When Eddie Bravo moved to Hollywood at 21 in 1991, his dreams were focused on rock stardom, not martial arts mastery. The Southern California native, born in Santa Ana, had no intention of becoming a world-class jiu-jitsu practitioner and gym owner.
Yet a simple desire to stay in shape while pursuing music would eventually redirect his entire life.
During a recent appearance on the Adam Carolla Show, Bravo revealed the unexpected origins of his martial arts journey. “I started doing martial arts like in the early 90s just to stay in shape, just so I wouldn’t be a fat rockstar,” he explained.
His inspiration came from an unlikely source: guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, who went through a period of significant weight gain.
“There was this guitar player, famous guitar player named Yngwie Malmsteen. He was a rockstar, and there was a period where he got really fat,” Bravo recalled. “I thought if I’m going to be playing arenas and stadiums, I don’t want to be fat. So I started doing martial arts.”
While working odd jobs to support his musical ambitions, including a decade-long stint as a strip club DJ, Bravo trained consistently at a local jiu-jitsu school. It was there he met comedian Joe Rogan, who was training between his NewsRadio and Fear Factor years. The two became friends, with Rogan encouraging Bravo to explore standup comedy alongside jiu-jitsu.
Everything changed in 2003 when Bravo competed at the ADCC World Championships in Brazil. Despite being only a brown belt competing against black belt world champions, he achieved the unthinkable by submitting Royler Gracie, a member of jiu-jitsu’s most legendary family who had never been defeated.
“No one ever had even scored a point against him. He won it three times in a row,” Bravo said of Gracie. When he returned to Los Angeles, a friend urged him to capitalize on the moment: “Quit that man show job and open up a school right now.”
At the time, Bravo was working as a writer on the Joe Rogan and Doug Stanhope version of Comedy Central’s The Man Show, an experience he describes as miserable due to resistance from producers who didn’t want him hired. Still viewing jiu-jitsu instruction as temporary income until his music career took off, he made the decision to leave the show.
“I thought, okay, cool job. I teach people how to k*ll and protect themselves until I get that record deal,” he said. Starting with 18 students at a Hollywood boxing gym called the B*mb Squad, Bravo built his teaching career.
Today, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu has grown to over 220 licensed schools worldwide. While Bravo still creates music independently, jiu-jitsu has become his primary profession and passion.
