Rodrigo Gracie, Matt Serra and Ricardo Almeida—Gracie would instruct some of the greatest MMA fighters of their generation, but a Kiwi who grew up in Whangaparaoa is perhaps now established as his finest student to turn instructor.“I would 100 percent call John Danaher the Einstein of Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” Serra, a former UFC welterweight champ who was inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame earlier this year, tells me.“He is that smart, he really is. He puts it together, nicely. The proof is in the pudding too—look at his students, look at what they are doing. He really knows that art of submission grappling like no other.”“He’s left a deep and profound mark [on Brazilian jiu-jitsu],” Peter Maguire, an old friend and former training partner, says.“John understood the other tools that the other grappling arts brought to the table. He took them very, very seriously. Not only did he get to learn really good, undiluted Gracie jiu-jitsu from Renzo, he was then able to tweak it and apply pieces from other martial arts.“Only someone with an analytical brain like his could have done that. I think he very much changed the way people look at grappling.”“I would 100 percent call John Danaher the Einstein of Brazilian jiu-jitsu."
In the world of MMA, these disciples are called the Danaher Death Squad and count among it some of the sports’ biggest and fastest-rising stars.
“If they had a disagreement, they fought. Afterwards, they’d shake hands and it was over with. If you look at culture in New Zealand, there has always been an obsession with warfare.“The whole idea around the cult of the Anzac, and New Zealanders as proving their worth in World War I and II. Obviously, I grew up within that, on a military base.“So there’s this martial tradition. In everyday life, there was the idea that fist fighting had certain nobility to it. But, there wasn’t much in the way of formal training. It was something you just did. It was seen as a test of character rather than a test of ability. That was the ethos I grew up with.”"If you look at culture in New Zealand, there has always been an obsession with warfare."
“I was immediately attracted to jiu-jitsu, but I realised that there was more to it than just a way to beat people up in bars. There’s artistry to it.“With the whole mixed martial arts revolution going on, people were fighting professionally. There was this of ‘what is the best martial art? What is the optimal way for humans to engage in unarmed combat?’ The answers were starting to be furnished in these mixed martial arts experiments.”Danaher's usual day begins at 6AM. From his apartment on the Upper West Side, he takes the No 1 subway train to the Academy in Midtown, teaching the day’s 8AM class.He will teach private classes through to 6PM, often with established UFC fighters like St-Pierre, rising stars like the Ryan brothers or wealthy, dedicated sorts. Recently physical therapy, for his knee, follows his classes before he meets with mixed martial artists preparing for fights.Most days finish at 11PM, with the whole process repeated almost exactly the same the following day. Frequent travel to BJJ comps around the world, or special classes internationally, is the only thing that breaks the routine. That routine is an easy example of Danaher’s iron dedication to learn.“I was immediately attracted to jiu-jitsu, but I realised that there was more to it than just a way to beat people up in bars."
“The mindset that does best for an athlete is always a selfish one. The coach, on the other hand, must have a very giving mindset because ultimately, everything they are doing is for somebody else.“But I’ve always found the mindset that lives outside of itself gives the most profound sense of satisfaction in the long run. Yes, there’s a huge amount of joy in winning. As an individual, there’s joy in that triumph.“But for me, the strongest sense of joy and satisfaction has always been in other people’s triumph and being apart of their team, or group, which takes that individual to the height they aspire to.”Both Danaher and I see St-Pierre beckoning him over. That afternoon the French Canadian has a private training session and then dinner with Danaher in preparation for his upcoming fight, at UFC 217, with Michael Bisping.Despite it being his first fight in four years, St-Pierre won easily at New York’s Madison Square Garden claiming the UFC middleweight championship title.Danaher and I shake hands, two bald Kiwis under the streets of Manhattan, he heads back to work. I watch one of the most precisely understanding individuals I’ve ever met walk slowly back to GSP.He settles back into his usual position against the wall. The room is mostly empty of students now, with a few of the better ones still locked together in study. There’s a bit of laughter around. Danaher is smiling as I head for the stairs.We end up in funny places, don’t we? And so I give you, John Danaher, a fellow Kiwi here in New York City. I give you a man who found his place in this world.A teacher under the streets of Manhattan, in a monastery they call the Blue Dungeon.The monk is a happy warrior.Follow Ben on Twitter,“The mindset that does best for an athlete is always a selfish one. The coach, on the other hand, must have a very giving mindset."