Bernardo Faria on Building BJJ Fanatics, Business and Longevity  | EP 57

In this interview, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu multiple time world champion Bernardo Faria joins Dave to discuss the origins of BJJ Fanatics, the business of online Jiu-Jitsu instructionals, and how digital education is changing the way practitioners learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Bernardo shares the story of how he met co-founder Michael Zenga, how their partnership led to the creation of BJJ Fanatics, and how the platform grew into a major resource for grapplers looking to learn from world-class instructors. Bernardo and Dave explore what makes a great Jiu-Jitsu instructor, why being a world champion doesn't automatically make someone a great teacher, and how the best instructional videos break down techniques into concepts that students can understand and apply. Beyond the business of Jiu-Jitsu, this conversation covers the differences between Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the importance of studying techniques beyond your own game, and how practitioners can continue improving by learning from specialists. Bernardo also shares his perspective on training as you get older, his Jiu-Jitsu for Old Guys instructional series, competition, longevity, and his goal of staying healthy enough to keep training and rolling for decades to come. Contacts for interviewee: Instagram —   / bernardofariabjj   Facebook —   / bernardofariabjj   X (Twitter) —   / bernardofariajj   YouTube —    / @bernardofariabjj   Bernardo Faria Academy — https://bernardofariaacademy.com/ BJJ Fanatics contact page — https://bjjfanatics.com/pages/contact-us BJJ Fanatics - https://bjjfanatics.com/ Dynamic Striking - https://dynamicstriking.com/ Fanatic Wrestling - https://fanaticwrestling.com/ Judo Fanatics - https://judofanatics.com/ Strong and Fit - https://strongandfit.com/ Sit, Stay, Learn - https://sitstaylearn.com/ BJJ Fanatics Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/results?searc... Tap Cancer Out - https://tapcancerout.org/ Topic Links: Rorion Gracie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorion_... Rickson Gracie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickson... Royler Gracie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royler_... Machado brothers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machado... Rigan Machado - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigan_M... Jean Jacques Machado - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Ja... Michael Zenga - https://bjjfanatics.com/pages/about-b... Adopt a Pet - https://www.adoptapet.com/ Keenan Cornelius - https://legionsandiego.com/instructor... Dean Lister - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Li... Miyao brothers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_M... John Will - https://www.redcatacademy.com.au/john... Marcelo Garcia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo...) John Danaher - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Da...) Gordon Ryan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_...) Eddie Bravo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_B... René Dreyfus - https://radicalmmanyc.com/about-us/ Radical MMA - https://radicalmmanyc.com/ Roger Gracie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_G... Mendes brothers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_...) André Galvão - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3... Cobrinha (Rubens Charles) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubens_... Tim Ferriss - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Fer... Eric Ries - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Ries FloGrappling - https://www.flograppling.com/ Ben Kovacs - https://www.guardiangym.org/executive... David Mitchell - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M...) Chapters: 01:36 - Start of Interview 02:34 - Origin of BJJ Fanatics 04:10 - How Bernardo Met Michael 08:17 - Dave and John Will's Tapes 11:33 - Bernardo's Other Brands 13:15 - Creating Content For Many Niches 15:06 - Competing Against and Using YouTube 18:02 - BJJ Fanatics Podcast 20:06 - Teachers Are Guides Not Experts 25:43 - It's Important to Study BJJ From The Past 26:48 - When Did Dave Start Jiu-Jitsu 31:18 - How Are BJJ Fantics Instructionals Made? 32:19 - Win-Win-Win 36:09 - A God Practioner Vs. A Good Teacher 42:38 - New Kinds of Instructionals 48:47 - What Are The Other Benefits Besides Money For Instructors On BJJ Fanatics? 52:07 - Do Instructors Ever Update Their Instructionals 53:44 - Jiu-Jitsue Is Always Evolving 58:21 - Running BJJ Fanatics With Three Parnters? 1:04:11 - Business Experiments 1:08:57 - Do You Have A Road Map For BJJ Fanatics? 1:10:39 - BJJ Fanatics Charity Work 1:11:52 - Personal Training 1:14:21 - The Importance of Specializing 1:17:46 - Branching Out From What You're Good At 1:20:37 - Have You Been Modifying Your Game As You Age 1:22:29 - Dave's Training 1:27:52 - Bernardo's New Game 1:29:44 - Role Of Competition Music “Disambiguation” by Robel Borja https://open.spotify.com/artist/7j0DU...