This weekend was a monumental and historic weekend for our academy, the Nova Uniao Team and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Arkansas. First I’m proud and honored by all who supported this weekend’s events and those who graduated to the next rank. This weekend’s Robson Moura Seminar was for sure the largest training session ever held in Arkansas and the largest I’ve ever attended anywhere in all my years of training Jiu Jitsu. Without the support of the World’s greatest Jiu Jitsu team Nova Uniao (that’s you guys too) this all would have not been possible. I’m proud to be a part of the team and see Jiu Jitsu come so far in Arkansas since I first started training. Most of all I’m proud of my wife Abby as she joined the ranks of Nova Uniao Black Belts and became Arkansas’ first female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt and one of just a few female Black Belts in America. Abby has had a great deal of adversity to overcome with her health that would have stopped most years ago. Despite her obstacles along her journey, she’s logged more than 1,000 hours on the mats since being last promoted to brown with 2 and 3 a day training sessions, countless sessions with World Class Black Belts like Robson Moura and Marcelo Pato, took 3rd in the absolute at the Europeans despite having a severely dislocated shoulder and traveled almost weekly all over the country to train with the best Black Belts. I think very few people could have successfully completed this journey pushed against this type of adversity. The journey of Jiu Jitsu truly is about conquering one’s adversity as it turns the belt from white to black. I want to give a special thanks to Robert Villegas, who’s become a road warrior like us, making the trip up from Xtreme MMA Nova Uniao Texas to train. Robert has a passion for the game and is a great Black Belt. I’m proud to have him as a teammate. We will continue together to raise up the team. Last but not least I want to thank Robson Moura, one of the greatest Jiu Jitsu fighters and teachers alive. Witnessing Robson’s passion for Jiu Jitsu first hand, it’s easy to see how he’s accomplished so much. I’m always amazed at how much I learn each day from Robson even at Black Belt. The detail in even the most basic of techniques completely changes the game. It truly is an artistic expression of Jiu Jitsu that has to be witnessed and cannot be expressed in words. He is an inspiration to all of us who play the game. We were also thankful to have Danny Dring take time from his busy schedule to make it down along with Joel Newton and his students from Conway MMA. Thanks also to the guys from Russellville, Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana who all came up! Again thank everyone who supported and made this historic weekend possible, all of us know it is only the beginning!