Marcos de Souza is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under his father, Adilson de Souza. Marcos comes from a family of competitors including his father Master Adilson (RIP) and his brothers Mauricio Dai Souza, Roberto Satoshi and Cristiane Yukari de Souza. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Marcos moved to Japan in 2007 where he opened a BJJ academy together with his brothers.
The French Laurence Cousin Fouillat is regarded as the first European female black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. An incredibly accomplished grappler Laurence was also the 2nd non Brazilian to win a gold medal at the world Jiu Jitsu championship in the black belt division.
A professional MMA fighter, Jiu Jitsu black belt and Capoeira Master, Delson Heleno, also known as Pe de Chumbo is part of the elite grapplers of the world, having been a former Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World and Pan American champion at the black belt level. He is a student of Adilson Lima from the city of Teresopolis.
Jair Lourenço is one of the top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA coaches in the world, having brought to the limelight a legion of incredible fighters such Renan Barão, Michele Tavares, Jussier “Formiga”, Marcelo “Caneta”, Ronny Markes, Claudia Gadelha, Gleison Tibau to name a few, helping to put the northeast region of Brazil on the BJJ map.
Leandro Martins, mostly known as “Leu” is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and one of the most highly regarded super featherweights in the sport having defeated big names such as UFC champion Jose Aldo. A former member of the famed “TT” team, Martins is also recognized as the cousin of the legendary Fernando “Terere”, the man who awarded him his black belt.
Marcus Norat is a former Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt World Champion (2002) and a representative of the illustrious Gracie Humaita in the early 2000’s. The man from Belem do Pará, Brazil also became the founder of Norfight, a successful academy in the region, while serving several mandates as the president of Parana’s Jiu Jitsu Federation.
One of the most prestigious figures in the Cia Paulista academy, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Paulo Gazze Junior holds an extensive list of achievements in BJJ having defeated fighters such as Dean Lister (2x ADCC Champion), BJ Penn (World BJJ Champion/ UFC Champion), Fabio Leopoldo (World BJJ Champion) and in MMA where Gazze Junior has won against significant athletes such as Chris Leben (UFC fighter) and Dwayne Ortiz (Former Olympian for USA’ Wrestling team).
Daniel Gracie is a Renzo Gracie Team representative and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlinhos Gracie. Daniel is an ADCC veteran that managed to reach the highest stage of BJJ in the mid 1990’s, medalling in all of the most important tournaments in the world, a standard he managed to keep for many years and carry into his MMA career where he competed at the highest level in tournaments such as the Pride FC and Bellator FC.
André “Dedeco” Almeida is an American Top Team representative and the founder of Best Way BJJ. A 4th degree black belt in Jiu Jitsu under Ricardo Liborio, and one of the most respected instructors in the sport, Dedeco has graduated several great competitors of the sport such as Rafael Formiga, Leandro Escobar and Michael DeLuca.
Bruno Ferreira is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt graduated by the inimitable Master Francisco Albuquerque (also known as Toco). Ferreira has medalled in several important events such as the Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian Nationals), the South American Championship and the Brazilian Teams Tournament.
The first North American black belt awarded by master Claudio Franca, Garth Taylor is also one of the most accomplished BJJ competitors of his generation, having medalled several times in important Jiu Jitsu tournaments such as the Mundial and the Pan American. A black belt since December 2000, Garth is also an accomplished coach.
Dustin “Clean” Denes is an American grappler who holds victories over big names in the sport such as Jeff Monson, Raphael Abi Rihan and Marcelo Garcia. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Marcus “Connan” Silveira, Dustin Denes spent a long time of his life competing and training inBrazilwith masters such as Ricardo De La Riva and Murilo Bustamante.
One of the founding members of the Brazilian Top Team academy, Bebeo Duarte is also a highly decorated black belt in Jiu Jitsu, having won important tournaments such as the Mundial (World BJJ Championships) and the Pan American. This Carlson Gracie black belt is also a manager for many important MMA fighters, such as Alexandre “Cacareco”.
Alexandre Puga is an important figure within the Alliance Rio de Janeiro team. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the illustrious Alexandre Paiva, Puga became one of the main instructors at theAllianceacademy in 2001 having helped several top competitors raise their game.
Fabio Andrade, mostly known by his “war name” of Coringa, is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Julio Cesar Pereira from the Grappling Fight Team (GFTeam). The experienced Fabio Coringa was responsible for establishing the first GFTeam branch inAustralia, making an important step in cementing the team at an international level.
Leandro Nyza is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Wendell Alexander, who was brought to Hawaii by former UFC Lightweight & Welterweight Champion BJ Penn. Nyza has since established himself and his academy as one of the strongest in the region.
David Onuma is a British martial arts expert who holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Ricardo Vieira and Rodrigo Cabral. David is also a certified instructor in martial arts such as Jeet Kune Do, Kick Boxing, Maphilindo Silat and even Combat Submission Wrestling (under Erik Paulson).
Ryo Ominami is a Japanese BJJ fighter and coach from the Gracie Barra team. A Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos “Escorrega” Lemos, Ominami has won important tournaments such as the Asian Open (IBJJF), the All Japan Championship and even the NAGA in Chicago.
Andre Monteiro, also known as “Tim”, is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, from the Carlson Gracie lineage (under Francisco “Toco”) who has medalled in important tournaments such as the Pan American (Gi and Nogi) and the Brazilian Nationals. Monteiro coaches in theUnited Statessince 2008.
José Olimpio, mostly known as “Zé Radiola”, is a former professional surfer who became a pioneer for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. A black belt in BJJ under Carlos Gracie Junior, Ze Radiola founded the Gracie Barra Pernambuco academy, and formed many champions through that gym.