Henrique Machado (ASLE)
Henrique Machado Jiu Jitsu
Henrique Machado, is a Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Master Georges Mehdi (Judo) and Osvaldo Alves (BJJ). Henrique is most famous for his work as head teacher of the ASLE Academy in Manaus, Brazil, producing some of the best fighters in the Country such as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
Henrique Machado in Detail
Henrique Machado Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Reyson Gracie > Osvaldo Alves > Henrique Machado.
Weight Category: Meio Pesado (Medium Heavy).
Association/Team: ASLE (Associação Sensei de Lutas Esportivas).
Henrique Machado Biography
Although Henrique Machado was born on the city of Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon, he soon moved to the Carnival Capital of the World, Rio de Janeiro. He started training Karate at the tender age of three years old, and he soon picked up Judo and Jiu Jitsu as well with Judo Master Georges Mehdi (9th Dan in Judo).
After a period in Rio de Janeiro, Henrique had to move with his mother to the Northeast of Brazil, into a city called Fortaleza. He continued his Jiu Jitsu training with “Professor” Lima. He returned to Rio de Janeiro when he was 16 years old, but his family was going through a tough phase and he didn’t have money to train. Mr Mehdi found out about Henrique’s unfortunate situation and offered him a place in his gym for free.
He spent the next 10 years of his life living inside Sensei Mehdi’s gym in “Ipanema”, working as a cleaner for the academy to pay for his stay and training full time. Mr Mehdi’s strick judo policies didn’t allow Henrique to expand his ground game as much as he wanted, so he took the most of some Jiu Jitsu guys that would pop around Medhi’s gym to improve their Judo. People like Ze Mario Sperry, Wallid Ismail, Edson Carvalho and even the late Marcelo Behring, the man who gave Henrique Machado his Purple Belt in BJJ.
Marcelo Behring became a good friend and would always help Machado when he would be in dire straits with cash, sometimes not even having enough to eat. He received his Black Belt in Judo by Georges Mehdi, and soon after moved to his native city of Manaus. As he opened up an academy and started his project dedicated to taking kids off the streets through the teaching of Martial Arts, Henrique decided to take a certificate for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu also, as he had competed several times and trained avidly the submission game. He went to Osvaldo Alves, one of the most renowned Black Belts in the World who was also teaching in Manaus to ask for a Black Belt test, a test which he passed, being awarded a Black Belt by Alves.
With his project (ASLE Academy) producing talent after talent, Henrique as become one of the most famous instructors in Brazil, teaching today over 500 different children per month. His academy in Manaus is opened from 6am to 12am, and is one of the best in the Country.
Henrique Machado got to know Ronaldo Souza as a skinny street kid that used to play soccer with his brother outside his Dojo. One day After an invitation from Henrique, Ronaldo decided to train at ASLE, he loved the training so much that after a couple of weeks he was living at the academy, being provided by Mr Machado who became a fatherly figure to him. Ronaldo AKA “Jacare” ended up being the face of ASLE helping the academy get the recognition it deserved.
Today Machado is a Black Belt in three different martial arts, Karate, Judo and Jiu Jitsu and still teaches at Manaus.
