AJ Agazarm is fearless. Whether he’s jumping out of planes or facing opponents who outweight him by 30kg (65lb), the full-time Jiu-Jitsu fighter and açai enthusiast lives life to the fullest.

In this interview AJ describes how he manages to stay in great shape while on the road, why he loves being the bad guy, and his true motivation for taking on bigger and bigger challenges.

Hey AJ, so we’re only a few days out from Polaris. You were just in Brazil for the ADCC, where in the world are you now?

I was in São Paulo about 10 days ago for ADCC, and from there I went to Rio to spend a couple of days and meet with the guys from Copa Podio. I just got back to the USA on the 4th of September to spend the weekend in NYC to fine-tune my training for the Polaris match up that I have coming up, but also did some sky diving with my friends Igor and Rolles Gracie.

But right now I’m 37,000ft up in the air on a flight to London going to the second edition of Polaris Pro, Europe’s premier submission grappling event. So this interview is brought to you courtesy of United’s wifi as I fly somewhere above Nova Scotia!

You’re like a modern day Jiu-Jitsu vagabond! You never stop travelling. How do you manage to keep on top of your training when you’re always on the road?

Lots and lots of açai haha. The art of traveling… That’s what I call it, an art. Jiu-Jitsu offers us the ability to experience it no matter where you’re at in the world, and I’m taking full advantage of that. As I travel, it’s very important I maintain my athleticism, Jiu-Jitsu game, and overall well being. For me, I look at this as a whole. I'm not ever dieting or preparing for a single match, or a major tournament. I'm ready whenever and wherever I am, and that becomes a way of life. It's the process of traveling and all that is involved that is super satisfying to me. There is a real joy in meeting people all around the world of all walks of life who also train BJJ.

I travel so much because I don’t want to be like 35 years of age and look back and think, “that was it man”. Jiu Jitsu is a long term thing and I feel long as long as your smart about it, and as long as you can govern yourself, because theres no sure ticket to anything, why would you want to trade in for what you really want to do for what the odds are in favor of?

So the next stop is the UK where you’ve got a submission-only superfight with 90kg Roger Gracie black belt and strongman, Daniel Strauss. What’s up with that? They didn’t have anybody your own size?

Yeah, my next challenge is in the UK on the second edition of Polaris Pro. I competed in the first edition against Oliver Geddes. I was originally supposed to meet Daniel Strauss but unfortunately he pulled out due to a knee injury. They had a few people in mind for me to compete against, but when I saw the videos of Daniel bending metal and doing what he does, I saw it as a great opportunity to showcase Jiu-Jitsu. Daniel is much heavier and much stronger than me.

But I wasn’t afraid of the match-up as I truly believe in what Jiu-Jitsu means and what it has taught me. It doesn’t matter how strong or how big you are. If the Jiu-Jitsu technique is right and your mind is strong, you can beat your opponent no matter the weight difference.

Something like 50% of your black belt matches have been in the absolute division. Why do you love fighting bigger guys so much?

Because the odds aren't in favor of it!

When I step on the mat I just put the gi or my nogi shorts on and it must be the same way a pilot feels when he sits down in the seat and puts the headset on.
I was turned on to Jiu Jitsu during my first year in college and I think there was something about the fact that it was similar to wrestling in a few ways, but drastically different in a number of ways. For example, you could have an opponent significantly heavier than you, but within a few minutes you could be choking him unconscious. There was a certain fidelity to myself that I developed in wanting to learn. It was Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but framed in a way that a seventeen-year-old college kid from the suburbs of the United States could really understand, and at the same time wrestling, for my ear growing up I was like, “Okay I get this.” I discovered all this Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that I felt like I wasn’t supposed to, cuz I was a white kid growing up in America so I sort of felt like I stumbled on something and I just couldn’t get out of it.

Now, Jiu Jitsu for me is close to having superpowers as you can have unless you're superman, then you’d make fun of me for saying it.

As a fan, the grappling I like the most are the matches that demonstrate a significant size difference because I relate it to life in a lot of ways. We all have giants in our life that we face in some form or another, but there are ways to overcome the adversities. It's also a true testimony to Jiu Jitsu. There’s something really cool about a smaller guy choking out an opponent much larger than him. So now I try to find those matches and hopefully inspire others in a similar way.

The number one thing people need to do when they compete, before they set any other goal, is they have to define their expactations. My expectations right now are to challenge myself and I do that by competing as much as I can and against opponents much heavier than me. When others see that, it’s motivating - for them, and for me too knowing that it inspires others. I like it when people come up to me after a match and say to me that my style inspires them or has helped them through difficult times in their life.

My Jiu Jitsu is about putting yourself out there saying have you ever felt this way.

So basically you’re like the honey badger of BJJ, you won’t back down to anyone or anything. How about that as your new nickname?

I guess some would say that I’m known as being pretty fearless, and that’s OK with me! My whole life, I’ve never been known to step down from something because it presented a challenge or because it seemed impossible. It was always more of an opportunity for me, a chance to beat the odds. So, being known as the ‘Honey Badger’…. that’s fine! Haha

You’re quite a polarizing figure. Do you like being the bad guy?

A lot of people think that there's and arrogance involved in me i guess and only if they knew as I'm competing, the Jiu Jitsu lover in me is going...probably not, probably not right there...Probably not. I appreciate Jiu Jitsu better than I can compete It's always been apart of me, it's always spoken straight to my heart. That’s why I travel and seek out competitions so much, because I love BJJ. My life’s work is bring up my own level of Jiu-Jitsu so it matches my appreciation of the art.

There is a certain defiance that I need to have to really do good work, certain purposeful kind of rebellion. So it’s weird man, it’s no longer a one way street. It’s not just, “Hi, I’m an athlete, here are my videos, go buy a ticket for my next show”. So sometimes I play up to that bad guy role to get people interested. It’s entertaining!

You can’t buy the trust of people as an athlete, you have to earn that. My work has spoken for itself. I’ve had 100 black belt matches in the last two years. I hope that earns respect.

Finally, why should people watch Polaris 2 on Saturday night?

Polaris is going to have eight matches that every BJJ fan is going to want to see. The match up between me and Strauss is going to be great, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in it! It’s a big guy against a smaller opponent, and it’ll be fun.

Leg locks are trending, and you’ve got two of the best leglockers in the game in Cummings and Bodycomb. And you have freaking legends going at it! Baret Yoshida, Vitor Shaolin, Robson Moura… Plus by subscribing you get Pro access to FloGrappling, which has tons of techniques, documentaries, and they also have a full calendar of more great events that they are going to stream live. A dream for a Jiu Jitsu nerd like me.

AJ Agazarm will face off against Daniel Strauss on Polaris 2 on September 12th. Sign up now for a pro account and watch the event live or on-­demand exclusively here on FloGrappling.com.

By Hywel Teague