Mason Fowler (@masonfowlerbjj) is one of Spar Soap’s new sponsored athletes, and we’re absolutely stoked to be supporting him as he gets ready for his ADCC fight in mid-September.
ADCC, an acronym for “Abu Dhabi Combat Club,” is the most prestigious submission grappling competition out there. Royler Gracie, the retired Brazilian American MMA and BJJ practitioner and member of IBJJF Hall of Fame, has called ADCC the start of “the modern era of submission grappling.” The competition was first hosted in Abu Dhabi, and has now been hosted throughout the world in countries like Brazil, Finland, and the USA.
Following submission grappling rules, ADCC competitors can use legal techniques like chokes, armbars, shoulder locks, wrist locks, and leg locks, while they must avoid illegal techniques like neck cranks and striking. ADCC is often referred to as the Olympics of grappling, and you can only become a competitor by invitation or by winning the trials. That’s where Mason Fowler comes in, after winning the ADCC trials (twice!).
Mason, born and raised in Fresno, California, started training MMA at age 18 with the goal of becoming a UFC fighter. Within a short time, he quit his job working for Pepsi as a merchandiser stocking shelves to become a full time fighter. He initially practiced Jiu Jitsu as part of his MMA training, but within 5-6 years, he transitioned to putting everything into BJJ. Mason moved to San Jose, California, 4 years ago to train at Caio Terra Academy, and he received his BJJ black belt about 9 months ago and has been dominating ever since. He’s the third American black belt ever to win the Brazilian nationals, and he’s not stopping there - he’s using that as momentum to keep powering forward.
We asked Mason about his ADCC prep strategies and overall thoughts going into the competition. He told us that his training includes a combo of Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, strength, and conditioning, and right now he’s also working in more explosive bursts and sprint work with ADCC top of mind. His fight training includes working on specific positions like leg locks and wrestling techniques under the guidance of his coach, Caio Terra.
More generally, Mason’s training philosophy is all about working on weaknesses, a mindset he developed from the MMA world. He tells us that once he’s strong and solid in one area, he shifts focus to another area to sharpen that up, and he does this continually to keep improving his game. He echoes Marcelo Garcia, the world famous submission grappler, saying “you gotta be good on top, you gotta be good on bottom, and you gotta be good standing.” As a high level fighter, Mason knows he needs to be well-rounded, and this is driving his training style as ADCC approaches.
While Mason won the ADCC trials in the 99kg weight class, he’ll be competing in ADCC in Vegas in the 88kg weight class. Mason tells us that ADCC is what will propel his career to the next level, and getting on that podium with a gold medal will elevate him to the top of the sport.
Fun fact about Mason - pre-fight, he eats a simple meal of white rice, eggs, and avocado, and post-fight, he goes for a nice steak or sushi. So if you’re in Vegas this September for ADCC having a steak dinner or sushi meal, keep an eye out - you might catch Mason enjoying his post-competition meal at a local steakhouse or sushi bar.
We’re rooting for Mason as ADCC approaches and we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes! Haven’t purchased your tickets yet to support Mason at ADCC? Grab them here and get ready for an awesome event.