B-Team Jiu Jitsu: Craig Jones, Nicky Rod, and Nicky Ryan | Lex Fridman Podcast #363
Lex Fridman (host), Craig Jones (guest), Nicky Rod (Nick Rodriguez) (guest), Nicky Ryan (guest), Craig Jones (guest), Nicky Ryan (guest), Craig Jones (guest), Nicky Rod (Nick Rodriguez) (guest), Lex Fridman (host)
In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Craig Jones, B-Team Jiu Jitsu: Craig Jones, Nicky Rod, and Nicky Ryan | Lex Fridman Podcast #363 explores b-Team Jiu-Jitsu on Rivalries, Steroids, Winning, and Not Taking Life Seriously Lex Fridman hosts Craig Jones, Nicky Rodriguez, and Nicky Ryan of Austin’s B-Team Jiu-Jitsu to talk about their origins, split from the Danaher Death Squad, competitive mindsets, and how they train. The conversation mixes serious technical and psychological insights with constant humor, self-deprecation, and trash talk—especially around their rivalry with Gordon Ryan and Dagestani fighters. They explore how to think about losing, pressure, steroids, injury, and business drama in a growing but still chaotic sport. Underneath the jokes is a clear philosophy: take the craft seriously, but not yourself.
B-Team Jiu-Jitsu on Rivalries, Steroids, Winning, and Not Taking Life Seriously
Lex Fridman hosts Craig Jones, Nicky Rodriguez, and Nicky Ryan of Austin’s B-Team Jiu-Jitsu to talk about their origins, split from the Danaher Death Squad, competitive mindsets, and how they train. The conversation mixes serious technical and psychological insights with constant humor, self-deprecation, and trash talk—especially around their rivalry with Gordon Ryan and Dagestani fighters. They explore how to think about losing, pressure, steroids, injury, and business drama in a growing but still chaotic sport. Underneath the jokes is a clear philosophy: take the craft seriously, but not yourself.
Key Takeaways
Success in grappling comes from consistency, not just intensity.
All three emphasize showing up year after year, using practice to simulate competition, and accepting that skills build slowly over many seasons rather than via short bursts of extreme effort.
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There’s no single “right” competition mindset—only what you can sustain.
Nicky Rod meticulously visualizes, routines his warmups, and leans into emotion; Craig deliberately avoids rituals, visualization, and overthinking to keep it light; Nicky Ryan struggles with fear of losing but recognizes he must compete more to grow.
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Constraint-based training accelerates learning, especially for beginners.
Craig advocates presenting people with problems first (e. ...
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Positional sparring from bad spots is critical for high-level development.
They repeatedly stress starting in mount, back, turtle, or leg entanglements to build real escapes and confidence, especially for advanced students who rarely end up in bad positions during normal rolling.
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Steroids are widespread in no-gi but don’t replace skill or learning.
They half-joke, half-admit that many top athletes use “gear” for recovery and volume, but note that steroids can also make people over-rely on strength, gas out, or neglect technical growth.
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Injury management and rehab are usually neglected until it’s too late.
Nicky Ryan’s decision to compete at ADCC on a fully torn ACL with zero rehab, and Nicky Rod’s bicep tear after heavy arm training and no warmup, illustrate how even elites ignore basic prehab/rehab until injuries force change.
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Business and money easily fracture tight-knit teams in niche sports.
The DDS split and a later falling-out with a teammate highlight how expectations, perceived entitlement, and unclear roles can destroy long-standing friendships when gyms grow and real money enters the picture.
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Notable Quotes
“Aim low and achieve. If the bar is set low, you can't help but win.”
— Craig Jones
“Winning is probably the closest you can get to heroin... you're on that high for days.”
— Nicky Rodriguez
“People take martial arts so serious. It's just pretty stupid really. We're just wrestling each other.”
— Craig Jones
“I think if you’re great at grappling and then you also do gear, it’s going to enhance what you’re already good at and make you much better.”
— Nicky Rodriguez
“I think whoever wins the street fight is whoever’s willing to take it the furthest, the fastest.”
— Craig Jones
Questions Answered in This Episode
How much does the constant trash talk and rivalry actually impact performance on the mat, if at all?
Lex Fridman hosts Craig Jones, Nicky Rodriguez, and Nicky Ryan of Austin’s B-Team Jiu-Jitsu to talk about their origins, split from the Danaher Death Squad, competitive mindsets, and how they train. ...
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Is there a healthy way to balance fear of losing with the need to compete often and take risks?
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Could B-Team’s constraint-based approach to training and standing up from bottom become the new standard in jiu-jitsu pedagogy?
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Where should the grappling community draw the ethical line on steroid use in a largely untested sport?
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What lessons from the DDS and B-Team splits could future gym owners use to avoid business and friendship implosions?
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Transcript Preview
How would a kangaroo attack a human?
Knock him down and then they choke him.
(laughs) The kangaroos do? On a human?
They choke each other, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
They don't choke each other.
You don't believe me?
(laughs)
If you watch the video, they choke each other out.
(laughs) I've seen this, yeah.
(laughs)
I-
I mean, probably the most annoying one was obviously the one where I had gone to an arm bar, I was like, "Tap, bro." And he wouldn't tap.
Yeah.
So I let him out.
(laughs)
(laughs)
I didn't get surgery. I didn't do-
(laughs)
... essentially (laughs) any rehab.
The, the-
I just have no ACL in my left leg.
The-
So, what's the leg having no-
(laughs)
The surgeon goes, "You've got two options. Surgery, rehab only." Nicky goes, "I'll do nothing."
(laughs) Yeah.
Yeah, I mean what could possibly go wrong if you're the world's best grappler, hates you, and you're gently provoking him behind the scenes every day? Well, I mean-
In Texas.
And you've stolen his brother, held him for ransom.
(laughs) It is like a story of a shitty Western.
The last part of a difficult wake up for me is I try to find a sad movie and at least cry. About a pound out.
(laughs)
That really gets me over the line.
What are the rules in the streets?
Do you think if you were on steroids, he would've finished the choke?
I, yeah, I mean, for sure.
Who knew that the cure to the Dagestani wrestling were the Aussies?
The following is a conversation with Craig Jones, Nicky Rod, and Nicky Ryan, who together with Ethan Crelinston and others make up The B Team, a legendary jiu-jitsu team here in Austin, Texas. It was formed after the so-called Danaher Death Squad, the team headed by John Danaher, split up into New Wave Jiu-Jitsu and B Team Jiu-Jitsu, both located here in Austin, Texas. There has been a lot of trash talk back and forth, including accusations of greasing and steroid use. And I, as a practitioner and fan of grappling, jiu-jitsu, and martial arts in general, am here for it. To see the best grapplers in history go at it, both on the mat and on Instagram. I like the people on both teams and train with both, and am really happy to see the exciting rapid evolution of the sport that these athletes and coaches are catalyzing. This is the Lex Fridman Podcast. To support it, please check out our sponsors in the description. And now, dear friends, here's Craig Jones, Nicky Rod, and Nicky Ryan. Craig, can you introduce everyone?
Yep. So we got Nicky Rod here, brown belt, two time ADCC silver medalist. Nicky Ryan here. That's him.
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