About this episode

Professor Mo Gobena discusses his journey in martial arts, the importance of competition, and his experiences in MMA and community building.

Host Pete Deeley welcomes Professor Mo Gobena to The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset, mentions sponsorship of Momentum Martial Arts Competition Team, Subscription Coffee, and the My Jiu-Jitsu Journey app. Mo shares how martial arts evolved for him from overcoming fear as a kid in dangerous 1990s Las Vegas after his family migrated from Africa, to athletics, and now community at age 40. He describes a formative lesson from hearing the John Diggins "circus bear jiu-jitsu" story about experimenting without fear of losing, and how that mindset shaped his approach beyond wrestling and boxing. Mo argues most practitioners should compete at least once or twice for stress inoculation and self-defense readiness, and recounts memorable MMA fights, including taking a last-minute heavier opponent and winning by TKO. He explains how competing helps coaches empathize with students, and highlights watching Damien, Coach Darian's brother, fall in love with jiu-jitsu. Mo also shares his nickname "Mighty Mocifer," his stand-up comedy hobby, and upcoming shows including the Savage Henry Comedy Festival. 00:00 Welcome and Sponsors 01:25 Meet Professor Mo 02:14 Martial Arts and Fear 05:00 Growing Up in Vegas 07:37…

People in this episode

Host: Pete Deeley

Guest: Professor Mo Gobena

Topics covered

• martial arts
• fear
• community
• competition
• MMA
• coaching

Keywords

• martial arts
• fear
• MMA
• competition
• coaching
• community
• self-defense

Sponsors

Momentum Martial Arts Competition Team, Subscription Coffee

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: My Jiu-Jitsu Journey

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