Bianca Basílio is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Caio Almeida, being also one of the top grappling competitors of her generation. A representative of the Almeida Jiu Jitsu academy, Basílio took the world by storm in the lower belt divisions of the sport by conquering some of the sport’s most praised events. This included the World, Pan American, South American and European titles.
Eliot Kelly is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Marcos “Yemaso” Torregrosa and one of the top super-heavyweight competitors in the sport, particularly in the Masters division where Kelly has won three Masters World medals (black belt). Eliot Kelly has also competed extensively in freestyle wrestling, having carried a lot of this sport on to his jiu jitsu game, making him one of the exponents of the American jiu jitsu style in the super-heavyweight division of the sport.
Nakapan Phungephorn is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt of Thailandese nationality who earned the rank from Master Pedro Sauer. Phungephorn is also the founder of the BETA academy (Washington, DC), and a historic figure in the North American grappling circuit during the 2000’s, when he won important titles, particularly at the Grapplers Quest promotion.
Nicholas Meregali is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Mario Reis and Jeferson Adan, as well as a representative of the Alliance academy in the sport’s competitive circuit.
Valdir Canuto, commonly known as “Tio Chico” is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Leonardo Costa, and a pioneer for this grappling style in São Vicente (Brazil). A well respected referee for the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), Valdir is also an accomplished instructor, having in his son Renato Canuto his most famous student.
Paul Ardila-Ibarra a jiu jitsu black belt under Roan Carneiro, and representative of American Top Team (ATT), Ardila-Ibarra is also one of the top ultra-heavyweights of his generation, Paul also represented the Alliance Academy while training under Bruno Malfacine’s guidance during 2015.
Adam Wardziński is a Brazilian jiu jitsu under Alan “Finfou”, who is widely regarded as one of the top medium heavyweight competitors in the sport of grappling. Adam Wardziński is also one of the first big names to emerge from Poland in the sport of BJJ.
Kristian Woodmansee is a jiu jitsu black belt under André Galvão, being also one of the top rooster-weight competitors of his generation. A reputation built in the lower belt divisions of the sport for academies such as Team Lloyd Irvin, Drysdale Jiu Jitsu and Atos Jiu Jitsu.
Thamires Aquino is a jiu jitsu black belt under Júlio César, being also one of the top female competitors of her generation while competing for Grappling Fight Team – out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
David Avellan is an accomplished American grappler and a jiu jitsu black belt under Ricardo Teixeira, well known for his many battles in important no-gi tournaments such as the ADCC and Grapplers Quest, where he defeated legends of our sport such as Amaury Bitetti, Alexandre Ribeiro, Rafael Lovato Jr. and Tarsis Humphreys – to name a few.
BJJ Heroes got together with ADCC US Trials champion James Brasco to discuss his past few years, his reassurance in jiu jitsu’s no-gi scene and his plans for the future.
Eddie Cummings is a jiu-jitsu black belt under John Danaher, who is widely recognized as the first big name to emerge from a grappling …
As we reach the end of 2016, BJJ Heroes went back to each competitor’s records to assess who is the most accurate submission artist in jiu jitsu today. We looked at this year’s top competitions to find the athletes with the best submission ratio in the game and these are our findings.
The Truck in jiu jitsu is a hip control used by jiu jitsu practitioners and wrestlers with the intent of holding an opponent in order to advance for the back, establish a pin (wrestling) or use it to force a tap. In this article you will read about the evolution of the position in the sport of submission grappling.
Eduardo Barboza da Silva (Eduardo Barboza) is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Master Júlio César Pereira and a representative of the GF Team in the sport’s international circuit. One of the top rooster weights of his generation, Eduardo Barboza has conquered medals in important tournaments such as the IBJJF World Championship and Pan American Championship as well as the Rio International Open.
Horlando Monteiro is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Jair Lourenço, Gustavo Dantas and Marcelo ‘Caneta’ Pinheiro – being a representative of the Kimura/Nova União academy in the sport’s international circuit. Widely regarded as one of the most talented competitors of his generation, Monteiro earned his reputation in the lower belt divisions of jiu jitsu with important wins at the IBJJF World Championship, UAEJJF World Pro Championship, European International Open, Pan American Championship and many other important tournaments.
Manoel Neto is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and founder of Focus Jiu Jitsu – one of the most successful grappling academies in Europe. Originally a product of Nova Uniao (NU), Manoel Neto arrived to the North of Portugal in the early 2000’s decade, becoming one of the sport’s pioneers in the region while helping develop jiu jitsu to an international level by producing IBJJF World and European champions and medalists as well as Abu Dhabi World Pro podium achievers
In this article we visited the old European continent in search of the top jiu jitsu athletes, who have consistently shown their talent in the sport’s top tournaments. On this piece we pay specific attention to Europe’s top purple belts.
The cross choke, one of the most common submissions in Brazilian jiu jitsu and also one of the sport’s oldest positions. Learn the history of this strong stranglehold, its roots and the key players in the development of this choke.
Ilke Bulut Swiss born, Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Anderson Pereira and a one of the top Icon Jiu Jitsu Team representatives in the international grappling circuit – particularly in the European scene. Bulut was recognized as a future star for the sport of BJJ while still a teenager, a time when he earned two European Jiu Jitsu Open medals, having since cemented that claim with important wins at some of the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) top tournaments.
