"We Can Get Back What They Took From You" — Coach Donavin Britt on Martial Arts, Manhood, and Transformation

Coach Donovan Britt — The Jiu Jitsu Mindset Podcast
Guard the Mat

The Jiu Jitsu Mindset Podcast  ·  New Episode

Coach Donovan BrittBuilt From the Ground Up

Krav Maga — First American Certified Instructor BJJ Blue Belt U.S. Military Veteran Las Vegas Combat Academy — Founder MMA Coach — Bellator · UFC

From $400 and a 1,100 sq ft room to one of Las Vegas's most respected combat academies. Coach Donovan Britt on protecting the mat, building men, and the story of Angel.

About This Episode

A Different Kind of Black Belt

Coach Donovan Britt built Las Vegas Combat Academy from literally $400 and a closet-sized space in 2008 — the same year his real estate business collapsed, his smoothie franchise folded, and his wife was pregnant with twins. What followed is a story of grit, community, and an unwavering standard for what a dojo should be. He's the first American certified Krav Maga instructor under Sergeant Major Nir Maman, a coach whose fighters have competed at Bellator and the UFC, and a man who takes the protection of his mat — and every person on it — as a sacred responsibility.

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Krav Maga
First American Certified Instructor under Sgt. Major Nir Maman · Trained under Darren Levine & John Whitman
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MMA Coaching
Coached at Bellator & UFC level · Close partnerships with Syndicate MMA & Extreme Couture
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Las Vegas Combat Academy
Started in 1,100 sq ft with $400 · Now a 10,000 sq ft full-service academy
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Background
U.S. Military · 10 years loss prevention (500+ arrests) · Football · Krav Maga → BJJ → MMA coaching

What We Cover

Episode Highlights

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$400 and a Dream

In 2008, with real estate crashed, his franchise failed, and his wife pregnant with twins, Donovan started Las Vegas Combat Academy with the last money in his account. What got built from there is extraordinary.

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Guard the Mat

Coach Britt's standard for protecting women in his gym is zero-tolerance and immediate. Men have a responsibility to make every woman on that mat safe — not theoretically, not eventually. Now.

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Win-Win or No Deal

When seminar hosts reach out, the first thing Donovan asks is how he can put money in their pocket. Because he knows what it's like to be a school owner hoping to break even — and he refuses to be that guy.

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If Your Reason Is Bigger Than You

Discipline becomes easy when what you're fighting for is larger than yourself. Legacy. Family. Community. Coach Britt on how his grandfather climbing a telephone pole in an Alaskan blizzard still gets him out of bed.

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Krav Maga Meets Jiujitsu

Coach Britt went to a NAGA tournament with Krav Maga patches all over his gi — and won. His take on cross-training, the real purpose of competition, and why the "strong idiot" is always the best stress test.

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The Story of Angel

A boy with a broken jaw, stolen shoes, and a broken spirit walks into the gym. What happens next — and the moment a room full of men witnessed him become something new — is one of the most powerful stories we've heard on this show.

The Story of Angel

We Can Get Back What They Took From You

His jaw was wired shut. His shoes were gone. His eyes were on the floor when his mother brought him in and said, "If you don't help me, I'm gonna lose my son."

Coach Britt walked up to Angel, lifted his chin, and said: "We can get back what they took from you." The boy said he didn't want those shoes anymore. Donovan told him he wasn't talking about the shoes.

Months later, Angel asked to spar. Coach said no — twice. The third time, Angel didn't ask. He demanded. That's when Donovan said: I'll see you Saturday.

What happened in that gym on Saturday morning — a teenager, a room full of men who knew his story, a left hook that dropped him to his knees, and the moment he chose to get back up — is a story about what martial arts is actually for.

"If your reason for training is bigger than you, then training becomes much easier. The discipline becomes much easier. If it's like, hey, my son is watching me — I'm just trying to leave a legacy for them."

— Coach Donovan Britt

"You have to earn the right to chew someone out. By being there for them. Showing them enough love and enough consistency — so that when you do, they know: I'm not still mad at you. I need you to correct your behavior right now. It doesn't mean I hate you. Now go get your stuff together."

— Coach Donovan Britt

Las Vegas Combat Academy

Rules of the Tribe

01
Maximum Effort Is the Minimum

The least you will do is work your ass off when you get here. That's where we start.

02
Be There for Each Other

Be good partners. Be engaged. Show up for your teammates the way you expect them to show up for you.

03
It's Not About You

Get over yourself. You're not that important. Taking care of all of us is the best way to take care of yourself.

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