Malachy Friedman - The Enigma

Malachy Friedman is a second degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary Master Ricardo Liborio, co-founder of American Top Team (ATT) and Carlson Gracie lineage. With 18 years of experience, Professor Friedman is adept in multiple fight disciplines including MMA, BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai, and Wrestling. Beginning in 2001, Malachy started his training with the late UFC Middle-Weight Champion, Evan Tanner. After years of competition, he joined American Top Team headquarters in Coconut Creek, FL considered to be the #1 MMA training camp in the country and one of the only teams capable of putting out world champions. While at headquarters, Malachy spent 8 years coaching the late, great Kimbo Slice to his win against Ken Shamrock at Bellator. He also cornered and coached Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters, IBJJF and ADCC BJJ competitors, and hundreds of newcomers to the sport. In addition to coaching, Malachy is both a strategist and innovator in the sport, having created video instructionals, The Darce Killer, The HeisenGuard, Flower Power, Sh*t Your Instructor Never Showed You, Unf*ck Your Jiu-Jitsu, and Acai Free . He is a regular contributor to Jiu-Jitsu Magazine.

In 2015, Malachy brought his experience and knowledge back to his hometown of Charleston where he owns and operates Black Label Martial Arts Academy, formerly known as American Top Team Lowcountry, with his wife, Sarah. Malachy also owns Black Label Jiu-Jitsu Raiders Team and teaches free Women’s Self-Defense seminars to the Charleston and surrounding areas.

Malachy is a bit of an enigma with one foot firmly planted in over a decade of traditional BJJ expertise and his other foot in a wild experimental research lab of techniques and concepts, you get the sense his brain is inhabited by both a bit of madness and genius. His experimentation has birthed a library of fantastic instructionals, his Darce Killer instructional is absolutely mandatory viewing in my opinion.

In this interview you will hear that Malachy often wears his heart on his sleeve, I was pleasantly surprised with how candid and how honest he was in our conversation, it’s refreshing to speak with people like this. We talk about how he developed these traits, the trajectory of his career, running an academy, academy drama, developing talent, and his future plans.