Was going down the YouTube rabbit hole and came across his YouTube channel. His first few videos 15 years ago were on BJJ. Then there’s like 100 more recent videos of him giving sermons and shit. Crazy how much smack was talked about him back in the day. I prob forgot 90% of it.
I bought a book of his like 20+ years ago lmao
Doesn’t surprise me he’d be trying to make his living this way. Matt Furey has to be at least be considering it by now.
The Rev. Gene “Aranha” Simco
Everyone forgets that UFC champ Glover Texeira got his purple belt from him.
I have that book. Loved it back in the day.
For real??
The Ghost of Farmer Burns actually writes the sermons, Furey just reads them.
His “master text” was the best book available at the time
He sounds like a talented guy
But also an egomaniac
Who was the Asian guy who showed all of those moves in sweatpants and tube socks?
Michael Jen?
Yes
Michael Jenns dvds were pretty good at that time.
Good for him.
I remember early 2000’s Gene would come from NY to Springfield, MA and train with Marco Alvan. Marco Alvan who was a Black Belt at the time told me Gene wasn’t bad at BJJ but didn’t want to put the work in and just wanted to get promoted so he could make more on his books and videos.
That’s all I got.
Jenn left Simco
He used to post at one of the BJJ forums. He seemed like good guy
Haha no lie. This book was my shit back then. He had a gi section, no-gi, and a vale tudo section.
Of all the books available back then, his was way less $. I remember getting this book via mail order, and then JJ Machado’s book at a bookstore for like $40 and thinking Simcoe’s was better.
I think they were still of the culture of not wanting to divulge “too much” to regular people who weren’t paying a premium for privates or seminars so their content tended to be weak back then.
this in spades
I had heard one reason Carlson split with Helio is that Carlson wanted to teach the whole thing to everyone, as he wanted to build the best team possible
Back in the day, Mike Jen & his teacher Roy Harris had their own sub-forum on this site (for those who don’t know). Both guys gave good, considerate answers.
It’s funny, back then 20+ years ago this form was nothing but people ASKING QUESTIONS about how to do BJJ.
These days, there is almost NOBODY asking ANY questions about how to do BJJ. Big difference.