About the host
Meet Dan.
Host of the Clinch Chronicles Podcast. Training since 2007, forever purple belt.
Jack of all trades, master of none
I grew up watching pro wrestling during the Golden Era and the Attitude Era, and dabbled in amateur wrestling with the goal of going pro, until tech school derailed the plan.
In college, after catching a few PRIDE FC events, I took up jiu-jitsu at Gracie Barra in 2007, focusing on no-gi and MMA. I later ended up at American Top Team, where I fell in love with the half guard and gi jiu-jitsu. I've been a purple belt long enough that I've made peace with it. Call me a forever purple belt.
Along the way, I competed as a blue belt at the 2013 IBJJF Worlds, along with a handful of other tournaments like NAGA and Grapplers Quest.
Life has a way of pulling me in different directions, and I've never been able to do anything halfway. I've thrown myself onto the American Ninja Warrior course, under a loaded powerlifting bar and into countless hours of guitar riffs, and every time I've climbed all the way from mediocre to pretty, pretty good. Never great. But pretty, pretty good.
But no matter where the detours lead, I always end up back on the mats. My love for the martial arts is eternal, and that's what Clinch Chronicles is built on: sitting down with the people who live the fight game and hearing the stories behind them.
"My love for the martial arts is eternal."