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Here at Fighters Market, we are passionate about gis and all things jiu jitsu. One of our favorite brands is Moya Brand, which has made channeling the modern - and vintage - cultural vibes of the jiu jitsu community into a veritable art form.

Based out of Whittier, California, Moya Brand draws inspiration not only from the laid-back Southern California beach lifestyle, but from... well... everywhere, offering an eclectic, yet always fresh, jiu jitsu style. 

For the most part, Moya uses the same tried-and-true competition style cut for all of their gis. So no matter what model you buy, you'll know it'll fit just as perfectly all those other Moya gis we know you have lined up in your closet (because Moya fans are dedicated). And no matter what Moya model you get, you can be assured it'll have a clean design, that's never cluttered with too much unnecessary crap. You know the brands we're talking about... the ones that make you look like a NASCAR driver even before you slap your own patches on it. 

What Moya really excels at is the details. Each of their gi models feature those special little design elements that make it unique... channeling that classic luxury fashion aesthetic you see in men's suits and women's LBDs; classy, simple and timeless, but with pops of color in the lining or interesting cutouts.

For example, check out the Moya Lost at Sea series, of which their Moya Lost at Sea Destroyer Gi is their latest - and last - edition. Inspired by the World War II era, the Lost at Sea Destroyer Gi features custom designed embroidered details that offer a subtle vintage naval look without being dated, such as the anchor, eagle, and bold red military ranking bars embroidered on one shoulder, and their signature Moya logo integrated into an anchor design on the other. WAY cool. 

But what's our favorite part about Moya? 

Their their willingness to pay it forward. Jiu jitsu gives us lot in life... it's only just that we give back to the community and pass on those good vibes. Moya has been a long-time supporter of the Mauli Ola Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Laguna Beach, California, dedicated to providing hope and confidence to individuals living with genetic diseases.

That deserves some serious "oss" right there. 

Train on. Oss.

Here at Fighters Market, we pride ourselves on being the best source for gis, gear and apparel in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu market. A large part of what makes us successful in doing that are the people behind the scenes who make all the magic happen. They know what BJJ customers like, need and want... because they ARE practitioners and athletes themselves!

We'd like to take a moment to recognize the main man behind it all - the guy whose vision brought Fighters Market from a small inventory of products run right out of his garage to the leading international e-commerce business it is today: Bruno Munduruca. 

Just recently, at the IBJJF World Master Championships in Las Vegas, Bruno was recognized as the number two ranked black belt athlete in the Master 2 division... that's number two in the WORLD! He already has his eyes set on the number one spot this coming year, but considering he received his black belt little more than a year ago... what a remarkable achievement! 

Few people in the sport can appreciate how difficult it is to balance being a businessman, a family man, and a high-level athlete all at the same time. For a long time, Bruno dedicated most of his time to the former, but now that he's built a strong business - arguably the best online market for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gis and gear in the industry - and gathered a solid team behind him, he's finally had more time to dedicate to his passion. 

And it's been paying off. In the last year, he's been consistently hitting the top of the podium in IBJJF tournaments around the globe, and has even racked up double gold wins at some of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments in the federation, including the European Championships.

Congratulations Bruno, and we look forward to seeing what the next year brings! 

Although Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a male dominated sport - and will be for the foreseeable future - the female population is still quite significant, and growing rapidly. Odds are you will train with a woman or girl at some point in your early career. Here's a little cheat sheet of things to do... and not to do...

Remember the size-strength differential

Most men who train jiu jitsu are generally bigger and stronger than the women on the mat. And even if they do happen to be the same size, a man will still be far stronger than a woman... by two and sometimes three-fold. That's just a fact. This is why women tend to pick up technique at a faster pace. They basically have no choice. They can't rely on strength to get them through challenging situations, whereas a man in the same situation might be able to blow out of a submission or force a sweep. For the most part, jiu jitsu enables a smaller, weaker person to prevail over a bigger, stronger opponent, but when both parties have an understanding of jiu jitsu, the odds often tilt again in favor of the stronger opponent. So remember, when you're getting your butt handed to you by someone of the "fairer" sex... yes, you can hulk out of a submission or overpower her technical attacks, but it will neither do your nor her jiu jitsu any good. 

Treat her with the same respect you would a male training partner

There is an hierarchy in jiu jitsu, and your belt color indicates where you are in it. The most important thing to understand is that your level in jiu jitsu is determined by how much knowledge you've acquired... not by how many people you've tapped. That female purple belt in the academy has just as much experience and knowledge as that male purple belt. So be conscious of how you treat her and what you say to her. Would you do the same with a male purple belt? If the answer is no, just don't do it. For example, you wouldn't say "good job" to a higher ranked male training partner and risk sounding condescending? Probably not. So don't say it to a higher ranked female training partner. 

Keep the drama off the mat

When you put a bunch of people with shared passion together, it's just natural that sparks will fly somewhere in the mix. We're only human. But it's not cool to act on those feelings while you're still on the mat. Whether you're testing the waters to see if she's interested, already in the midst of a steamy romance, or you're in a full-blown tiff with your significant other... keep it off the mat. The mat is where you and your teammates go to learn, train, and often to get away from whatever craziness life is throwing at them. The last thing they need is for "crazy" to infiltrate their sanctuary. Not only that, but if said woman does not reciprocate your feelings, you may make things very awkward for her if, or when, she has to partner with you. 

Especially if you're a lower belt, your female training partner has a lot to offer you. As I mentioned before, she will likely be far more technical than many male training partners, because she has never had the luxury of strength to compensate for any lack in technique. As long as you treat her with respect and as a fellow teammate, and as long as you be conscious of your size and strength relative to hers, you'll find she will be one of the greatest resources in your own jiu jitsu journey. 

Train on. Oss. 

No-Gi season is upon us! Which means time to shed the gis and rock out with our spats out. But what's more exhausting and infuriating than finding a nice pair of jeans that fit? Finding a nice pair of spats that fit... and don't sag off your bum... and perform well during training... and don't fall apart... and... the list goes on. 

Fear no more! Here at Fighters Market, we have the opportunity to test out the best gis and gear in the business... and we've found a brand that delivers some of the best spats we've seen yet. Introducing Virus. 

Virus caters to a wide variety of athletic sports. If you haven't been living under a rock lately, you've probably noticed that they've been taking over the Crossfit world, has infiltrated the martial arts world, and is worn by some of the best athletes in the jiu jitsu world.

For a reason. 

Virus puts out a lot of great stuff, but we thought we'd focus on their compression pants, seeing as spats are the most difficult pieces of athletic apparel to get right. In particular, we suggest you check out their Stay Cool Compression Pants, available in both men's and women's cuts. 

First of all, Virus' Stay Cool series compression pants are made from some seriously high-tech material. Made with their patented CoolJade™ fabric, which is infused with recycled jade material, these spats are designed to wick away excess moisture and provide a cooling effect against your skin... which is really nice during a high energy activity such as jiu jitsu. Secondly, Virus' compression pants provide just the right amount of compression - not too tight, not too loose - which helps reduce inflammation and keep your muscles feeling energized.

And finally, we can't say enough about the cut! The brains behind Virus have to be performance athletes themselves, because man do these things fit nicely. Both the men's and women's cuts feature an ergonomic design, which shapes to your body and stays put, no matter what crazy inverted position you might be doing. With nice wide waistbands and seams in strategic places (i.e. NOT straight down the middle, which has the uncomfortable tendency cut into your most delicate bits and pieces), they don't ride up... or down. 

Don't believe us? Take a chance and buy a pair. They might not be the cheapest spats in the market... but sometimes you get what you pay for, and spats aren't a piece of equipment we take any chances on. 

Train on. Oss.

If you don't know the name Maeda Brand, then you've probably been living under a rock. In fact, this isn't the first time we've blogged about Maeda Brand. Their Akashio and Red Label gis recently made our shortlist of jiu jitsu gear reviews. Needless to say: we're fans of this California-based company. 

While Maeda Brand  has been around for several years now, they've really only started to make an impact in the jiu jitsu gi and gear industry in the last two years. If you know your jiu jitsu history - and you should... shame on you if you don't! - you'll know that the brand derives its name from Maeda Mitsuyo, the Japanese judoka who made his way to Brazil in 1914, where he eventually came to teach the art of judo to members of the Gracie family, who themselves are credited with the creation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Essentially, without Maeda Mitsuyo, there'd be no BJJ... Mind. Blown. 

So, back to the brand. Its motto is "tradition within", which we love because it speaks not only to the brand's inspiration - Maeda - but also alludes to its aesthetic. Maeda likes to keep their designs classy and timeless, yet at the same time, they also cater to today's jiu jitsu practitioner with modern cuts and high-tech materials. 

Their Akashio Jiu Jitus Gi, for example, is the perfect example of this seamless meshing of traditional and modern. The Akashio features a 100% cotton jacket, made from 480 GSM Pearl Weave Plus - which is a tighter, stronger weave than a standard pearl weave - and mid-weight 10 oz drill cotton pants. Both the jacket and pants have a tailored, competition-style cut, which fits slightly more snug than an old school gi, and helps deter your opponents from getting, and maintaining, a solid grip. The outside of the gi is simple and understated, featuring gold contrast stitching and custom-designed woven patches. The inside of the jacket is where all the excitement is: lined with fully sublimated Cool Max fabric, which is designed to keep you cool and dry during training, it depicts a slightly modified ancient Japanese artwork, featuring a Samurai in the midst of intense battle on the beach. Blood red accent details nod to the gi's name; "akashio" means "red tide" in Japanese. 

While this might be - hands down - one of our favorite gis in the warehouse, that's not the only great gi that Maeda Brand makes. Their entire gi lineup is pretty top-notch. In fact, the Red Label is probably the best "basic" gi on the market today (in our opinion). And they recently began dabbling in the no-gi market, putting out some great rashguards, shorts and spats, both for men and for women. 

If you haven't checked out Maeda Brand... now's probably a good time. 

Train on... Oss.