads that night and surprise some people. I can’t wait.
Jose Varella (GFT) vs Chris Dachel (Spartan Martial Arts)
I would like to start by asking you to talk about your background. Where you are from, what you 
do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Jose Varella:I am from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Teaching BJJ is what I do for living and competing is a part of my routine as well. I taught in Brazil when I was a purple belt and then later when I was a black belt, I came tothe US.
Chris Dachel: I Currently live in Cottage Grove but just bought a home in Hudson. I train at Spartan Martial Arts in Oakdale, MN. I’ve been an electrician for 13 years or so. Outside of jiu-jitsu, I’m with my family and friends or fishing. I spend most of my time with my wife, our two sons and daughter, and a pup.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Jose Varella: I started in BJJ in 2001 because a friend of mine insisted that I visit his gym. I think back in the days, everyone that watched Royce Gracie fighting UFC got interested in BJJ. That’s another reason I got into it.
Chris Dachel: I Started in ’07. It was just a bunch of friends training together and not knowing a thing about what we were doing. Just no-gi, I hated the thought of the gi. That lasted three months and then we quit. I sat around until winter of ’08 when I got the itch again. I started at The Cellar and Tom Schmitz started teaching shortly after I started. I began training under him in the gi, fell in love with the gi and never looked back.
Can you share details on some of the accomplishments that stand out to you in jiu-jitsu both in competition, and teaching and working with others?
Jose Varella: Competing, my main title is the Pan Am’s in no-gi. As an instructor, I have students who are world Abu Dhabi champions, Pan Ams champ, Brazilian national champ, American nationals.
Chris Dachel: As sad as it is to say, runner up at brown belt World Masters in 2016 is my biggest accomplishment I would say. Other then that, helping build the kids team at Spartan is a big accomplishment that I like to look at and feel good about.
Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Jose Varella: I represent GFTeam, one of the best BJJ schools. Of course we have idols , everyone has, but I would say all my GFTeam teammates, specially the ones I have trained with my whole life. They are really important in my development as a BJJ practitioner. Joao Alfredo, my big brother in Minnesota is one of the best and the one I look for to always learn from and my “kid” my brown belt Hiago Adão.
Chris Dachel: Spartan is great, I’ve pretty much trained under Tom Schmitz my whole jiu-jitsu career. Ryan Pottebaum is one of my main training partners, I learn a lot from both of them. Along with up and comer Randy Riviera-Santiago. I work a lot with Sean Voeller as well. But really anyone willing to give me a roll has something to offer, just have to figure out what it is.
What do you know about your opponent for Fight 2 Win 78 and what kind of match are you expecting?
Jose Varella: My opponent is a really nice guy, and a tough opponent. I think we play a similar game, half guard and deep half ,so its going to be a fun match for the public.
Chris Dachel: I’ve watched him compete in a couple super fights. I know he’s very talented. I haven’t “studied” anything on him, mostly I’m just focusing on what I need to do to play the game I want to play. I’m hoping we can have a good, exciting fight and give the fans something to clap for!
What would you would like to say in closing?
Jose Varella: Thanks for supporting Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Chris Dachel: Just thank you to Fight to Win for getting me on this card. I’m excited to fight on this stage. Thank you to my team for doing extra to help me prepare.
Kelly Johnson (The Academy) vs Baret Yoshida (Baret Submissions)
I would like to start by asking you to talk about your background. Where you are from, what you
do for a living and anything you would like to share about yourself outside of jiu jitsu.
Baret Yoshida: I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and grew up in Mililani Hawaii.
Baret Yoshida: I am currently the head Jiu-Jitsu instructor at the Arena MMA in San Diego, California. Outside of Jiu-Jitsu, I have very few hobbies but I have been learning JMKRIDE free skate, which is a lot of fun.
How, when, and why did you got into jiu jitsu?
Baret Yoshida: I got into jiu-jitsu around 1994 when I saw a documentary with Gracie in action. I wanted better results in street fights because in Hawaii, its a common thing for one on one street fights.
Can you share details on some of the accomplishments that stand out to you in jiu-jitsu both in competition, and teaching and working with others?
Baret Yoshida: I am a black belt under Egan Inoue (Grappling Unlimited). I’ve competed in the ADCC 10 times total. My first as a purple belt at age of 23. I have also gotten silver twice in ADCC in 2001 and 2003 and bronze in 2007. I won the IBJJF No-gi world championship at the featherweight in the adult division. Also, I hold a professional MMA record of 6-6-1 and was once ranked 2nd in Pro Shooto Japan. I lived in Japan at the time, training at Shooto Gym (Purebred Omiya).
Talk about where you train at and some of your team and people that have helped get you where you are today.
Baret Yoshida: I currently train at the Arena MMA and run my own association, Baret Submissions. I have many loyal students that train hard and help me prepare.
What do you know about your opponent for Fight 2 Win 78 and what kind of match are you expecting?
Baret Yoshida: I don’t know a lot about my opponent but I respect him and expect a really good fight.
What would you would like to say in closing?
Baret Yoshida: I’m very excited to compete once again for Fight To Win and hope to fight to the best of my ability.