Happy Birthday Sensei Erik Paulson!

Educated MMA fans know Sensei Erik Paulson as one of the legends of the sport. Kru Joey knows him as 'coach.' For those who don't know him, Sensei Paulson reigned as the Shooto light-heavyweight world champion for five years. He was the first American ever to wear the belt. His lineage is one of the deepest you'll find and the list of instructors he's studied with over the years is a who's-who of not just MMA, but martial arts as a whole. He's trained with Greg Nelson, Sifu Larry Hartsell, Guro Dan Inosanto, Ajarn Chai Sirisute, Rigan Machado, Rorion and Rickson Gracie, and more. He now runs the CSW Training Center in California where he trains some of the top fighters and prospects in MMA. You may have caught him on the last season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he helped turn Team Lesnar into chicken salad. Belated congrats to Sensei Paulson on Josh Barnett's victory in the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament, and happy birthday wishes from the team at Kombat Arts! Check out a good instructional video below, where Sensei Paulson demonstrates some brutal catch wrestling moves.