As we leave Louisville, Ky. in the rear view, the signs of the city slowly melt away into lush green woods and open pastures. The long, uninterrupted road winds around bends and alongside streams until we see the white house on the hill that was described to us.
Greeting us outside his home is ADCC Trials Champion, Nathan Haddad. There are only two months until the ADCC World Championship and he is going to show us how he prepares for the biggest tournament of his life.
Nathan Haddad greets us outside his home.
We walk the grounds of his family’s land and take in the warm morning as Nathan explains the story of how he and his brother both came to build houses on the family plot. It’s a large, serene space with hills and a winding road that stretches around a bend and past a still pond. Walking quietly across the grounds with a cup of coffee, it’s clear that Nathan is in his element.
“Just having this out here to let me relax and unwind… It’s great. It allows for me to have some kind of slow mornings, slow nights. Then I can get back into the hectic days of you know, the life of an athlete.”
We haven’t gotten to the gym yet but one thing is already clear: this is not the standard pro-grappling operation I’ve come to recognize on the road to ADCC. Nathan built a unique vision of the jiu-jitsu lifestyle and leads a homegrown team that took years to blossom. He shows us around the vegetable garden, chicken coop, and introduces us to his curious Cane Corso, Frankie.
Nathan’s father, Rolando, meets us at the gate. He shares some thoughts on what they have built and maintains a humble angle on the topic of the farm…