Leverage Radio

10 days out from Leverage IX, Aman Gusain drops in for a chat. Aman is a multiple time jiujitsu champion. Having only trained for about 3 years, Aman has torn through the local and national scene to be established as one of the most exciting young jiujitsu talents in India. Protégé of @warriorscove and @ashwinhoon Aman is a true contender for the Leverage Crown. A young ambitious and driven force, Aman intends to make the most of his opportunity as he looks to make history and be the first undisputed Leverage King. We speak to him about his life and how this young man from Uttarakhand moved away from home to train with some of the best in the country. We talk match ups, strategy and a lot more. Always a pleasure to speak and train with him. The time for talk ends soon. We wish the best for the final days of prep. Oss

On a late night edition of Leverage Radio, we are joined by the evergreen Rajiv Khati. Rajiv is an entrepreneur, a talented musician, a passionate martial artist and is humbly confident in all his endeavours. He has traveled across India in pursuit of unifying the knowledge which exists in the respective regions. Rajiv was a perfect addition to the Leverage Team, to help give the upcoming Pro-Invitational tournament a whole new vibe. In this episode, we speak to Rajiv about the upcoming leverage IX card, we dissect the match-ups (yup every single one), we talk about his experiences training with the best people across India, we go deep into the fake jiu-jitsu promotions and the impact that has on the sport and much more. Rajiv is a great teammate and he has our respect, he manages to seemingly do it all and look so young while doing it! It was a genuine pleasure for us, see you on the mats brother. Oss

The beast in action aka Tarun Yadav joins us on the latest episode of Leverage Radio. Tarun is a seasoned grappler, a multiple time jiu-jitsu champion and a purple belt under Siddharth Singh. Coming from one of the most formidable teams in Indian combat i.e. Crosstrain Fight Club, Tarun is looking forward to Leverage IX and to once again be in the throes of combat. Tarun is highly intelligent, funny and supremely confident in his skills and abilities. He talks about his foray back into competition, the respect and admiration for his coach, his team and some key highlights in his jiu-jitsu journey. We had a great time hosting him on the podcast and wish him the best of luck for his preparation for leverage IX and the future.

Our guest this episode is another contender for the LFN IX welterweight crown. We welcome Tribhuvan Issar to the show. Tribhu is an all round fighter who doesn't mince his words and is definitely a dark horse of this tournament. Having trained with some of the best MMA fighters in the country, Tribhu plans to come in hyper conditioned and will certainly be ready to go to the overtime rounds if required. Tribhuvan is soft spoken but supremely confident in his ability to perform under the brightest lights. We wish him the best of luck for his preparation and cannot wait for this showcase. Hope you enjoy!

The enigmatic Sunny Khatri dropped in for a chat. Sunny will be competing at this year's leverage IX. For anyone who doesn't know - Sunny is a straight savage. His passion for combat and combat sports is unmatched. He is an intense competitor and he loves what he does. We speak about his journey in martial arts, his path to training at Bali MMA and the differences between International level coaching and India. We speak at length about being a pro-fighter, the experiences he has had and his long term goals in the sport. A future world champion in the making, Sunny has all the qualities one would need to achieve greatness in this sport. We are really looking forward to watching him compete and wish him all the best for his training camp!

This episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Chaitanya Gavali. He is a multiple division MMA Champion & multi-time National grappling champion. He is the Founder of Ultimate Fitness MMA and is a Jiujitsu purple belt. Chaitanya will be competing at this year's leverage tournament and he is relishing the opportunity to showcase his skills. Chaitanya shares with us his path to MMA Gold. We discuss his youth, being bullied and how martial arts helped him overcome his insecurities. We talk about the pressures of the sport and how he has balanced that with his love for teaching and training. We speak about humility, discipline and respect in Martial Arts and the importance of enjoying your training. It was a joy to have him on and we cannot wait to see him compete.

On Leverage Radio this week, we had Jitendra "Vicky" Khare on as our guest. Jitendra is the Head Coach at Team Relentless and is the Founder of  Evolution Fitness & Combat Sports Academy, in Mumbai. Having brought up in a disciplined boarding school environment Jitendra shares with us his Journey through Martial Arts. He talks to us about his motivation for teaching and training, life as a father and family man, the joy he feels for his work and the evolution of MMA in India.  Jitendra is honest, composed and knows what he is doing. He is also a passionate coach and competitor, who possesses an analytical mind necessary for success in this game. We wish him nothing but the best for the future. Oss!

Arun Sharma is India's First and only Jiu jitsu Blackbelt. Arun is a Black Belt under Professor Rodrigo Teixeira. He is certified in BJJ, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Kali, PFS & Shaolin Kung Fu with 14 years of training experience. Arun has also trained various Military & Law Enforcement agencies, having certification from The US, The Philippines, Brazil & China. Arun's path in martial arts is one many of us could relate to. Having suffered through significant trauma as a youth (full story in the podcast), Arun went in search of the tools to help him defend himself for the future. Along the way he developed several skills in armed and unarmed combat. Arun is an avid member of his community wanting to give back, he is very candid about his martial arts philosophies and how he views jiu jitsu as a means for self improvement. He was a fascinating guest to have on the podcast, we hope to see him put on a Gi and compete soon to truly bring the Jiu Jitsu community full circle in India.

Back with a banger of an episode. After a brief Hiatus we had the privilege of speaking with Professor Carlos Almeida on this edition of Leverage Radio. Professor Carlos is a 3rd degree blackbelt and carries all the wisdom that comes with the territory. He was kind, humble and simply inspirational. We speak to him about his journey through the sport and his life, the struggles from the professional aspect, his competitive philosophies and a whole lot more. Jiu Jitsu is about giving back, to help others and build a community, that is evidenced by the work Prof. Carlos has done and continues to do. Truly an Honour to speak with him. We hope to have him out for some seminars, as soon as he can travel. Oss! P.S - He loves the idea of Heel Hooks in IBJJF

The super-talented and high flying Dhruv Chakkamadam was on with us this past week. For many who don't know Dhruv, he is a serious wild man. Dhruv is an outdoor adventurer at heart, a slackliner, a jiu-jitsu guy, a modern yogi, a phenomenal artist and a good vibes generator. Dhruv is a free spirit who brings genuine joy to those he meets and has a positive attitude that is absolutely infectious. We speak to him about balance, how his passions led him to jiu-jitsu and the journey since. We had a ton of laughs on this one and can't speak highly enough of his artistic prowess. A great conversation with a great guy. Check out his artwork, it is seriously mind blowing.

We have the pleasure of speaking with Karan Chauhan. Karan is a young MMA prospect from Pune, Maharashtra. Over his short career, Karan has faced adversity and some challenging circumstances that would have stopped lesser men. He has an insatiable desire for combat, a maturity well beyond his years and has developed a penchant for hard work. We discuss at length his origins, his career, overcoming an losing (0 - 2) record to get to a winning (11 - 4) record and the role jiu jitsu had in the evolution of his overall game. Karan is a brave young man, he has a great head on his shoulders and really is a true student of the fight game. No doubt, we will see him compete on the biggest stages soon. We wish him nothing but the best for the future. Special shout out to Lew Sports for sponsoring this young man aiding him in his attempt at glory. The best Indian MMA gear powering the best young Indian athletes. Hope you Enjoy!

This week Leverage Radio speaks to Anand Sharma. Anand is the founder of OmJiujitsu - an organisation helping develop grappling & Jiujitsu talent in Rural India. Anand is a highly decorated multiple time national champion including wins in ADCC India 2018, GFI, SJJIF and various overseas tournaments. Coming from humble beginnings, Anand has worked hard his entire life, He spent the early part of his career as a Deep sea diver with the Merchant Navy. Following a devastating hip injury, he found Jiu-jitsu and the rest is history. We talk in great depth about his obstacles in the early days of training, overcoming his problems and how he accomplished his goals. Anand's story is one of determination and not succumbing to the situations and conditions around you. Where there is will, there is a way. It was an honour to have him on. Hope you Enjoy

Caleb Khan is a black belt under Eduardo Fraga and Ralph Gracie. Originally a high school wrestler, Caleb began his jiu-jitsu career in 2007 at Ralph Gracie Berkeley. He is an instructor, competitor, and the head of the grappling program at Guardian Gym in Oakland, CA. Caleb is THE Journeyman grappler because he travels the world showcasing his jiu jitsu, good vibes and humor. We discuss his role as the Chief Grappling Officer of the Guardian gym, a project started by Ben Kovacs & Joel Lunenfeld - a truly monumental effort showing the power of community through jiu jitsu and martial arts (We highly recommend looking them up and all the great work they do). The Guardian Gym has more than 400 students, which consists of roughly 160 FREE youth students. We talk jiu-jitsu and what it means to Caleb, we discuss his journey including training with former UFC champion Rafael Dos Anjos, we pick his brain on competing as you get older and keeping up with the demands of the teaching & training on the body. Caleb's story is remarkable and he reminds us that having the opportunity to teach, train and give back through jiu jitsu is a blessing. We learnt a lot listening to him and his Journey with the Guardian Gym, some truly inspiring stuff. Hope you Enjoy. Oss!

In conversation with Arko Dasgupta, the Head Coach of The Combat Clan in Kolkata. Arko is a Radio Jockey by night and a full-time MMA coach by day, he is a blue belt under Rhys Dykes and a stalwart of the MMA scene in Kolkata.  We discuss his origins in the sport and his long standing friendship with our pal Shiba Banerjee. We talk about the "fakes" in the game, the Dana White of Kolkata is brought up again, we talk about his story and discuss the scene moving forward. Arko is unapologetically brash, upfront, unfiltered and extremely entertaining. We had a ball having him on the podcast and can't wait to bring him back on. 

A very special guest on this episode, as we speak to Gautam Raj Anand, the founder and CEO of Hubhopper. Gautam is a pioneer with numerous accolades to his name including 'Entrepreneur of the year' and was on the 'Forbes 30 under 30' for his work on Hubhopper. We follow his story on how he started Hubhopper years ago and how it has become the juggernaut it is today. We discuss the future of podcasting and internet radio in India and how the Hubhopper machine is working to make that happen. We go deep into the working of Hubhopper, the relevance and difference of the Auditory medium, the importance of following your passion with a boat load of laughs along the way. Gautam is funny, highly intelligent and very humble for someone so young and successful. It was a pleasure to have him on the podcast and hopefully we can get him back for another one sometime soon.