List of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners
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This is a list of notable Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners.
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Highest graded
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The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ranking system awards practitioners different colored belts for increasing levels of knowledge and skill.[1][2] The system shares its origins with Judo but now has its own character that has become synonymous with the art, including an informality in promotional criteria and a conservative approach to promotion in general. While black belt is commonly viewed as the highest rank of attainment, a practitioner who achieves the rank of 7th degree in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is recognized by a belt of alternating red-and-black. In 2013, the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation adopted the alternating red-and-white belt to acknowledge the achievement of 8th degree. (similar to Judo's substitution of an alternating white-and-red belt at the 6th, 7th, and 8th degree).[3] At the 9th and 10th degree the practitioner is awarded a solid red belt, identical to Judo.[3] These exceptional belts are awarded to denote the exceptional status of their wearer and his or her knowledge and overall contribution to the art.[2]
The following individuals are particularly notable practitioners holding these respective ranks:
7th degree (7º grau)
- Rolker Gracie – a prominent member of the Gracie family and the fourth son of Helio Gracie. Along with his younger brother Royler Gracie he is associated with the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu school.[4]
- Royler Gracie – Son of Helio Gracie who headed the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu school in Rio de Janeiro. Won multiple Mundial (World), Pan-American, and ADCC championships.[5][6]
- Carlos "Caique" Elias – One of only a handful of non-Gracies to receive a black belt directly from Hélio Gracie. Received his red-and-black belt from Rickson Gracie in March 2009. Former instructor at the original Gracie Humaitá and then at the Gracie Academy in California. Founder of the Caique Jiu Jitsu network of schools.
- Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti – Founder and head coach of Alliance Jiu Jitsu team, one of only 6 people promoted to black belt by Rolls Gracie.
- Sérgio Penha – Known for a match against Rickson Gracie, bypassed brown belt on his way to achieving black belt[7]
- Jean Jacques Machado – Captured every major title and competition award in Brazil, has appeared in several TV shows and movies[8][9][10]
- Fábio Santos – Trained at Rolls Gracie Academy. Received Black Belt from Rickson Gracie and received Red and Black from Relson Gracie.
- Mauricio Motta Gomes – One of only six Rolls Gracie black belts and father of multiple World Champion Roger Gracie.[11]
- Luiz Fux – Current minister of the Supreme Federal Court.
- Aloisio Silva – Black belt under Carlos Gracie founder of Dojo jiu-jitsu and Aloisio Silva BJJ. One of the first Jiu-Jitsu masters to teach women and was the first Jiu-jitsu professor to make a female jiu-jitsu black belt world champion[12]
- Fabricio Martins Costa – Black belt under Osvaldo Alves Head Instructor: Equipe – Fabricio JJ and Team Fabricio JJ ( Copacabana Brazil ). Awarded his coral-belt by Osvaldo Alves in 2012.[13]
- Carlos Valente – Began training at 8 years old under Rolls Gracie. Received his black belt from Rickson Gracie and was awarded 7th degree from Robson Gracie in 2011.[14][15]
- Marcio Stambowsky – "Macarrao" began training at age 15 under Rolls Gracie, becoming one of the Famous Five to earn a black belt under his tutelage.[16]
8th degree (8º grau)
- Carlos Gracie, Jr. – Founder of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, the Confederation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Founder of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Gracie Barra.[17]
- Rickson Gracie – The son of Hélio Gracie with an undefeated MMA career[18]
- Carlos Machado – World masters champion who assisted Chuck Norris in his show Walker, Texas Ranger, choreographing fight scenes with Brazilian jiu-jitsu[19]
- Rigan Machado – Credited with 365 wins and 2 losses in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition[20]
- Pedro Sauer – Helio and Rickson Gracie black belt. US military and law enforcement trainer, once voted "Best of the Best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructors"[21]
- Joe Moreira – Pioneer of Brazilian jiu-jitsu within the United States[22]
- Marcus Soares – Black belt under Carlson Gracie, and founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Canada.[23]
- Derval Luciano Rêgo (Mestre Morcego) – Founder of the FJJ-PE (Federação de Jiu-Jitsu do Estado de Pernambuco) and co-founder of the CBJJ/IBJJF. Black belt under the lineage of Oswaldo Fadda and Jacê Paulino de Albuquerque. Known for a draw match against the legendary Rolls Gracie at the end of the sixties in Rio de Janeiro.[24]
- Ricardo Murgel – Black belt 8th degree under grandmaster Flavio Behring.
- Arthur Virgílio Neto – Elected mayor of Manaus and former Federal Senator.[25]
- Reylson Gracie – Son of Carlos Gracie. Teaches the original self-defense system of GJJ in Las Vegas, Nevada[26]
9th degree (9º grau)
- Pedro Hemeterio – The first student under master Helio Gracie to achieve the red belt, represented the Gracie Academy in many challenges and taught jiu-jitsu in São Paulo State for more than three decades.[27]
- Joao Alberto Barreto – A Grand Master and one of the most important figures in the BJJ community. A red belt under Helio Gracie, he is famed for his unbeaten competitive record in the 1950s. He is the brother of GM Alvaro Barreto and GM Sergio Barreto.[28]
- Alvaro Barreto – Grand Master Alvaro Barreto is a Brazilian jiu jitsu red belt (9th degree) and one of the most important men in BJJ, being also the brother of GM João Alberto Barreto and GM Sergio Barreto.[29]
- Flavio Behring – head coach of Behring Jiu-Jitsu Association, Flavio teaches seminars over the world and hold affiliated academies in Europe.[30]
- Carlson Gracie – Son of Carlos Gracie, trainer of UFC fighters, with a very successful professional fight career.[31]
- Carley Gracie – Son of Carlos Gracie and former Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo Champion.
- Geny Rebello – Grandmaster given a commemorative tournament by the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of Rio de Janeiro[32]
- Armando Wridt – Undefeated vale-tudo fighter who is one of only 7 people to receive a red belt from Hélio Gracie[33]
- Oswaldo Fadda – Perhaps the only individual coming from a non-Gracie lineage to earn a red belt, the Fadda academy was instrumental in bringing Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the poorer areas of Brazil.[34][35]
- Pedro Valente – A famous plastic surgeon and student of Hélio Gracie since 1953.[36]
- Wilson Mattos – Perhaps the oldest student of Oswaldo Fadda.[35]
- Luis Carlos Guedes de Castro – Another black belt under Oswaldo Fadda. Among many accomplishments as a teacher and competitor, Guedes disarmed a gangster in a crowded Rio de Janeiro train who was robbing the occupants with a pistol.[37]
- Francisco Mansur – One of only six people to be granted a professor's diploma by Hélio Gracie. Founder of Kioto Academy.[38]
- Rorion Gracie – One of the founders of the UFC who was instrumental in bringing No-Holds Barred Fighting to North America.[39]
- Osvaldo Alves – Studied under Carlos Gracie and is the current IBJJF Technical Director and also a 2-time Pan-American Judo champion.
- Relson Gracie – Son of Helio Gracie and Brazilian national champion for an unprecedented 22 years. Founder of Relson Gracie gyms.[40]
- Carlos Antonio Rosado – Carlson Gracie Sr. only red belt student; the highest ranking member of Carlson Gracie's academy.[41]
- Renato Paquet – A grandmaster who had a judo black belt and two boxing titles in addition to his red belt.[42]
- Pedro Valente Sr. – Close friend of Hélio Gracie, in younger years took up arms to defend the former governor of the state of Rio, Leonel Brizola.[43]
- Francisco Sá (Sazinho) - Known for his morals and honor in martial arts and in particular our Jiu-Jitsu, he died in 2013 at age 77.[44]
- Robson Gracie (also known as Carlos Robson Gracie) – President of the Jiu-Jitsu Federation of Rio de Janeiro.[45]
10th degree (10º grau)
The 10th degree red belt was given only to the pioneers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the Gracie brothers: [1]
- Carlos Gracie - (Brazil, 1902–94) was taught judo by Otávio Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese emigrant to Brazil who was then a 4th dan Kodokan judoka. Carlos then passed the teachings on to his brothers Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., Jorge, and Hélio. In 1925, the brothers opened their first academy in Brazil, marking the beginning of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[46]
- Gastão Gracie
- Jorge (George) Gracie
- Hélio Gracie - (Brazil, 1913–2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who, together with his brother Carlos Gracie, founded the martial art of Gracie jiu-jitsu, known internationally as Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). Until his death, Gracie was the only living 10th degree master of that system, and is widely considered as one of the first sports heroes in Brazilian history.[47]
- Oswaldo Gracie
Notable competitors
- Roger Gracie – World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (x14)[48]
- Saulo Ribeiro – World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (x5) and ADCC Champion (x2)[49]
- Xande Ribeiro – World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (x6) and Black Belt Pan American Champion (x4)[50]
- André Galvão – World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (x2), 3x Pan American Champion Black Belt (x8), won World Jiu-Jitsu championships for every belt color following white[51]
- B.J. Penn – Former UFC Champion in two weight classes and the first non-Brazilian winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the black-belt category[52]
- Robson Moura – World Jiu-Jitsu champion (x7) and Brazilian National Champion (x8)[53]
- Marcelo Garcia – (5x) World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, (4x) ADCC champion, (3x) Brazilian National Champion, and Pan American Champion[54]
- Demian Maia – World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (x5) and UFC fighter who had a series of 11 undefeated fights in MMA[55][56]
- Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu – ADCC Open Weight Champion, World No Gi Champion (x2), Pan-American Champion (x3), Grapplers Quest Open Class Champion (x7), Copa America Open Class Champion (x4), Brazilian National Champion, World Championship Medalist (x12)[57]
- Fabio Gurgel – Multiple World Championship gold medal winner.
- Fabrício Werdum – Multiple World BJJ, ADCC, and Pan American Jiu Jitsu gold medalist, and current UFC World Heavyweight Champion.
- Ronaldo Souza – Five time World Jiu Jitsu champion and former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.
- Braulio Estima – Multiple ADCC, World BJJ, Pan American, and European Championship gold medalist.
- Vinny Magalhães – Multiple World BJJ gold medalist.
- Wellington "Megaton" Dias – Competed in an unprecedented 15 consecutive World Championships, medalling on four separate occasions. Has also medalled in a number of other international tournaments.[58]
- Rafael Lovato Jr. – First ever American to win the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship as a black belt.[59]
- Pablo Popovitch – (X3) No Gi World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, (X5) Pan Am No Gi Champion, ADCC World Champion, Multiple times Grapplers Quest and N.A.G.A Champion. The only grappler to have defeated Marcelo Garcia in the under 77Kg ADCC division.[60]
- Keenan Cornelius – First ever to accomplish a "grand slam" in IBJJF history, having won double gold medals at four major tournaments at his belt rank.[61]
- Alexandre "Soca" Freitas – ADCC, Pan American, and Brazilian National champion and medalist, was a top-level super-featherweight competitor in the late 1990s and early 2000s.[62]
Other notable practitioners
- Gracie family – A prominent sporting family from Brazil, known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[63]
- Machado family – A notable lineage of jiu-jitsoka related to the Gracie family.[64]
- Luis Franca – A contemporary and student of Mitsuyo Maeda, França would go on to be a founder of BJJ. He is notable as having established a prominent non-Gracie linage of BJJ through his protégé Oswaldo Fadda.[65]
- Rolls Gracie – An innovative practitioner who influenced much of modern Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[66][67]
- Chris Haueter – First American black belt to compete in the Mundials de Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil; first American black belt to win a black belt match; spread BJJ to the UK and across the US in the late 1990s; coined the term "combat base" as it relates to shooting platform.[68]
- Matt Thornton – American martial artist and founder of Straight Blast Gym International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association, has trained many well known UFC competitors including Randy Couture and Forest Griffin. Holds a black belt in BJJ.
- Joe Rogan – an American comedian and color commentator for the UFC, black belt under both Eddie Bravo and Jean Jacques Machado.[69][70][71]
- Ed O'Neill – American actor, best known for his role as Al Bundy, black belt under Rorion Gracie.[72]
- Maynard James Keenan – American rock vocalist, known for his role as a lead singer for the band Tool, trained under Rickson Gracie.[73]
- Igor Cavalera – Brazilian musician best known for his drumming work at Sepultura and Cavalera Conspiracy.[74]
- Michael Nowell - American Horror movie writer, director, and actor. Often credited as M.C. Nowell, he is best known for Rock Bottom Creek (2012) and Creek County (2015) and several other indy horror films.[75]
- Paulo Jr. – Brazilian musician, best known for being the bassist of Sepultura.[76]
- Zoltan Bathory – Hungarian-born American musician, producer and martial artist, better known for being founder, guitarist and songwriter of the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. Trained under Royler Gracie and Royce Gracie.[77]
- Eddie Bravo – Known for his submission victory over Royler Gracie as a brown belt in 2003 and the founder of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu.[78][79]
- David Mamet – American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.[80]
- Sean Patrick Flanery – American actor and singer with Pan-American and American National Championship wins. He is currently an instructor and black belt.[81][82][83]
- Donnie Yen – Chinese actor and choreographer, purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
- Mark Calaway - American WWE superstar and actor, famously known as The Undertaker. Calaway was awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by Rolles Gracie in 2011.[citation needed]
- CM Punk – American born WWE superstar and an avid practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu studying under Rener Gracie.[84] After earning a white belt at some point prior to February 2012, he refused to apply for belt promotions, claiming to be a "white belt for life" in 2014.[85]
- David Bautista – WWE wrestler, has recently earned his purple belt under Cesar Gracie.[86]
- Mel Gibson – Known to have studied with Rorion Gracie, demonstrated in the final fight scene for Lethal Weapon.[87]
- Wagner Moura – Brazilian film, television and stage actor.
- Chuck Norris – American action film star, martial artist, and Air Force veteran.[88]
- Paul Walker – American actor and BJJ brown belt. Was posthumously promoted to black belt by his instructor Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller.[89]
- Royce Gracie – UFC hall of famer and pioneer of modern MMA[90][91]
- Sam Harris – Author and Neuroscience PHD[92]
- Igor Rakočević – retired Serbian professional basketball player.[93]
- Tamba Hali - American football player for the Kansas City Chiefs, blue belt under Rener Gracie.[94]
- Joaquim Valente - Professor at the Valente Brothers academy. Received his black belt and professor diploma from Helio Gracie.[95]
- Matt Heafy – Japanese-American musician and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Trivium. Heafy is a blue belt in BJJ, training with the Gracie Barra organization.[96]
- Anthony Bourdain - Celebrity chef and television presenter, blue belt under Renzo and Igor Gracie
References
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