One of the most recognized academies in the Jiu Jitsu world, the Gracie Barra franchise is also one of the oldest teams in BJJ. This is a gathering of some of the biggest names in it’s history, amongst them the inevitable Carlinhos Gracie and Marcio Feitosa.
Rodrigo Fajardo is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the illustrious Gustavo Muggiati who fights for the Gracie Barra – Curitiba team camp. Rodrigo Fajardo has been a top competitor for the medium heavyweight division since the mid 2000’s conquering several important tournaments including the European Open, the Brazilian national championship and the south American championship.
The first American black belt awarded by Renzo Gracie, Matt Serra is a former UFC champion and an ADCC silver medallist, considered to be one of the best grapplers produced by Renzo’s academy in New York.
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.
Ralph Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Junior (his cousin) and the brother of Renzo Gracie, he was an accomplished Vale Tudo, MMA and Jiu Jitsi fighter in the 1980s & 1990s later becoming also a successful coach from his academy in San Francisco, CA.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom, Samuel Braga, was awarded his black belt by Master Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes in 5 years after consecutive wins at the lower belt levels of the main tournaments in the world. Originally from the Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte team, Samuel Braga moved to theUnited Statesopening a Gracie Barra franchise gym in Knoxville, TN.
The creator of the Baratoplata technique, Rafael Freitas (AKA Barata) is also an accomplished Jiu Jitsu black belt, having competed and won in some of the most respected tournaments in the BJJ international circuit. Barata is also the coach of Gracie Barra New Mexico.
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.
Salvatore Pace is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos Lemos Jr and a BJJ Coach with international experience, having taught in both …
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.
Victor Estima is a prolific Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who has medalled in some of the world’s most important BJJ tournaments such as the “Mundial”, the European Open and the World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship. Victor is also the brother of the legendary grappler, Braulio Estima.
A great competitor for Gracie Barra in the turn of the century, Carlos Lemos Junior, also known as “Escorrega” (slippery), is one of the main names in the GB family and one of the first black belts to come over to Europe to coach and lanch Jiu Jitsu schools to help develop the sport in the old continent.
Jose Junior is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who managed to slip under the radar of many BJJ enthusiasts until he submitted one of BJJ’s top players, Bernardo Faria, on the World Pro Jiu Jitsu Cup tournament in 2011. A student of master Juarez Soares for many years, Jose Junior moved to the United Arab Emirates to be part of the BJJ schooling program there, where he became a grappling coach.
A Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlinhos Gracie, this Gracie Barra coach has trained with some of the best BJJ practitioners in the world, such as Erik Wanderlei and Marcio Feitosa. He has also been the sparring partner of Royce Gracie in preparation for several of his fights.
Raised amongst the Gracie family, Gregor Gracie is the half brother of Rolles and Igor Gracie (both sons of the late Rolls Gracie). Gregor is also one of the top Jiu Jitsu fighters of his generation to fight in MMA. With medals in some of the hardest grappling tournaments in the world (BJJ Mundial, Brazilian Nationals, Nogi Worlds and ADCC) this Renzo Gracie black belt has taken time off his busy schedule to successfully dipped his toes into the fashion industry.
Often regarded as the Lance Armstrong of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Lucio Rodrigues also known as “Lagarto”, is a decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos …
Having taught Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since he was a blue belt, Marcelo Ribeiro became a JJ black belt under Carlos Gracie Junior, after which …
Erik Wanderley is a former Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion with experience in Muay Thai, Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. A BJJ black belt …
Jefferson Moura is one of the most prestigious representatives of the Gracie Barra family. An extremely accomplished Jiu Jitsu athlete with wins at the Mundial and the Brazilian Nationals, Jefferson took over the mammoth task of replacing Carlos Gracie Junior at the helm of the Gracie Barra Headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, after the famous coach moved to the United States.
Maurício Gomes was a famous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor, active during the 1970’s and 1980’s, who belongs to the elite group of black belts given the rank by the late Rolls Gracie. On top of his long list of trophies in the sport, Maurício was the founder of the Gracie Barra franchise in the United Kingdom.
Bianca Andrade Barreto is a former professional athlete in Body Boarding who converted into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, having become one of the best female competitors of …