Hailing from Mililani, Hawaii Baret Yoshida is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA athlete who began training BJJ aged 18. As he puts it “I started grappling because I wanted better results in street fights. I’d seen Gracie In Action 2 and saw what Jiu Jitsu could do”. Eight years later at age 26 he received his black belt. Currently training Arena MMA, his instructor is Egan Inoue who is a former multiple-time world champion and ADCC veteran. He also states Egan Inoue and Enson Inoue as having the biggest influence on his grappling style.
When asked about his favourite positions whilst training BJJ he said “As for guard positions I like closed guard and butterfly guard, I like when guys fight down low to the ground. My favourite sweep is standing up with my opponent’s leg. I also like the tripod sweep as I like basic moves. On top I enjoy pressure passing low to the ground, I’ve fought MMA and I dislike space, giving my opponent opportunity to stand to there feet. As for submissions I like chokes and this is because I have encountered many that are tough and will not give up when limbs are torn. My favourites are crucifix chokes and anaconda chokes”
We asked Yoshida about his opinions on the crucifix which he is famed for and whether it should score points, he responded by saying this “It would be nice if points were awarded for the crucifix but I don’t care so much, if you didn’t submit your opponent you never really won anyway. The problem with the crucifix is that it is a position where if things go wrong you will end in a bad position, you usually end on the bottom of the side, down on points so the risk-reward ratio is not too good for the crucifix choke”.
Competing in BJJ, he lists winning adult IBJJF Nogi Worlds 2009 in the featherweight as his biggest achievement and says the toughest opponents he’s fought are Royler Gracie, Cobrinha, Gui Mendes and Jeff Glover.
Yoshida also achieved three medals in the coveted ADCC competition, getting silver in Abu Dhabi and Sao Paolo in 2001 and 2003 respectively, with a bronze at New Jersey in 2007 – all of these medals were at the under 66KG category. He mentions his entry in ADCC and his mentality whilst preparing for the competition stating, “I had won the Hawaii state championships many times by the time I went to ADCC. I didn’t wanna be the one to make my home to look bad.
If I didn’t wanna step up I should have never won the state titles. I refused to be inferior to those that had some famous name. They had two arms and legs the same as me. They may have been born into it and been training since they were kids but I didn’t give a fuck. I have been told before that I exceeded my genetics and got further than I should have because of this mindset.”
He also had an active MMA career during the early 2000’s starring in Japanese promotions such as Shooto and Pancrase. He claims fighting was harder to get into back then and Japan was the biggest country for MMA at the time, claiming “In the 90’s there was less funding so it was harder to get to the top in fighting. Japan had a monopoly so they supported the martial arts. They had all the shows and paid the best. After pride went down everything changed”
Although he’s now considered a veteran, Yoshida is not done just yet and finishes by saying “My future goals are to compete more, get better and be the best in the world”. With this said, he is a true example of a martial artist who is always looking forward and isn’t satisfied with past achievements. You can find his book and DVD here.
