Cameron Diffley
Cameron was born in Newport Beach, California. He moved to Henderson, Nevada where he has lived since the age of 8.
Insights from a BJJ School Owner Cameron Diffley
Cameron, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Can you give our readers a quick bio on yourself?
Thanks for asking me to do this interview. My name is Cameron Diffley. I am 24 years old. I started training Jiu Jitsu around January, 2003 under Ricardo Pires at the Las Vegas Combat Club. During my time at the school I was fortunate to have Ricardo Pires and Sergio Penha to train under as kind of my mother and father in terms of Jiu Jitsu. I will let them tell you which one assumed each role, haha. I have competing in Jiu Jitsu pretty much since I started training. I have won the Pan Ams and I have won and placed in several other Jiu Jitsu competitions. In December of 2007, I started my own school called Legion Jiu Jitsu here in Las Vegas, NV.
Can you describe what it was like training at a gym like the Las Vegas Combat Club with so many high-profile guys stopping in all the time?
From a MMA perspective it was very cool. We had regulars such as Forrest Griffin, Frank Mir, Heath Herring, Roy Nelson, Brian Shepard, Rick Davis etc. Training was always good and your technique really had to be sharp if you were going to be able to pull anything off on any of those guys. Each of them added to my game and my outlook on Jiu Jitsu, MMA, and life.
Can you describe what happened to the LVCC and how your current gym, Legion BJJ, came about?
Unfortunately my mother and father in regards to Jiu Jitsu got a divorce, haha. They went their separate ways and I was stuck in the middle. I ended up starting my own school at this time and one of my students came up with the name Legion BJJ. There was a philosophy behind the name that I was looking for and Legion met that criteria. The idea came from more of a Roman Army idea opposed to a dark army, legion of doom, idea. I didn’t want to put my name on the door because I wanted to put something together that wasn’t about me. I am a big part of Legion don’t get me wrong I am owner and head instructor. My intention with the name was to create something that everyone was part of the definition of, if that makes sense. I was fortunate to have some very loyal friends and students who stuck by me (as I was only a purple belt at the time). Given the big name gyms in town it would have been easy to decide to train with someone who had more experience but I am grateful for all of the people that stuck by me and joined the Legion team.
Can you tell us a little bit about Legion?
Legion is mostly a sport Jiu Jitsu School. We offer classes for adults and kids, covering the three most popular aspects of Jiu Jitsu; Gi Jiu Jitsu, No Gi Jiu Jitsu and MMA Jiu Jitsu. I make sure to incorporate some of the self defense aspects as well. We are still a young school, being open just over a year, but we already have some very game Jiu Jitsu competitors and MMA Fighters. We are training ground for MMA fighters such as Forrest Griffin, Amir Sadallah and Matt Brown just to name a few.
With so many high-profile gyms in Las Vegas, do you find yourself competing with other schools for students?
Not Really. I think that it depends on what people are looking for. I really try to focus specifically on very technical Jiu Jitsu with a very close nit family like environment and hard training.
Do you cross-train with any other academies?
Yes. I have a great relationship with Robert Drysdale, and the guys at his academy. Legion is affiliated with his school and he has been coaching me and helping me prepare for my recent tournaments.
Who are some of the biggest influences on your jiu-jitsu game?
That is a tough question. There are a few people that I am going to have to mention. I would have to start with my original instructors Ricardo Pires and Sergio Penha. Ricardo currently lives in Brazil but still helps me with my game and maintains his role as my original coach. I spent a lot of time training with Sergio Penha during his time as the head instructor at LVCC. I still consider myself their student as they were my original instructors who had the largest roll in my game. I am definitely a big fan of watching tape, probably a little bit too much. I watch all of the major competitors and they have all had an influence on my game. I think Marcello Garcia has to be mentioned. He has a game that I believe that everyone can learn to play. What I mean by that is that he does not have any particular attributes physically that he relies on such as size or flexibility. He relies on knowledge of the game. Currently Robert Drysdale is influencing me tremendously. He is helping me to reach my goal of getting to the top of the Black belt category.
You compete on a regular basis and are constantly placing in major tournaments, why do you think you have been so successful?
I try to compete a lot. The more you do the more of a chance that you have to place. Just kidding, haha. I believe that there are no secrets to being successful. Train hard, be mindful of your goals and compete regularly. I am fortunate to have a natural passion for training and Jiu Jitsu in general.
You received your black belt in 5 years from a well-respected instructor (Ricardo Pires). What do you think was the biggest factor in your rapid progress?
I train a lot, I watch a lot of tape, and I have a general feeling that I can always progress which keeps me moving forward.
If you were going to train someone with no knowledge of jiu-jitsu (or any kind of grappling) to become a world champion, what aspect of their game would you develop first and how would you progress from there? (i.e. Become a great guard passer, then develop butterfly, then half guard, etc.)
The things that I would start with first would be conditioning drills and mastering escapes. If you have good wind and you don’t get held down, you will be able to practice many different positions during your training. If you have no wind and get held down easily, you won’t get as much out of each session. From there I would develop their open guard, because I feel like this is a component of the game that is very important and takes a long time to develop. I believe it is important because it gives an athlete a lot of confidence in his/her game. It is like a striker having good Jiu Jitsu. The confidence in their Jiu Jitsu allows them to throw strikes without fear of being taken down. From there I would develop their guard passing, and takedowns, as I believe that it is always preferred to play on top.
You were brought into the national spotlight when you appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, can you describe what it was like being on the show?
Being the Jiu Jitsu coach for Team Griffin was an excellent experience. I am very thankful to Forrest for giving me the opportunity. The days consisted of teaching Jiu Jitsu and serving as a training partner to all of the guys. I gained a ton of experience as a corner man as well. The experience was very positive for me as a Jiu Jitsu competitor and a coach.
What kind of effect did the show have on your school?
The show had a very large effect on the school. I think that my students were very happy to have me on tv and it brought a lot of new faces through the door.
Do you have any plans for MMA?
Not currently. I have many goals to achieve in Jiu Jitsu. I like to work on my striking during times when I do not have tournaments coming up to keep my training fresh,and to get some different conditioning. Hopefully if I decide to fight I will have my striking up to par. I think it is an important thing for me to do at one point for myself and as a teacher.
Any last comments?
Hopefully being able to add Mundial and ADCC championships to my resume, as well as producing many top Jiu Jitsu competitors.
What else can we expect from you in the future?
I would just like to thank some very important people to me. I would like to thank my parents, sister and family for much as there is waaaayyyyy too much to list. I would like to thank the people who have tought me Jiu Jitsu Ricardo Pires and Sergio Penha. Robert Drysdale for all of his coaching, help and continued support. I would like to thank all of my students and training partners for their continued support, and finally I would like to thank Scott Beiri and the OTM Fight Shop for sponsoring me. I can be contacted through www.legionbjj.com
Quick Hits
Favorite Takedown: Any Foot Sweep because they are all timing and no power
Favorite Submission: Rear Naked Choke because it is the hardest to defend
How many days a week do you train? 6, 2 times per day
Favorite music to train to: Doesn’t matter, but something I like background noise
Ratio of drilling to sparring you recommend? I think 50/50 is probably the best. I probably spend a little too much time sparring and not enough drilling.
Favorite thing to do outside of grappling: Hang out with my Girlfriend and Family.
Favorite jiu-jitsu guys to watch: All the big name guys. The more movement in their game the more I enjoy watching.
Biggest mistake that new grapplers make: Focusing on the wrong things. The ultimate goal is obviously the submission, but some guys take this and go in the wrong direction bypassing the necessary steps to get there. It is important to understand grips, movement, weight distribution, and how to get ahead of your opponent in each of these areas. Having a deep understanding of these basics will allow you to submit your opponent much easier.
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