Bruno Bastos, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 5th-degree black belt, said he chose to stay in Midland to build a dedicated Jiu-Jitsu school after noticing a gap, as the existing programs were part of MMA schools. Bastos was a guest on a recent episode of the Best of Midland Podcast.
"Here in Midland, there was Jiu-Jitsu, but in MMA schools; it wasn’t like a Jiu-Jitsu program itself, like a Jiu-Jitsu school," said Bastos on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. " There was the possibility of having a pure Jiu-Jitsu program here. I was invited to come here to try to build that, and after one year here, with things working out, I decided to stay. What I saw was the opportunity to have something that was mine.”
“In Dallas, I was working in a nice MMA facility, but again, it wasn’t like a Jiu-Jitsu academy,” Bastos said. “I’m an MMA fan—you’ll see me watching UFC, Bellator, PFL, everything. But my love is Jiu-Jitsu, and I want to have a Jiu-Jitsu school. It’s a different environment, a different everything; a lot of the things we see in MMA, I don’t like my own children around.”
Bastos, a 5th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is known for his achievements in the sport and his leadership roles. He was a key member of the Nova Uniao team before founding his own Bruno Bastos Association in 2014 and later the LEAD Team. Bastos has competed in top tournaments, including the ADCC and World Championships.
Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top businesses and upcoming live events happening in the area.
The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.