What is your training background? When
did you get into Jiu-Jitsu, and where? I started
Jiu-Jitsu in early 1994 after the UFC was shown on TV in November 1993.
I started training with an American guy named Ken Gabrielson. He was a
great teacher. At one point his classes faded and I switched over to
the Gracie Academy and began training full time in 1995.
How did you come to fight Mixed Martial Arts? Who was most influential
in your decision to pursue fighting in a big show?
Actually Joe Son got me in to this cause I was living in Huntington
Beach and he was getting Kimo going so he asked if I would be
interested. Nothing panned out from it but it got me training. I
switched from being a 220lb juiced up bodybuilder to a Mixed Martial
Artist.
Your early days were filled with training from some of the best
grapplers in the world. Who did you train with to achieve the level of
skill that you possess now? I trained with Royce
almost everyday and I trained in Brazil with Comprido, Leozino, Roger
Brooking, and many other top BJJ guys. After I returned from Brazil I
flew my friend Roger out from Brazil to live and train in the US with me
and in that time I REALLY got better. After he was gone all that he had
shown me just started to click in and I began understanding it. I
haven't had a teacher since turning Purple belt. The rest was done on
my own through teaching students, fighting, and just simply hard work.
Most of your first few fights were listed as occurring at "Independent
Events" in California. Care to tell us a little about these fights and
under which rules they were fought? This brings me
back to Joe Son. He was putting together some underground fights at the
time and I had gotten in to one of them. The other two were in
Mississippi and the promoters name slips my mind right now but I can
tell you I never got my money :)
How different was the scene when you first fought in 1996, as compared
to the way shows run today? What are some of the big differences?
Well they're a lot more professional now. Back in
the day there was still that eerie feeling about MMA from everyone else
outside the sport. It really wasn't legal in many places so you were
looked at in a totally different light. The pay is much better and the
fighters are all on a totally different level. There are hundreds of
guys that could win UFC 1 now. Maybe even thousands.
Aside from fighting, you are an instructor as well. You started a very
respected training school called the Next Generation Fighting Academy.
Is it true that you used your purse from the fight with Pat Miletich at
UFC 16 to open the original school? Yes sir every
dime. It was a nice school but I was still a blue belt in BJJ and only
had a few fights. I also had no business sense yet so it only lasted
for a year. I ended up back in my garage for a while before opening up
my big school and really taking off. I have learned SO much from the
sport of MMA. I have been able to do so much business wise and been so
successful and I'm very lucky because the last time I was in school was
the first month of my sophomore year in High School. Obviously I
wouldn't recommend that route but I'm a fairly bright person with
exceptional street smarts and I think that has really helped me. That
with the education I have received from owning schools all over the
world, to traveling, fighting, training, and selling clothing, I fell I
am a very fortunate person that made a lot of hard work pay off.
What were your biggest achievements as a trainer at Next Generation? Any
students that you are particularly proud of? I
would have to say Jeremy Williams as far as students goes stands out for
many reasons. He began with me the first month of opening my first
school and was with me till the end. He was my first White, Blue,
Purple, Brown, and Black belt. He was my first helper in class. He was
one of my two best friends, and he had a ridiculous talent in Mixed
Martial Arts. I split my head open getting ready to fight Yves Edwards
once and Jeremy stepped in with 9 days notices and a broken hand and
beat him with only 4 fights under his belt. We lost Jeremy a few weeks
ago and I have to tell you he was a big part of my life and my success.
This has been a tragic few weeks.
Buck Greer, Adam
Lynn, Lucas Pace, Tracy Hess, Gerald Strebendt, Kauai Kupihea, Bao Quach,
Mike Guymon, Fernando Gonzalez, Josh Hinger, Ian and Brad McCall, Russ
Miura, Josh Smith, Lonnie Wright, and my brothers Zack and Jake. This
was the best Team ever in my eyes. Not only were they all really good
fighters but we had some AWESOME times traveling the world together and
laughing our asses off...
If that wasn't enough, you are co-owner of a high quality clothing
company for combat sports and MMA fans alike - NoGi Industries. How did
you come to start this company, and where can your products be found?
Well I was sponsored by Hitman fight Gear and they
were taking care of me pretty well but I really wanted to start my own
company and sell my own gear. Then I thought about it and thought it
might be dumb to let everyone know it's mine cause then only my fans
would buy it and not the whole MMA scene. So Jeremy my partner came up
with the name and I thought it would be really cool so we started it and
got going. For a while we kept it on the DL that it was mine but since
I was the main one dealing with people and stuff it was out in the open
quickly. Nogi has officially blown up and not only are we selling in
the MMA community but we sell the gear in all sorts of action sports.
www.nogi.com
is the place to get great dependable gear
Now, you haven't always done jiu-jitsu. In your teen years, you were an
accomplished bodybuilder, winning the Teen Orange County, Teen Mr.
California, and Teen Nationals competitions, respectively. How long did
you compete in these events, and why did you stop bodybuilding?
I trained and competed in Bodybuilding from about
17 years old until I was 21 when I switched to training BJJ and Muay
Thai. I stopped Bodybuilding for a few different reasons. I didn't
like the crowd that followed the sport and I didn't want to keep abusing
my body with all the "supplements" I had to take to stay competitive.
You reportedly took your first PRIDE booking on 6 days notice, and
became the first fighter to win in the newly created Bushido event. An
interesting turn of events took place in your fight against Mitsuoka,
care to tell us what happened? I did get the call
on a Monday to fight in their next show the following Sunday. I wasn't
at all in shape but they wanted me to fight at 183 so making the weight
was pretty easy :) I was fighting a decent wrestler but my Jiu-Jitsu
prevailed...TWICE! I subbed him by armbar and then he said he didn't
tap. Not only did he tap and scream if you watch the tape the ref
jumped in as well and stopped us. Either way it worked out better for
me because the second part of the fight was way more exciting than the
first. They argued for about 5 minutes about if we were going to fight
again and then when they made the call I decided I was going to break
what ever I caught to make sure he knew I cause him this time. I ended
up catching a Kimura on the same side and left him laying on the mat
with ice. I signed for 3 more fights after that.
You are responsible for one of the most devastating knockouts ever,
catching Antonio McKee with a high kick at KOTC 3. Was that the moment
that Chris Brennan was realized as a well-rounded fighter, rather than
just a submission expert? I guess it may have
been then but I always had ok stand up I just never used it because I
knew I was good at Jiu-Jitsu so I always wanted to go where I was
strongest. That knock out was a great feeling though and it was in
front of my home crowd at King of the Cage and it was for my title so
that was nice as well...
You have fought a who's who list of fighters - Gomi, Miletich, Ribeiro,
Stevenson, Kawajiri. Who do you remember as your toughest opponent?
I always say Pat was the toughest to beat because
his game makes it so hard to play your own game and I respect him so
much for all he has done in this sport. I guess the only time I really
got my ass kicked was by Alessio but I have never been injured very
badly in a fight at all. Some of the big names I have lost to came at
bad times in my career where I either needed the money so I took the
fight without preparation or I had other personal issues going on and
again didn't train properly for the fight. I feel that I could probably
beat 99% of the guys that have beaten me on any given day with the right
training (no that's not an excuse)
What was your most memorable fight, in your eyes?
The first Bushido was sort of the most memorable for a few reasons. I
always wanted to fight in Pride, I was the first winner of Bushido, I
knew I was brought in to lose and I won...TWICE! Also beating Steve
Berger was a great one because I regained the KOTC belt and that meant a
lot to me. My favorite fight would have to be the Gomi fight. I lost
but it let me know that I am one of the top 155'ers in the world and I
could hang with the best if not beat the best if I was in my own
country. The fight was very exciting and we showed many different
skills.
What do you consider the greatest achievement in your fight career thus
far? The fact that I have accomplished all that I
have. I have traveled the world, trained with the best, fought the
best, won World Titles, fought in the worlds best organizations, taught
some of the best fighters on the planet, met some of the coolest
people, I'm raising an awesome family, I have the best wife in the
world, and I'm selling the best boardshorts money can buy. The fact
that I can provide the life I do for my family is the biggest
accomplishment I have achieved and I couldn't ask for anything more.
MTV CRIBS is actually doing an episode on my house here in Dallas.
You are fresh off a first round submission victory
over Adam Disabato at GFC-Evolution. How did you feel going into the
fight, and do you expect to fight for the Gracies again?
I expected to win the fight because I knew his
experience level was no where near mine in MMA. He was a great wrestler
at Ohio State but Submission wrestling (Jiu-Jitsu) is not something you
can learn in a year. I knew once we hit the mat it should be a short
night. You can fluke and KO someone but you can't fluke and get subbed
in my mind. I loved fighting for the GFC and I will fight for them
again at least 2 more times.
What are some of your interests outside of MMA and grappling?
I have my hands in so many things it's crazy. I
love motocross and my son Tyler is racing all the time. I also train
two of the top amateur motocross kids in the world that will both be
turning pro this season. I have trained them to 13 national titles so
far this year and there are plenty more to come before the seasons
over. I do a lot of strength and conditioning stuff with them. I also
love what I'm doing with Nogi and that whole side of things
Are there any fighters that you enjoy watching these days?
GSP is awesome and I enjoy watching him. I always
loved how dominant Hughes was and enjoyed watching him smash guys.
Probably my favorite fighter to watch is Shogun because he fights with
the "I don't give a shit" attitude. Also any of the good Jiu-Jitsu guys
because I understand so much of what's going on down there on the mat
that someone else might not see or get.
You recently lost a close friend, in the IFL's Condors fighter, Jeremy
Williams. How are you holding up, and do you have any thoughts for his
fans? This was a very hard time for me. Jeremy
was like a brother to all 6 of us Brennan brothers. He and I were close
for many years in many ways. Jeremy was a good friend to a lot of
people and a great father as well. I'm holding up ok right now but it
defiantly interrupted the training for this last fight. I was on the
freeway when I got the call and had to pull over because I instantly
couldn't see where I was going. Losing Jeremy is a tragic loss and he
will be missed forever. I hope his fans, students, family, and anyone
else always remembers what a good guy he was.
Can the fans do anything to help the Williams Family in this time of
need? Nogi started a Jeremy William fund raiser
selling APEX Jiu-Jitsu shorts and hoodies and the turn out has been
pretty good. I'm happy to see so many people getting involved and hope
they continue. You can log on to
www.nogi.com
and order a JW shirt to help support his wife and kids.
Well, Chris, we appreciate your time. Last question...
What's next for Chris Brennan? Any fights coming up?
I'm fighting June 30th, July 7th, August 11th, and
September 22nd for the World Vale Tudo Federation here in the mid west.
I'm trying to stay busy. I'll also be fighting again in the next GFC.
I'd like to thank my sponsors because
without them I wouldn't have the life I have.