FLA Exposure

Episode #152-Ben Chase

Canadian Music Sensation and competitive martial artist, Ben Chase stopped by to discuss how he got into martial arts, why he continues and how his life evolved from the skills he learned on the mats.  A wonderful human at just 23 who tours the country making #1 hits and lives in beautiful PEI, training with the team at Lot 36 Jiu Jitsu under coach Matt McGrath!  Lots of great insight about life, hard work and the dedication he's shown himself to grow and reach the levels he's attained!  Big things for this young man, follow him on all social media channels @thebenchase
Enjoy!

Episode #151 -Brandon Kelvey

Brandon Kelvey, Carlson Gracie JR Black Belt and Physiotherapist chatted with us this week!  Sorry about the audio issues in this episode!  Blame streamyard.   We spoke about his competitive side, what made him fall in love with martial arts and how he's adjusted his training schedules with work and other hobbies.   A talented guy who works with the team at Pro Active in Dartmouth, where he specializing in needling.  Interesting episode, well have him back on with better audio in the near future to pick his brain after we do a in house training session at his gym!

Episode #149 - Dwayne Ward

Dwayne Ward joined us for this episode!  A gentlemen that i've known for almost ten years after meeting at the Nova Scotia Indigenous Summer Games!   Always motived by his story and how he constantly is evoking positivity onto people.  Whether dressing up as Macho Man or opening a new gym in his home town of Listuguj; this man is always following a passsion.  Most likely why we get along so easily.  A truly great man with a great family, who he constantly shows a great example to!  Loved catching up with Dwayne to hear how he's been dealing with COVID and some of the restrictions that have been going on in Quebec, how much we miss open rolls and just seeing the great community of athletes out here on a regular basis and much more!  Enjoy!

Episode #148-Russ McCumber

It takes much more than talent to get what you want!  This guy fought Saturday and was back to work on Monday doing what is needed to pay the bills and keep the journey moving.   Coming off an impressive win this weekend, we spoke with Russ McCumber about the fight itself and his camp leading up to it.  We covered fight anxiety, why he does it and the importance of his team at ZUMA including the experience of both Sarah Kaufman and Adam Zugec.  A carpenter by day, fighter by night with alot of experience who just got his first pro win!  Much needed after a tough decision loss at the Canadan National Amateur Championships in 2019!  A great listen, powered by our friends at  Highland Nissan!  Enjoy

Episode #147-Josh Presley

Josh Presley, one of the most accomplished competitors on the East Coast and definitely and OG of the grappling scene.  Super talented in any aspect of the art, he teaches a lot of classes at Halifax BJJ and has recently started putting out more content featuring his style, along with breaking down the in house tournament they are doing at the school.  We covered how competing has been for him throughout the years, his experiences of ups and down and how important it is to always believe in yourself. We covered his personal skill set as a coach and teacher and what has changed for him since Covid, training at other gyms like Legion and learning from other world class competitors.  We also had to cover some old days of Presley competing for us and some of the behind the scenes issues that went on, not always making it easy for him!  A great guy with a tonne of positive wisdom and love for the sport!  Was so great to finally sit down with him, loved every minute of this conversation!  

Episode #146 - The Martial Arts Kids

These two are certainly not kids anymore!  After you listen to this episode, you will quickly realize how smart, mature and realistic these two young athletes are.  At just 17 & 14 and after many years of competition, these two super successful teenagers sat down with us to catch up on travelling the world to compete, having a massive support system in both Canada and the US.  We also covered some advice to other kids and parents, and how you might want to guide through the world of a high level athlete at a young age!  A wonderful listen with a tonne of insight from these two amazing people!  Whatever happens, these two will be successful, that's a guarantee!  Must listen for anyone with kids!  Enjoy!

Episode #145 - Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson, originally from Australia and now living in the Halifax area since he was 16.  A competitive athlete his entire life on the rugby side of sports; when he moved to Halifax, he started training with the team at 374 MMA!  A close knit community led by Radafy Ranaivo, Alex spoke about his journey into Personal Training and now opening his own space in the Dartmouth area of Nova Scotia, called aussiefit.ca!  We also covered his love of animals and having his two huskies right by his side for this new adventure! We spoke about how he got there, having fights cancelled at weigh ins and the toll it took on him mentally now after having been out of competition since 2018.  A great episode with a very smart young man!  Thanks for listening, enjoy! 

Episode #144 - James Lynch

James Lynch, one of the most recognized names in MMA media jumped on to chat about his story.  We spoke about how he got into journalism and what drew him to combat sports instead of traditional sports or media.  The hard work and dedication that goes into it and how his niche style of content started back in 2008.  A guy who puts a tonne of work into it but also is super humble and really great to all the Canadian athletes and brands.  A fantastic listen for anyone getting into journalism, media or just someone who loves a great interview, this guy is someone you definitely need to follow! Find him on alot of different platforms including Low Kick MMA, Line Movement and much more!  Thanks for listening, enjoy! 

Episode #143-Sean Finnigan

Sean Finnigan, a member of the Crandall University Boxing Team in New Brunswick; the only collegiate team in the country!  A super talented boxer with a tonne of heart to back it up.  A veteran of over 50 plus amateur fights, his pro debut isn't far.  Focusing on education before he makes that leap, we spoke about his decision and what led him to that route.  Lots of great chat as we were joined with fellow New Brunswick boxer, Corey Morrell another coach and great athlete from the province!  We covered short notice fights, working with kids and the feeling of giving back; his mentors like Brandon Brewer and all the up and coming talent on the East Coast!  A super genuine conversation with two of the best on the East Coast!  Enjoy

Episode #142-Paul Blais Fisher

Paul Blais Fisher, a talented athlete out of Kelowna, BC dropped by to discuss his career, life in BC and the big delays in his career.   Some really good insight on becoming a professional fighter, what motivates him and why he continues to push forward, even throughout a pandemic.  We spoke about injuries, injuries during fights, his last opponent and how durable he was and the respect he had for him showing up.  He comes from an incredible team in BC, under the man himself Coach David Lea!   A really passionate athlete who wears his heart on his sleeve.  A great guy we hope to see on a FLA card at some point!  Thanks for listening, enjoy!