The Fighting Priests: Recent Episodes
The Fighting Priests
Welcome to The Fighting Priests, a podcast exploring Orthodoxy and Jiu-Jitsu: two paths, one struggle. Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos and Fr. Thomas Sandberg are two orthodox priests who also happen to be practitioners of Jiu-Jitsu. Together they explore how these two unique worlds intersect and what it means for our spirituality.
After six months away, Fr. Ted gives an update on what’s been going on and reflects on the journey to Easter 2024.
Stand up comic Carollynn Xavier is back on The Fighting Priests podcast to give an update on her spiritual journey and her career in comedy, taking a break from jujitsu and then coming back again.
With the war, both in Ukraine, and now in Israel, Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas, discuss the idea of war, defence of one’s people, and the Orthodox understanding of it all.
In this episode Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss the difficulty of falling and getting back up. Defeat, both in BJJ and in the spiritual life can be difficult to overcome. Here they discuss how they deal with it and how BJJ and Orthodoxy has helped.
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss with blue belt Dimitri Tsourounis, a Gracie Combatives certified instructor at RevMMA in Toronto, Canada. Together they explore the theme of “finding purpose“ through becoming part of a community and giving back.
In part two, Fr. Ted and Fr. Yuri, continue their conversation about the tension between strength and humility, and how it affects Orthodox Christians, who train BJJ.
In part one of this two-part interview, Fr. Ted speaks with white belt Fr. Yuri Hladio from Hamilton, Ontario. Together, they discuss the tension between strength and humility, and what that means for Orthodox Christians, who train BJJ.
In this episode, Fr. Ted interviews Yianni Avgeropoulos, a two stripe white belt from Markham, Ontario. Together they discuss the importance of consistency in training and in spiritual life.
In this episode, Fr. Thomas and Fr. Ted explore the history and practicality of both Orthodox, priestly, vestments and jujitsu uniforms.
In this episode Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss the importance of trust in any relationship, including religion and Jiu Jitsu.
In this 3rd Year Anniversary episode Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted reflect back on the past three years of podcasting and review some of their favourite topics and episodes.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Captain Andrei Petrov, a US Marine of 13 years, who is also a first stripe purple belt, and also a seminarian, preparing himself for ordination in the Orthodox Church. In this two-part interview, they discuss war, peace, violence of Christianity with violence, and many other aspects of this continuing exploration of orthodoxy and pacifism.
BJJ Lineage:
-1 stripe white belt awarded by Professor Tim Sled (Atos-first American black belt under Andrea Galvao), Blue belt up to 4 stirpes awarded by Professor Charlie Grant (black belt under Christ Hauter-among first 12 American black belts), Purple belt up to 1 stripe awarded by Professor Jason Vigil who received his black belt from Jason Izaguirre (Owner/Coach of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua) but is now 3rd degree black belt under Andrea Galvao. Currently training under Professor Kelly Grissom (under Leo Dalla-Jorge Pereira-Rickson Gracie) also holds a 2nd degree in Judo.
Enlisted with the United States Marine Corps Reserves in September 2010
Communications Officer
Married to Olesia Petrova for 9 years, 5 sons: Sergei, Nikolai, Vladimir, Alexander & Dimitri.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Captain Andrei Petrov, a US Marine of 13 years, who is also a first stripe purple belt, and also a seminarian, preparing himself for ordination in the Orthodox Church. In this two-part interview, they discuss war, peace, violence of Christianity with violence, and many other aspects of this continuing exploration of orthodoxy and pacifism.
BJJ Lineage:
-1 stripe white belt awarded by Professor Tim Sled (Atos-first American black belt under Andrea Galvao), Blue belt up to 4 stirpes awarded by Professor Charlie Grant (black belt under Christ Hauter-among first 12 American black belts), Purple belt up to 1 stripe awarded by Professor Jason Vigil who received his black belt from Jason Izaguirre (Owner/Coach of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Kailua) but is now 3rd degree black belt under Andrea Galvao. Currently training under Professor Kelly Grissom (under Leo Dalla-Jorge Pereira-Rickson Gracie) also holds a 2nd degree in Judo.
Enlisted with the United States Marine Corps Reserves in September 2010
Communications Officer
Married to Olesia Petrova for 9 years, 5 sons: Sergei, Nikolai, Vladimir, Alexander & Dimitri.
Fr. Ted interviews Kevin Donascimento, a Blue Belt under John Schell from North Carolina. Kevin is a catechumen in the Orthodox Church, preparing himself for baptism and also pursuing BJJ and MMA.
In this episode Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss training for longevity and the factors that affect it: ego, age, nutrition and lifestyle. They also discuss the parallel phenomenon of overtraining in the spiritual life and how the same factors that affect BJJ also influence religious life.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Fr. James Guirgis.
- Priest at St. Raphael Antiochian Orthodox Church in outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.
- Lives in Willow Springs, North Carolina
- Three Stripe White Belt, Shell Shock BJJ, under the lineage of John Schell, who trained under Ruben Rodrigues in the lineage of Joe Moreira
- Training for 16 months
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas thank you Carollynn Xavier, a white belt in BJJ and also an Orthodox Catechumen. Together they discuss her journey to Orthodoxy, getting into jujitsu, and trying to navigate the world of stand-up comedy while being a Christian.
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas compare and contrast natural ability vs hard work. What are the differences? How important are they? And, is one better than the other, as it pertains to spirituality and BJJ.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Raul Chavez of Project XGuard, a program that provides BJJ training for underprivileged children. Raul is a first degree Brown Belt under Fernando "Gringo" Zulick at Action Reaction MMA in Toronto, Canada. He started training in December of 2010 and started Project XGuard as an informal Not For Profit around 2015 and then gained status on February 2, 2018.
More info on Project XGuard can be found at:
Instagram: @projectxguard
Facebook: Project XGuard
Web: www.projectxguard.ca
Email: chavezre1975@gmail.com
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Rev. Joshua Serrano, a Lutheran Pastor from San Carlos, CA. Joshua is 4 Stripe Blue Belt under Professor Marco Nascimento in San Mateo, CA. He’s been training on and off for 11 years and has initially trained at then famed gym Victory MMA in San Diego.
Together the three clergy discuss the ideas of “progress” and “change” as they relate to Christian tradition and the evolution of BJJ.
Fr. Ted discusses with Fr. Thomas his first competition as a blue belt at Masters Worlds in Las Vegas.
Fr. Ted interviews Joshua Wherley, a 4-stripe BJJ white belt under Shannon White at True Art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Akron, Ohio. Joshua is also a convert to Orthodox Christianity from Lutheranism and together they discuss the concept of becoming both a Christian and a BJJ practitioner.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas speak with Jose Kim, a new Blue Belt training out of RevMMA in Toronto. Together they discuss how to be a good parent, spouse and training partner.
Fr. Ted interviews his daughter Katerina who has been training BJJ for almost 3 years. Together they discussed the importance of young people learning how to defend themselves, especially in an increasingly dangerous society.
In this episode Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted speak to Jim Trick, a BJJ purple belt training out of First Colony BJJ near Boston. MA. Jim is founder of the “MyWhiteBelt” podcast, a former Christian Pastor and motivational speaker. Together they discuss everything from faith, training, salvation and ecclesiology.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss life, death and mourning the loss of loved ones in both BJJ and Church communities.
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss life, death, and the way we mourn the loss of loved ones both in the jujitsu community and in the church.
In this final episode of “Traveling with the Gi”, Fr. Ted reflects on his whole journey in Greece and also coming back home, getting back into training, and the idea of gratefulness.
In this brief interview, Fr. Ted speaks with professor David Demopoulos Said, a 3-Stripe Black Belt and owner of Alliance Jiu Jitsu Athens. David has been training BJJ since he was a young teen and is a world IBJJF European Champion. He shares his BJJ journey and how his Christian faith transforms Jiu Jitsu competition into a religious experience.
Fr. Ted continues his summer trip in Greece while reflecting on the differences between city life and country life as it pertains to both Orthodox Christianity and training Jiu Jitsu.
Fr. Ted and his son George talk about their trip to Greece, arriving in Athens and the anticipation of training BJJ for the first time in Europe.
Fr. Ted gives an update about his upcoming vacation and training and podcasting from Greece this upcoming July.
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas discuss with 3 stripe purple belt Panos Christou everything from ethics, attitudes, changing dojos, and BJJ friendships.
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas reflect on the difficulties in life, on and off the mat, and the importance of being grateful and having a positive attitude.
Fr. Ted Interviews Jeff Santos, owner and CEO of Flawless Kimonos. They both discuss the importance of giving back to the community from which we have received so much.
Guest Bio:
Jeff Santos
Lives in Whitby, Ontario. Purple belt under Fernando Zulick at Action Reaction in Pickering, ON. Training for 12yrs. Roman Catholic background. Owner and CEO of Flawless Kimonos www.flawlesskimonos.com
Fr. Thomas and Fr. Ted interview Christina Bambulas, a brand new white belt at Riverdale Martial Arts in Toronto, Canada. Christina speaks about her first experience stepping on the mats and how it feels to be new to BJJ.
Fr. Ted welcomes Fr. Thomas back to the podcast after a five month break. They discuss Fr. Thomas' new post in Calgary, training, competing and looking to the future.
Fr. Ted reflects on one of Russell Brand's podcasts where he describes his experience of getting his BJJ Blue Belt; the importance of structures and hierarchies and how they can elevate us.
Fr. Ted gives an update on the future of the podcast and also announces some happy news for Fr. Thomas!
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Ivan Milchev from Bulgaria. Ivan is a Black Belt under Rodrigo Cavaca, the Head Instructor at Ipon-Zenith in Bulgaria with 15 years of Sambo and Judo experience and 11 more in BJJ.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Serbian Black Belt Nenad Latincic, President of ADCC Serbia. Together they discuss living under communism in the 80's and being prohibited from training and how that compares to the current worldwide lockdowns.
Nenad Latincic
46yrs old, in bjj since 1999.
2nd Degree bb under Roberto Atalla,
3rd dan Judo BB under Grand Master Vuk Rasovic
Sambo master under Nikola Diskovic
President of ADCC Serbia and Int referee...
Head Coach of Rio Grappling Club Serbia that counts 7 schools.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Fr. Joseph Collins, a white belt from Cheyenne, WY. Together they discuss the difficulties presented by frequent moves associated with clergy life and how one re-establishes roots at a new local dojo.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Stelios Shaouna, a BJJ Blue Belt under Jeff Greekas at Gracie Academy Edmonton.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted discuss situations when people need to take time off from training and how to do it effectively without losing momentum.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Antonis Pappas from Rhodes, Greece.
Owner of Rhodes Knights BJJ
1st Degree Black Belt BJJ (since 2008) under Christos Marquez Gracie Barra
3rd Dan Black Belt in Judo (since 1988)
2nd Dan Black Belt in Japanese Jiu Jitsu
Greek National Jiu Jitsu Championship (2018,2019,2020)
2019 2nd place Word Cup Jiu Jitsu
2018 2nd place Greek Championship in grappling
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss the importance of families praying together and training together.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview BJJ Black Belt Manolis Zouganelis from Morto BJJ in Heraklion, Crete. Manolis is a black belt under Gabriel Marangoni and has been training since 2007.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Tudor Mihaita. Tudor is the 1st BJJ Black Belt (2nd Degree) in Romania (Bucharest) under Eddie Kone.
1st Romanian UFC Coach
4x Euro Gold Medalist
3x IBJJF Gold Medalist
Owner and Head Instructor of Absoluto BJJ Romania
In this Pascha/Easter Special Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Evangelos Moumtzis From Lamia, Greece.
Evangelos is a 1st degree black belt at Gracie Barra Greece under Christos Marquez & Vinicius Magalhaes Draculino
He teaches at the Black Belt Academy of Lamia.
Evangelos shares his inspiring story of witnessing the miracle of the Holy Light in Jerusalem at Pascha.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas explore the phenomenon of Jiu Jitsu taking on new names. Example “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu vs American Jiu Jitsu.” Does this disrespect the roots of the martial art? Contrasting this discussion with the labels of Orthodox jurisdictions. "Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox etc. etc. versus American Orthodox."
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas reflect on their first year of podcasting and what they have learned from the experience.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview 3rd Degree Black Belt and founder of The Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood Nic Gregodriades. Nic was the 1st Black Belt under Roger Gracie in West London.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview NoGi Purple Belt Greg Pavlik. Greg trains under Alex Canders at 10th Planet Walnut Creek, San Francisco. Alex Canders is Denny Prokopos' first Black Belt.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Dionysios "Denny" Prokopos
3X World Champion NoGi
2nd Degree Black Belt under Eddie Bravo
Head Instructor of San Francisco Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas interview Fr. Michael Sakran. an Antiochian Orthodox Priest from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fr. Michael is a White Belt in the Gracie Academy in Fort Wayne and the parish priest of St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Orthodox convert Ignatius Rodriguez from Brooklyn, NY. Ignatius is a black belt in Kokusai Jiu-Jitsu and has recently begun learning Gracie BJJ online with Gracie University. Together they discuss the differences and similarities between classical Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas are joined by Fr. Ted's son George, a grey stripe in Junior Jiu-Jitsu, as they reflect on 2020.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Gabriel Luiz Gomes Quintanilha, who is a convert to Orthodoxy from Queluz, São Paulo state, Brazil. He trains at Gracie Humaitá in Queluz and is a 2 degree White belt in BJJ and a Green belt in Judo.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss the use of Yoga as a way of conditioning the body for BJJ and the controversy that Yoga creates in Orthodox Christianity.
For further info on Yoga and Orthodoxy check out:
- The Illumined Heart Episode 163: Yoga and Orthodox Christianity: Are They Compatible?
https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/illuminedheart/yoga_and_orthodox_christianity_are_they_compatible
- Yoga for BJJ
https://yogaforbjj.net/
Fr. Thomas and Fr. Ted speak with Jiu Jitsu practitioner Eric Howard from Portland, Oregon. Together they continue their discussion on pacifism, violence and Christianity.
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas interview Fr. Jason Blais, a blue belt Orthodox priest based out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Together they discuss how BJJ helps and challenges those who consider themselves to be introverts.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted explore the leadership philosophy of Jocko Willink and how it relates to leadership in the Church.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss the importance of education as a supplement to the practical side of BJJ.
BJJ Online Resources:
Helio Gracie Jiu Jitsu - The Master Text
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0975941119/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_ctUnFb4NM189Y
Mastering Jiu Jistu by Renzo Gracie
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0736044043/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_8tUnFb0R3C3TM
Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0981504434/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_PuUnFb5VYHEPQ
www.flograppling.com
UFC FightPass: https://www.ufc.com/watch?utm_Comp=UFCBrand-UK-EX&utm_Owner=WP-AGEN&utm_Objective=CPL&utm_Target=ALL&utm_Channel=paidsearch-Bing&msclkid=938d0fb523e71c90190c5083c640185a&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CAN%20-%20Brand%20-%20Core%20-%20EX&utm_term=ufc%20fight%20pass&utm_content=UFC%20Fight%20Pass
bjjfanatics.com
RICKSON GRACIE SELF.DEFENSE.UNIT
https://www.gallerr.com/academy/rickson-gracie/self-defense-unit
ibjjf.com
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas interview Catholic Priest and BJJ Blue Belt Fr. Ryan Hallford from Lousiana.
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Fr. Matthew Moore from Steubenville, Ohio. Tother they discuss the importance of community, both in the Chuch and in BJJ.
Fr. Matthew Moore is
6 years Priest at Holy Trinity GOC, Steubenville, Ohio
2 Stripe White Belt
Training for 18 months under Butch Hiles and Andrew Pardee
Fr. Thomas & Fr. Ted discuss parenting and BJJ with guest mom Helen Apostolopoulos-Tsoumaris
Fr. Ted and Fr. Thomas interview Fr. Michael Marcontoni from Nashville. A 2 stripe blue belt who also happens to be a Greek Orthodox Priest.
In this episode Fr.Thomas & Fr. Ted interview Chris Michailidis, a 2 stripe white belt and chiropractor who loves to compete.
Fr. Thomas and Fr. Ted interview World Masters IBJJF Double Gold Medalist Joanna Shama. The three discuss Joanna's background in BJJ and the theme of possessing the courage to overcome fear, both in life and in competition.
Joanna Shama's Credentials:
Purple Belt
World Masters IBJJF Double Gold Medalist
Euro IBJJF Gold Medalist
IBJJF Ranking 2nd in the world
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss the phenomenon of most people dropping out of Jiu-Jitsu after they achieve Blue Belt and the parallels to spiritual life.
Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss adversity and how perceived weakness can actually be a positive force, both in Jiu-Jitsu and in spirituality.
In this pilot episode Fr. Ted & Fr. Thomas discuss their personal journeys through faith and Jiu-Jitsu and how the spiritual father has become the novice!