From Black Belt to White Belt: 'Dirty Dozen' member David Meyer on BJJ's Nascency in the US and Living a Green Lifestyle

David Meyer is part of the legendary “Dirty Dozen”: One of the first twelve non-Brazilians to earn their Black Belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is a multiple time world-champion in BJJ, author, and a devout animal advocate.

David Meyer (far right) sharing the 1998 Mundials Absolute podium with (from left to right) Roberto “Roleta” Magalhaes, Mario Sperry, and Murilo Bustamante.

— How did you start your career in the martial arts? —

When I was six years old my brother, who was nine at the time, was having some problems with bullies and my parents put us into it Jiu Jitsu together at Valley College in Van Nuys, California. It was taught by very tough guy by the name of Jack Seki who was half-Japanese, and had been raised in Japan. I stayed in Ju Jutsu throughout my life, of course training other martial arts before ending up and spending a lot of my time in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Having pancakes with Rigan Machado (center) and late Small Circle Ju-jutsu founder, Wally Jay (far right). Wally Jay apparel abounds.

— How and when did you transition to BJJ? —

I really enjoyed Jack Seki’s classes because it was built for fighting and there were not many kata involved. I had also studied kung fu in high school which included more forms.  I learned and taught Jiu Jitsu all through college, and I really wanted something to train in that would be a new challenge. I was about to start in Muay Thai class when I was contacted by a former JJ student of mine who said he'd met these “Brazilian guys” and they were amazing, and he asked that I check it out. It was around 1990, before the first UFC, and few people had ever heard of BJJ. I had done many years of grappling and I was just amazed by how good he had gotten, and he said he’d only been training with them for six months. I had a few other experiences like that where I crossed paths with former students and partners that were now doing BJJ.

I decided to go meet the Machados but it was a very rainy night, so they weren’t able to make it. John Will, however, who was visiting from Australia studying with Rigan Machado was teaching the class. John taught me my first class, he was a purple belt at the time and Rigan’s first student outside of Brazil. After class, we rolled, and he easily beat me. I was a black belt and I’d been training Jiu Jitsu my WHOLE life, and I thought “Wow, if he’s a purple belt, what must the black belts be like?”

I came back the next day and rolled with Rigan. And he just smashed me without breaking a sweat, without even taking a deep breath. I had never seen anything like it. Within a few weeks, I closed my school and told my students: “You’ve got to come train with the Machados, I’m starting over as a white belt. You should too.”

Rolling with John Will in the early 90’s and pictured with Professor Will in the late 2000’s.

— Was it an easy transition? What was the main difference between the two technically and methodologically? —

BJJ was a pretty easy transition. I had a decent understanding of joint-locks, mostly standing. It was just the system of putting it all together and the amazing movement that blew me away. In terms of skills, I maybe came in halfway to blue belt.

The way Seki taught was very realistic, physical training; very old school, but not really a formalized system. It was largely stand up and a bit of kata. Someone, grabs you, you break the grip and do a joint lock or throw them. BJJ was very different. It had a well-defined path. It was all about practicing against a resisting opponent and that’s the part I had really come to appreciate.

— So you didn’t always like the idea of sparring or sport? —

I had kind of always felt that sport wasn’t a good thing because by definition you train things that aren’t lethal.  So in the style of ju jutsu I was studying, we would put on joint locks and the person would tap out and we would practice striking and we’d say “You had to be careful with that kata because you could hurt somebody” and “You couldn't really practice striking to the throat.”

I always thought: If you do Judo, yes, you’ll get good at those moves but you’re practicing the things that are non-lethal because the dangerous stuff is taken out of the sport. Once I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I kinda changed my opinion. I felt that sport is important because it gives you actual practical application. Yes, in ways that are non-lethal but the point is you CAN make it work. So, I put my bet on someone from BJJ getting an armbar over someone from another kata-only style doing some sort of deadly neck break, because they haven’t really practiced it under pressure.

— How long have you been competing? What was it like competing at these early tournaments against Brazilians? Was there an aura of invincibility about them? —

I’ve been competing since there were competitions in the US. The first one was a tournament between the Machado schools in 1994. The first major tournament to have Brazilians was the Pan-Ams. And it was very odd because the only Brazilians I knew were the Machado brothers and their students from Brazil, and they were fantastic. So yes, to me and other Americans, Brazilians were unbeatable, because the only Brazilians we knew were the best in the world!

There was a seminal moment: Rigan’s brown belt, Bob Bass, fought a Brazilian brown belt named Marcio Feitosa. Feitosa had never lost a BJJ match. I think it was expected by everyone that came from Brazil that there was no chance that an undefeated Brazilian was going to lose to some American guy. They fought a very back-and-forth fight but Bob edged out a victory. And no one could believe it. Bob, our best American brown belt beat the best Brazilian brown belt in the world. That gave us the confidence to realize that we don’t have to assume so much: They’re very good, but we’re very good too.

Professor Meyer’s Commentary: “The place was silent at first. Both guys were under so much pressure. Neither wanted to pull guard because in those days if the fight was even with no points, the winner was the one attempting to pass the guard.  There were no advantage points for almost sweeping or submitting. But Bob had a wrestling background so Feitosa was frustrated with his balance.”

Note from RR: De la Rivas, Leg Drags, a few near Triangles, Switches off Double Legs. A great, technical, scrambly match. The first 2:10 are Feitosa looking for an inside trip, then he pulls guard and immediately attacks with a Triangle. You definitely feel a sense of urgency after that. Be prepared for the festivities at the end.

Pictured at a recent gathering (from left to right): Rick Williams, David Meyer, Rigan Machado, Bob Bass, John Will, Casey Olsen, and Ika Medina.

— India has the highest rate of vegetarianism in the world (somewhere between 20 to 40% of the total population). Germany, where I live now, is around 10%, the highest rate in Europe. So I wanted to ask: What was your motivation for trying vegetarianism/veganism? —

I am a life-long animal lover and I felt it doesn’t make sense to pay for people to kill animals to eat them if you don’t have to. That was my initial motivation and it is still my motivation to this day. It’s also much more sustainable for the environment in terms of use of resources and because of the pollution it creates through run-off and waste. It’s simply about not harming other living beings if I don’t have to. That’s what it means to be a protector of life.

Above: Professor Meyer rescuing abandoned pets in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. This dog was on the verge of starvation.

— Despite some high-profile cases like Sushil Kumar, many people might be surprised to hear about a vegetarian or vegan combat sports athlete.  Do you think of vegetarianism or veganism as conducive to an athletic lifestyle? —

In my opinion, it’s not just conducive, it’s ideal!

Eating animal products and consuming bad cholesterol hardens your arteries which inhibits blood flow. This can eventually lead to clots and heart attacks and strokes and things like that. That’s exactly the opposite of what an athlete needs. You need a free flow of blood so that oxygen and nutrients can be replenished more efficiently. Many high-level fighters, many of whom I’ve trained with, have very similar diets. Guys like the Diaz Brothers, Randy Couture, Jake Shields, Urijah Faber, the list goes on.

Personally, I notice that I recover faster than the guys that eat meat. And the guys that are on a similar vegan diet have the same kind of recovery rates. Most people are lactose intolerant and when they consume milk-based products have mucus lining their throat and even their lungs, and they’re always a bit stuffed up. They might not even notice it because they’ve lived with it their entire lives. So for many, once they stop consuming dairy, that mucus is gone and they can breathe more clearly.

So, in my mind,  there’s absolutely no question that people that at least limit their meat and milk intake operate way better as athletes.

Professor Meyer with (standing, L to R) Lou Salseda , Jean Jacque Machado, John Will, (kneeling) Richard Norton, and Todd Nathanson

— Many might ask: How would vegetarians in athletics get all the necessary nutrients and proteins they require? —

Let me recommend you go to a site I set up a couple years ago called Fuel for the Fighter .

It’s a mislead question is to ask  “How to will you get the proper nutrition?”  You get nutrition by eating! All plant matter has protein. All living cells have protein, some more than others. Flesh has a lot of protein, but so does soy, so do some grains, some nuts, but we don’t need these high levels of protein. Protein does not build muscles alone, exercise builds muscle.

I’m able to exercise more than people that are eating large amounts of meat. They get tired; their digestive system is not set up to deal with all that stress. They eat, they get tired. I can eat and go train. I work out longer, harder, with a shorter recovery period than most people. I exercise more, so I have muscle. I have more than enough protein in my diet as a vegan.  People can eat protein all day, do nothing, and be weak and die.

In the same way, you could be vegan and eat nothing but potato chips. Obviously, that’s not good. The point is to eat a varied, healthy, balanced diet with grains, beans, lentils, and vegetables. Most anyone would be absolutely fine.

— Would you recommend every athlete become vegetarian or vegan? —

Everyone’s body is different, but I recommend that every athlete try it. Don’t take my word for it: Experiment and see for yourself. I have a system to keep track of your meat and dairy consumption on Fuel for the Fighter. If your performance improves, and I think it will if you have a meat or dairy-heavy diet, great.

Besides starting fuelforthefighter.com, David also co-founded Adopt-a-Pet.com, one of the world’s largest non-profit sites promoting dog and cat adoption by listing pets to rescue at animal shelters and humane societies around the United States.