John Lewis is the 4th member of the dirty dozen and was presented his black belt by Andre Pederneiras in 1995. Lewis is currently a 6th degree black belt which he was awarded in 2019. In addition to this, Lewis is a true mixed martial artist and also has black belts in other disciplines such as Judo under Gene LeBell and Sho Kon Do under Dan Koji.
Lewis was born in Honolulu Hawaii and grew up in a town in the centre of Oahu called Mililani. BJJ was not known as it is now, so when he started training in his early 20’s, he was one of the first American’s to do so. In his own words “I was an accomplished martial artist and I kept hearing about this family [called the] Gracie’s. It turns out I lived a few blocks away from Rickson Gracie’s academy in Culver City. I went in to class as arrogant as can be until I got caught in a footlock by the nerdiest kid in the room. That was it for me. I’ve never stopped training BJJ since”.
A big advocate of learning a diverse game, Lewis says it is crucial you must learn all the guard positions, submissions and passes. He lists butterfly as his favorite guard since it is a more offensive guard. When speaking about sweeps in general, Lewis says “as you get better in the art, you no longer need a specific taught sweeping technique. You understand movement and the body, and how to control your opponent. You can feel how to get your desired result. You want them on their back, elevate them, create movement, and when they attempt to stop you by committing to a particular action, you take it from them. In time you will reach a level where no technique is your technique.”
He trains under Nova Uniao and claims he will always support this team. When competing his typical competition weight was between 155 – 175lbs, although when walking around his usual weight was 159lbs.
Like many other professional fighters and black belts who have many years experience, Lewis claims his worst injury is in his lower back. Unfortunately it is a story we have heard many times before, with Lewis saying “These types of injuries can torment you for a lifetime”.
Despite having a very succesful career coaching some of the worlds very best MMA fighters, Lewis claims his biggest achievement is his son Elias Lewis who is a professional level fortnite player and streamer.
When asked about his plans for the future John mentions, “I live my goals and plans every day. I never stop moving forward. Whether it be as a film producer, actor, recording artist (with my Saint AXL project), or other endeavors, I focus on learning and growing every day. You can check it out here if interested. Or buy it on iTunes and other digital platforms.”
Q & A
For those who are unaware, John Lewis has coached MMA athletes such as Chuck Lidell (pictured above), BJ Penn, Randy Couture & Enson Inoue.
We asked him, Are you still actively coaching today?
“I still teach today, but it is not my source of income. I teach for free but only to a select group of individuals that I want to teach. Andre never charged me. Gene LeBell never charged me, Dan Koji, never charged me. John Perretti never charged me. These are the people who groomed me. I am blessed to be able to pay it forward.”
We see people like Firas Zahibi and John Danaher bring elite fighters out of their camps. What do you think separates you guys from average or good coaches?
“I think it is hands-on experience, having been there myself. I’ve learned much over the years. I’ve had many ups and downs. I know how to pass those lessons on effectively. I have a keen sense of strategy as well, which is almost more important than anything else. I’m skilled in many martial arts styles, and I use that to my student’s advantage. I know how to find someone’s talents and develop them and expand on them instead of changing them. I take what you have, chip away the flaws, and at the same time, fill the needed gaps to become a great fighter.“
What is your opinion on sport BJJ?
“Today’s BJJ is a sport, not a fighting martial art. It takes great skill and there are some fun new developments to the art, but nothing that a punch in the face can’t stop. Don’t get lost in the trend of the day.”
During the early UFC/Ultimate fighter days did you feel like you had an insider knowledge on what would happen? By this I mean did you know BJJ would beat the other styles offered, or did you still feel like it was somewhat untested?
“I was training in BJJ well before the first UFC. I thought myself a very skilled martial artist before I began my journey in BJJ. A regular non-athletic guy next door was able to humble me. I always knew that it was a game changing martial art from the onset, or I wouldn’t have been studying it myself.”
Did you get a lot of fame when you drew the fight with Carlson Gracie Jr? I have heard this was the first time that the Gracie Family was challenged by a foreigner on TV. Or was MMA too underground at this point for anyone to notice?
“I gained a lot from that fight. It was on PPV, and it did give me name recognition overnight. My respects to Carlson Gracie Jr. and his wonderful father, the late, great Carlson Gracie Sr. He was the best of the best in every way.“
You can follow John on a variety of platforms such as his acting, film making or MMA career(s):
MMA Website: www.johnlewismma.com
Music Website: www.saintaxl.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/actorjohnlewis
