We finished up our TX Trip with Robson Moura at Relson Gracie Houston today. The focus of the seminar was escapes and submissions from side control. Robson showed a lot of valuable details to make the escapes, position and submissions work best. We covered a lot of details about the Arm Triangle and I can't wait to share them with the students of Revolution.

Photos from today's seminar can be found Here

I also got some good technique videos with Robson and Jory and they will be posted on our YouTube Channel

Here's a few pics and a video from today:

The USS Lexington:


Seminar at Relson Gracie Houston:







Finally here's a great video of Robson showing an escape from the North/ South Arm Triangle with Jory. I hope you enjoy and Jory will be excited to share the details of this with our students in class this week. We look forward to seeing you there!

We had such an awesome time trianing at Xtreme MMA and BJJ in Corpus Christi, Texas. They head up Robson Moura's Association and Nova Unaio in Texas. It was a pretty packed house and it's so great to see Nova Uniao growing across the USA like this.

Robson taught a great seminar and touched on a lot of great basics and combinations. I really enjoy seminars that focus on the basics like this. Many times I see things and remember that I learned that technique early on in my training, and I had forgotten it. Or sometimes I learn a good detail to a technique I have always done. I enjoy hearing Robsons stories and ideas about training also. Robson said that when you are a black belt you do the same "moves" as a white belt. It is not the techniques that change but the small details you learn that help you get better at them. This is what makes the difference from belt to belt. This is what you must focus on in class: repetition and improving techniques. It takes thousands of hours to master and many repetitions, but each time you practice in class, focus on getting better.

It's also great to know that a lot of the Robson affiliates will be using parts of the curriculum and structure we use and have formulated right here at Revolution to help students get better at BJJ! Nova is working so hard to continue to grow and expand our championship team!

We met a lot of great friends and we can't wait to train with them again. You can find more pics of the seminar HERE. Hopefully we'll have some videos for you tomorrow but now I think we are going to see some fights.

We are officially back and rested from Tampa. This trip was pretty tiring but well worth it. Sunday we got to stay and do some training with Robson and Gustavo. We touched on some details of passing the De La Riva Guard, X Guard, Indefensible Half Guard as well as a few other details and techniques. I can't wait to share them with the students of Revolution! We are working hard to make sure that you get the best training and that our program continues to offer the best in Modern BJJ!

We also got such an exciting opportunity to make some technique videos with Robson!

Here they are below. Check them out and be sure to email us if you have any detailed questions about them or if you'd like to come train with our team!

Jory and Robson show a 93 Guard Sweep:


Abby and Robson show an Open Guard and Triangle Sweep Option:
(This Video is available in High Def)



Masters Robson and Gustavo show a loop choke off of a failed sweep:


We have started a You Tube Channel to help bring you updates via video. Check it out here:
Revolution MMA You Tube Channel

Ooooooohhhh I am so tired. But we had a great time at the historic 1st Tampa Fusion Seminar with World Champion's and legends Robson Moura and Gustavo Dantas, as we continue our quest and commitment to be the leaders in Arkansas for nothing but the latest World Class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training. The drive was about 16 hours but it was worth it for World Class Jiu Jitsu. We covered a lot of great things at this seminar like tips to help us use the rules to our advantage as well as clarification about the rules. We also covered some very basic techniques with emphasis on the fine details that will help our game. I can't wait to share them with our students at Revolution and teammates. I'm glad we had some of our white belts from Benton and Hot Springs as well as Brown Belt Steve Snyder from LDMA in High Point, NC come with us.

Tomorrow we'll be doing some advanced training sessions with Robson and Gustavo and I'm sure there'll be a lot more to bring back for our advanced students as well as get in some good rolling. Here's a vid and some great pics. More are in the gallery.

Big weekend for Nova Uniao Team! Here at Nova Uniao Arkansas we hosted a Nova Uniao competition camp. The camp had a huge turnout and was a great success preparing our team for upcoming competitions! Speaking of competitions...........In Brazil, Robson Moura Black Belt Ricardo Demente won the Abu Dhabi Pro trials defeating Alexandre De Souza to secure his spot at the Pro Worlds. Moments later in Arizona at the 5th Arizona International Open, 7 x World Champion Robson Moura himself defeated Kitahara Nobuhiko via choke for the win! 2010 is shaping up to become a historic and unbelievable year for the team as we continue to bring you nothing but World Class Training!

We had a great time training at our BJJ camp. We were lucky to have 4 Nova Uniao black belts teach at our camp. We had Jory Malone from Revolution, Danny Dring from LDMA, William McGlothlin from Barata MMA and Jonathan Border from Germantown MMA. Jonathan Border is also a Judo Black Belt.

We had students come from all over AR, as well as other states such as: MS, TX, NC, TN, etc. We did a lot of work on submissions from the guard, basic and advanced sweeps from the open guard, spider guard, and De La Riva, attacks from the back, some wrestling, and Judo! I think the Judo part was the all time favorite of everyone.

It was a great time to get together and have the opportunity to train with others as well as share techniques. We had plenty of Black, Brown, Purple, Blue and White belts of all size, age and skill levels to work with, giving everyone the opportunity to test and try their techniques and game plans. Thanks to everyone who came! Unfortunately we always tend to train way longer than anticipated and we have yet to get a pic from a camp with everyone in attendance.... maybe one day :)

Friday night training session:


Judo Pics:












Here's a few pics of the Sweeps Jory taught us:

Revolution MMA has been so busy lately! It has been our commitment to bring you the best possible training and have access to world class instruction right at your fingertips! In order to accomplish this, we'll be busy every weekend until May! This weekend we have a BJJ camp coming up. It's going to be quite an exciting adventure and we'll have people coming from all over Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina and More. We will have 4 black belts teaching as well as several brown belts and high ranks. We should get in a lot of rolling as well to help you prepare for future competitions. I am excited to see a lot of our high ranks attending this camp.

Given that we are preparing a lot for BJJ events. I thought it would be a great time to talk about the history of our Team, Nova Uniao. Below is a great article taken from the Nova Unaio USA site www.NovaUniao.com

In the early 1990s, when competition jiu-jitsu was starting to become popular in Rio, a new team was founded, joining the two zones of the city. Carlson Gracie’s pupil Andre Pederneiras (a black belt in jiu-jitsu and judo) had a strong team in Botofogo, in the South of Rio de Janeiro. To expand, he looked for new members for his team in the northern area of the city. At this time, the North Zone was considered technically inferior in jiu-jitsu and Andre aimed to help the area as part of his quest.

Meaning “New Union”, the Nova União Jiu-Jitsu Academy was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1995 when the Mello Tenis Clube Jiu-Jitsu, headed by Wendell Alexander, joined with Andre’s team. Wendell was a black belt from Sebastião Ricardo, who in turn was a student of the Master Oswaldo Fadda, one of the few people to train in Brazil under Sensei Maeda of Japan.
Within a few short years the team had a production line of local (state), national (Brazilian) and world champions which culminated in the team winning the Team Division at the 1997 World Championship.



In 1995, Nova Uniao first landed in the US with a partnership between John Lewis and Andre Pederneiras in Las Vegas. From this location, new branches were built with instructors such as Toni Pontes opening in Arkansas, Renato “Charuto” Verissimo in Hawaii, and Gustavo Dantas in Arizona; All three being Black Belts under Andre who started originally teaching at J-Sect Jiu-Jitsu, John Lewis’ school. Since then, Nova Uniao branches have been opening all over the country in states such as: AR, AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, NC, NJ, NY, NV, OH and TX.

Now, in 2009, Nova Uniao has been accumulating titles in the US, Brazil, and Europe. In Brazil, Rodrigo “Feijao”, Wendell Alexander, Leonardo Santos, and Andre Marola have been responsible for re-structuring Nova Uniao to once again be in the Jiu-Jitsu spotlight, since over the years, the focus of the team has gravitated towards MMA. In the US, Gustavo Dantas has made it his priority to organize Nova Uniao to compete at IBJJF tournaments, the World’s largest, and most respected, stage for Jiu-Jitsu events.

As you can see we are part of a great team! Revolution is committed to carry on the team name and help you invest in your BJJ training as we host top Nova Uniao Black Belts such as Marcelo Donald Pereira (3x World Champion) and Robson Moura (7x World Champion). Thank you to all of the students at Revolution for your continued investment in your training. It is because of you that we can continue to host such top competitors to help us all get better.



But if that were not enough, Nova Uniao is a charitable organization as well. This falls in line with the very principles we go by here at Revolution. We truly believe BJJ and Martial Arts can change your life for the better, and that the true spirit of a Martial Artist is in giving back. Coaches Jory and Abby began a volunteer program to help the high school students in Benton have access to a wrestling program. Many of the students at Revolution have volunteered to help in various ways, and we appreciate your giving of your time and services. The wrestling season has helped a lot of High School students have access to a fun and constructive sport after school. Our Team in Brazil does a charity banquet each year to help those who are less fortunate enjoy a holiday meal. Here's another great article about Nova Uniao's charity project in Brazil:

On Sunday, December 20, 2009, Andre Pederneiras, co-founder of Nova Uniao and owner of the Brazilian fitness gym, Upper Sports Club (www.uppersportsclub.com.br), held the 3rd Annual Holiday Banquet for the Senior Citizens of Morro Santo Amaro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Morro Santo Amaro is known as a “favela” which is a low-income neighborhood built upon the hills of Rio. Many of the people who live in these favelas, such as Morro Santo Amaro, cannot afford to have a nice meal in celebration of the holidays, but Andre has made a way to a provide a special holiday meal for the Seniors of the hill community.

The morning before the Banquet, Andre headed to the open food marketplace in Sao Cristovao at 6AM to purchase all the food and supplies necessary to feed at least 300 people. When all the purchases were made, and the food packed into his SUV, Andre personally delivered the food to the venue where the food would be prepared and the Banquet would take place: a small, cement building sitting in the heart of Morro Santo Amaro. Upon looking at the building, a person might wonder, “Why here? Why not find a better venue?” Andre’s work in the community does not stop with this Banquet. The building is also where Andre provides programs to enhance the quality of life for the people of Morro Santo Amaro. These programs include Aerobics Classes for the Senior citizens, taught by the high-caliber instructors from Upper, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Classes for the youth and young adults, instructed by Nova Uniao Black Belt and Pro-MMA fighter, Marlon Sandro. So, despite the size of the facility, the little building has become a meeting place for the people of Morro Santo Amaro to forget about their troubles, for even just an hour.

On the day of the Banquet, the line of people waiting to eat was almost staggering. The doors did not open until 12PM, but some of the people started lining up as early as 9AM. Inside the building, tables and chairs were set to seat 30-40 people at a time with enough room to squeeze in a sound system to provide diners with cheerful music. Along the walls, volunteers prepared plates of rice, beans, fish, ham, beef, and vegetables to serve to the many hungry men and women present; Fresh cut fruits and drinks were also provided. To a full room, Andre stepped to the microphone to give his thanks to everyone present for supporting and gave his warmest wishes for everyone to enjoy the food, but it was the many in attendance that were thankful; Thankful for Andre and thankful for the many things he has worked hard to provide forthem. The line outside did not recede until the night, and throughout the day, the Holiday Banquet successfully fed over 300 Senior citizens in Morro Santo Amaro.

Is there a way that you can use your training to help better someone's life? How has Martial Arts helped your life? Feel free to let us know, we'd love to hear.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about our great team! Happy training everyone, and we'll see you in class.

At Revolution with our teammate and 7x World Champion Robson Moura


Jory and Abby with teammate and 3x World Champion Marcelo "Pato" Donald


Training in FL with Sensei Robson and Black Belt Josef Manuel


Jory and one of Sensei Robson's top Black Belts: Demente, Gracie Mag's # 1 Person to watch in 2010!


Nova Uniao Teammate BJ Penn, UFC Lightweight World Champion & World BJJ Champion


Nova Uniao Teammate Jose Aldo, WEC Featherweight World Champion


Nova Uniao Teammate Vitor Shaolin, World BJJ Champion and Strikeforce Fighter, and our own Grant (future World BJJ Champion) after a training session


Nova Uniao Teammate Thales Leites