Is this guy legit, or a con artist?

[josh sullivan]

1st off I've never herd of this (alledged) BB in pitbull jj! I'm a brown belch under Bruce Weiler a real 2nd degree BB under Bitta and he's totally legit Homie's! Marco Nascimento is his Head instructor in the US at Peninsula JJ go check it out in foster city Cali totally legit! I'll ask if my instructor ever herd of him cause he goes out there 3 to 4 times a year! sounds like a fake chump who's internet trained and attended a seminar and self promoted himself!

[Enrique "Kiko"]

sounds like a fake chump who's internet trained and attended a seminar and self promoted himself!

I'm can't believe in this day and age of a more educated consumer base when it comes to BJJ and/or MMA, that people STILL try to fraudulently represent themselves to make the sale. Every single purple, brown, black....hell...even blue belt is usually EXTREMELY proud of their belt lineage and will give you 2, 3, or even 4 generations of their belt lineage should you bring up the topic. I'd bring down the awareness hammer on this guy. I guess where there's money involved......

[Kyle Spalla]

Alright I am stationed in San Jose, I get off leave Monday it's time to pay this duchebag a visit. I am a brown belt in Judo under David Quinonez, 4th degree black belt under Wally Jay the founder of Small Circle Jujitsu.

[Gary Meek]

4th degree black belt under Wally Jay the founder of Small Circle Jujitsu.

You should talk with Gonzo (username: Otomi) and Derek Stewart...they are both black belts as well. I think Gonzo is a 6th degree if I remember correctly.

[Kurzy]

All legit black belts are proud of their lineage and are just waiting to talk about it with anybody who gives a damn to ask. Anybody who skirts around the issue of their lineage is a fraud.

That is the simple truth.

[Kurzy]

reminded me of this:

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

Tom Cissero is legit, but he's a hit or miss type of guy. You love his instruction or you hate it.

In 2010 we (BS.Net) were investigating a BJJ fraud. That fraud gave a "Tom Cicero" as being the one that promoted him to black belt. Unfortunally there exists no "Tom Cicero" and for a period of time a lot of sites (incl. BS.Net and Sherdog) took contact up with the real Tom Cissero, who had absolutely nothing to do with the fraud.

But you have to understand that if you are being telephoned and asked if you promoted a known fraud to black belt, while running your own school...well, it will make you cautious of every call where they ask for your lineage.

There are other BJJ schools in that district, so give your friend the advice to train there.

Hope that this helps.

[Harry Evans]

Thanks for the background, guys. Rene, that post would explain a lot. Also Kyle, Eduardo is very open to students from any background. He can seem judgmental about other approaches to BJJ (like 10th planet), but that's just a mix of his traditional background and his tough demeanor. He gives me minor shit for playing RG all the time - but then he shows me how to adjust my omaplata as I set it up through chill dog to keep it tight. That's just how he is. You won't find him teaching a class on defending the whip up, but everyone teaches a different style anyway. I still think overall he runs the best team I have ever trained with (I haven't really trained extensively with any 10th planet teams, so I can say that without feeling bad).

If you still are interested, I would try signing up. You can either downplay the 10th planet background, or go the other direction. Try saying, "I've spent some time training with a no-gi focus at 10th Planet SF, but I'm interested in doing some gi work and learning to add another style of BJJ to my game. I am very open minded to different styles, but I just waned to make sure that you don't mind that I have trained with some other teams." I think this would work best. There really isn't too much rivalry in the sense of "Well, Eddie beat my master Royler, so I hate anyone who ever trained there." It's more just a difference in techniques and approach.

[Harry Evans]

One more thing. There is a new gym opening up in San Leandro called Machine Works BJJ. The owner and teacher is Jeremy Adkins, who earned his black belt from Eduardo Rocha. Jeremy is a great teacher I have trained with for years, and his legitimacy as both fighter and coach is off the charts. This is a guy who is used to winning large tournaments practically every time he competes, and knows how to systematically break down a move or a position with a lot of reasons why, and very little "the hand just goes here." I can't vouch for him enough.

Jeremy's main goal is to provide affordable BJJ to your average person. He thinks BJJ has gotten too pricey, and his mantra of "working man's jiu-jitsu" shows as much in his technique as it does in his business practices. If you want to check out another amazing spot, just stop in, I know he is very open to ALL TYPES of BJJ. He has nothing against 10th Planet, or Eddie, or 50-50, or any other ideas people come up with, and is always trying to learn from his students while he teaches them. You won't find any rivalry BS there.

Anyway, his site, number, and address are below. Check him out, and tell him Harry told you to. We train together all the time, and this way maybe we can get him to start jumping on the forum as well. He is a great resource.

Jeremy Adkins
Machine Works BJJ
http://machineworksbjj.com/
http://machineworksjiujitsu.blogspot.com/
689 E. 14th St., San Leandro CA 94577
510-686-0116