EDDIE BERNAL shocked audiences back at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting in May when he announced that he was retiring from MMA. At just 25, the announcement came as a shock to many of his family and friends.

So in this interview, I wanted to give Eddie the opportunity to fully explain his reasoning for leaving the fight game -- as well as a chance to tell us what might be next for him.

We also cover what happened in his last fight and I even start trying to brainstorm things he can start doing to help ease him into his post-retirement MMA life.

Be sure to check this one out, as I think Eddie does a great job of talking about his impressive run as a mixed martial arts fighter. We've had a ton of fun covering his time in the cage over the years, but I'm quite certain this is far from his last time on the show.

Cheers to a great career, Eddie.

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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I have to say, this was one of our nerdiest episodes. A few days after punching her ticket to ADCC, we got the chance to speak with LYZZ MITROVIC about her ADCC trials experience, comparing notes on everything from preparation, game faces, and (yes) even Whoop scores and rankings.

This is also one of our longest interviews.

We hope you like that. Lyzz was such an earnest and easy-going guest to talk to, the time flew by in such a quick fashion.

But don't worry, we still were able to make time for her origin story and her unique perspectives on all things BJJ.

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

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YOU CAN LISTEN TO OUR SHOW AT:

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I had the pleasure of catching RICK ZELADA's recent fight at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting back in May.

Rick and I have run into each other here and there at some local open mats here in Southern California.

And while I was rooting for my guy to come back with a W (spoiler: he did), I had no idea of the incredible story behind his epic win. We get into the meaning behind this last fight, that memorable post-fight moment in the cage, and the unconventional journey that brought Slick to the fight game.

There was also a cool moment where we got to walk down memory lane, talking about the insane jiu-jitsu matches that Dream Jiu Jitsu used to host.

I really appreciated MATADOR TRAINING for opening up their doors and allowing us to do this one at their gym. They just added a brand new jiu-jitsu program in association with our good friends over at NEW GROUND JIU JITSU.

If you're in the NoHo area, I highly encourage you to go visit them!

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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RYAN AITKEN is a two-time Combat Jiu Jitsu champ, but he knew he was in for an epic tournament at the EBI ABSOLUTES.

Not only was he out there to continue showing out for his 10th Planet Atlanta crew, but he knew there would be eyeballs on his performance from major promotions that are taking place this August.

What happened that night was a life-changing moment that culminated with Aitken being crowned the EBI ABSOLUTES champion on the 10th anniversary of the Eddie Bravo namesake.

It was an incredible moment, and we've got the entire story behind his run. Be sure to check it out!

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

----
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Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

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In one of the wildest BJJ weeks in recent memory, I took some time to address two issues that came up in the community that identify the struggles we have as a sport as we court mainstream acceptance.

You can find the full episode of this week's episode of THE BULLPEN with myself and TIM FREEMAN right here: https://www.youtube.com/live/X3ZQs9ABvMw

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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We got the chance to speak with the CJJ Worlds featherweight champ, GABRIEL DAFFRON, shortly after his big win.

We talk about his run at CJJ, the build up to it, how it felt to accomplish that major goal, as well as what is coming up next for this longtime friend of the show.

Additionally, we get to hear some great stories about how he celebrated his big CJJ title win.

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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We spent some time going over some of the worst takes about the CJI/ADCC situation -- and wouldn't you know it, some of the takes in the comment section somehow managed to get worse. As such, I took a few minutes on our latest episode of The Bullpen to address those silly arguments.

Bring your popcorn, Tim sure did.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/4_fuZyl-jOI

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

----
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Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

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Welcome back to RUNNING THE GAUNTLET -- the show where BJJ and pop culture intersect. On today's show, we've got our pal ALEC BAULDING joining us to take on the following topics:

• RULE

• EDIT

• BETTER

• RID

• CONFUSE

• QUOTE

——

WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH: Head on over to https://www.rafesparza.com/merch You can purchase our BRAND NEW Grappling Hour HOODIES and T-SHIRTS.

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Head over to https://www.patreon.com/grapplinghourto become an EARLY ACCESS or PREMIUM Grappling Hour member. With early access, you'll see our interviews 30 days before everyone else and as a premium member, you'll get exclusive content (extra episodes, bonus episodes, technique breakdowns) that aren't available anywhere else.

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