Focused Fight Team

I had the amazing opportunity to train with legendary martial artist Graciela Casillas this past weekend.

I’ve been following Graciela for the past 20 years, reading about her in Black Belt magazine and studying her accomplishments as a former world champion boxer, kickboxer, and expert in Filipino martial arts. So it was surreal to finally meet her face to face.

What made the experience even more special was that she attended my business seminar and took the time to speak with me afterwards. That alone meant a lot to me.

Then over the weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to attend her knife fighting seminar. And let me tell you something — I am absolutely scared to death of this woman. She is an unbelievable martial artist. She moves like a cat. Her timing, precision, awareness, and control are on another level.

But beyond the movement and skill, it’s the years of experience, knowledge, and wisdom behind everything she does that really stood out to me. You can feel a lifetime of martial arts in the way she teaches and moves.

I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn from her and spend time around someone who has contributed so much to the martial arts world.

What an amazing experience.

Stay focused and stay motivated.

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

Over the past year, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work closely with Paul Reavlin from Revgear.

Paul has opened doors for me, created opportunities, and helped level me up in both the martial arts world and the business side of the industry. I truly can’t express how grateful I am for his mentorship, guidance, and support.

Honestly, Paul is a big reason I had the amazing opportunity to speak at the ProMAC this past weekend. Opportunities like that don’t happen without people believing in you and willing to help elevate you.

I just wanted to give a huge shoutout to Paul and the entire Revgear team for everything they do for martial arts school owners, coaches, and fighters.

Not only do they make quality gear, but they back their people with incredible customer service and genuine support for the martial arts community.

If you’re looking for a company that truly cares about the people they work with, Revgear is the only choice.

Thank you, Paul. I appreciate you, brother.

Stay focused and stay motivated.

At the ProMAC conference this past weekend, I had an amazing opportunity to work with Juliana Miller.

I actually got the chance to sit down and talk with her about training, recovery, and what life is like during fight camp. We talked about her journey into martial arts and how she got started fighting professionally. As a coach, I always enjoy hearing the stories behind high-level athletes and the mindset it takes to compete at that level.

I also had the opportunity to be her training dummy during her MMA seminar. She’s an incredible athlete, a great teacher, and she’s got some really slick techniques. You can tell she truly understands the art, not just from a competitor standpoint, but from a coaching and teaching standpoint as well.

What stood out to me the most, though, was the person behind the fighter. I became a fan not just because of what she’s accomplished in the cage, but because she’s a genuinely good human being. She advocates for self-defense, especially for women, and that’s something I deeply respect and value.

It was an awesome experience to talk with her, train with her, and learn from her.

Best of luck moving forward, UFC Flyweight Juliana “Killer” Miller.
You’re definitely a killer.

Some people might call it luck. I have to agree. It just depends on your definition of luck.

To me, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And I’ve been preparing for this opportunity for the past 20 years.

This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to speak at the ProMAC conference hosted by Kovar Systems. I was able to share my experiences, lessons, successes, and failures with a room full of martial arts school owners and instructors on the topic of transitioning into modern MMA while still maintaining traditional values.

It was truly a full-circle moment for me.

Twenty years ago, I was sitting in the audience taking business seminars from Master Dave Kovar. This past weekend, I had the honor of standing on stage and teaching at his conference. That’s hard for me to even put into words.

I can’t express enough gratitude for the opportunity, the years of hard work, and especially the people who have supported me along the way. None of this happens alone.

I’m grateful for every student, coach, mentor, staff member, affiliate, friend, and family member who has helped me get to this point.

I’m going to continue pushing forward with the same mission I started with years ago — to leave martial arts better than I found it.

Looking forward to the next opportunity.
Special thank to for organizing this event and give me the opportunity! Also want to thank my partner in crime / for coming with, it was so great having you, helping me, pushing me and supporting me!