René Dreifuss: Self Defense First, Studying Data and Training Champions | EP 55

The Ageless Warrior Lab · Sep 30, 2026 · 1h 53m · transcript

In this interview, I sit down with René Dreifuss. René is the founder of Radical MMA in New York. He has been training since 1975, fought in the city's early underground vale tudo shows, and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu along with ranks in judo, karate and several other styles. He also holds a master's degree in Japanese military history from Columbia, which shows up in how he thinks about where fighting styles come from.

Rene's path started with bullying and a street attack that left him convinced karate alone would never protect him. He lived six years in Japan, where he…