We talk to two local grapplers who are also avoid musicians, both blue belts: Rodney (Oak City Slums) and Henry (miniluv) talk beats, production, inspiration and the confluence of martial arts and performing arts. Plus, we play some songs and they make dope rolling playlists for the listeners.

Check out Slums’ playlist here and miniluv’s playlist here.  New show:

 

Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA! Register online at usgrappling.com to compete on Dec. 9 at Submission Only Richmond — and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month — thanks, y’all!

Dominyka Obelenyte, four time black belt world champion, is back in Durham teaching a seminar at Elevate MMA! We talk to Dom about the shoulder injury that’s kept her off the competition mats (and why art is more dangerous to her than jiujitsu at this point). We also make plans for a Dom-designed DWB rashguard, the grappling camp in Virginia she’s teaching next weekend, about equal pay for women in the BJJ world and much more. Plus, learn about her favorite grapplers of the moment to watch and about Dom’s own competition future — will she shift to a superfight focus?

And here are some of the video highlights that got Junny to this point:

How are writing and fighting related? Jeff and Betsy talk with two romance novelists who have written a three-book series set in the world of MMA. We talk about how stereotyping fighters (and fans) is misleading, what Ultimate Fighter contestant inspired one of the protagonists (the answer will surprise you, striking vs. grappling and why neither writers nor fighters want to leave it up to the judges.