1. Hi Tony can you please introduce yourself to BJJ community of Eastern Europe? 

My name is Tony Gonzalez, 45 years olds, from San Diego California. Both my parents are from the Philippine Islands, so that makes me full blood Filipino. I am the founder and co-owner of the Ultimate Training Center est.2004 (visit Ultimatetrainingcenter.com) located in Corona Ca. We offer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,Kick boxing, and Crossfit training. It is not uncommon to witness professional fighters, sports figures, celebrities, police officers, fire-fighters and the general public training here. I am the head Strength conditioning and Crossfit trainer here at UTC and specialize in Sport Specific Strength Conditioning. My training is both science and practicality based

2. I first heard about you as being Marcus Buchecha’s personal trainer. How is it working with such a great athlete? 

I was first approached by Marcus to help with his conditioning before the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Pros. Since then, it has been very common to receive requests from other BJJ stars such as Tarcisio Jardim, Nivaldo Oliveira and Lucas Leite. Training an athlete of Buchecha’s caliber is not as easy as it might seem. It would be too easy to administer say a Crossfit style W.O.D. and that would be ok in the early stages of the training cycle but maximizing performance in your desired objective (either strength or conditioning) doesn’t mean simply incorporating the opposite and hoping for the best. Imagine an endurance runner tossing in a bunch of strength training leading into a running event or a large out of shape powerlifter slamming out a bunch of cardio leading into a meet. In both aspects the athlete will likely reduce their performance. CrossFit has done an excellent job at incorporating training across the strength and conditioning spectrum (or broad modal domains in CF language), but at the same time its athletes are not in “Peak” shape for any specific points within those spectrums. Specific training is necessary closer to competition to maximize peak performance. This is where it helps to be creative and to KNOW first hand the mechanics performed in a Jiu Jitsu match.

3. Can you tell us about Buchecha’s S&C program? Do you think it’s possible to achieve great competition results at a high level with just training Jiu-Jitsu and not lifting weights?

My priority goal for Marcus for this years Mundials was to keep him explosive in the later matches. ( check out his match against Bernardo Faria) I typically train Marcus 3-4 days per week. A BJJ fighter could condition 4-5 days a week and still train on the mat 6 days a week. They must definitely listen to their bodies and be aware of signs of over training.They must not neglect recovery time and recovery procedures such as ice baths and massages. Nutrition is very important for Jiu Jitsu fighters and I would love to discuss this in another interview. I believe all Bjj fighters should strength condition, more athletes today are realizing how important it is to be stronger and faster.

4.What’s next for you and team? If you want to thank somebody or sponsors, feel free.

I would like to mention how lucky we are at UTC to have Marcus as our Jiu JItsu Instructor and being part of a great family..Checkmat. I’ve always said Checkmat has given my Jiu Jitu new life and for that I am very thankful. I received my brown belt from Marcus this year and am now preparing for the Master/Senior Worlds. I am very blessed in life and I thank GOD and my beautiful family for that. See ya on the mat! Osssss