Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team History, Fighter Stats, Biographies and News

Tomoyuki Hashimoto, also known as “Passport”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Yuki Nakai, and one of the top rooster weight grapplers of his generation. Hashimoto made a name for himself in the sport competing in the lower belt divisions, while representing the Carpe Diem Academy of Japan for whom he won a World Jiu Jitsu title and the prestigious Dumau Challenge. In 2015, shortly after being awarded his black belt, Hashimoto cemented his status of elite jiu jitsu athlete by conquering a gold medal at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour.

In this interview Gracie Barra black belt Edwin Najmi the Gracie Barra is asked about a few defining moments in his career, as well as other ideas about the sport.

Adriano Moraes, also known in the fight world as “Black Diamond”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under the illustrious Ataíde Junior of Team Constrictor, with whom he became also one of the top mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters of his generation, having competed in important organizations such as Shooto Brazil and One FC, conquering the flyweight (125lbs) belt of the Singapore-based promotion in 2014.

Gazzy Parman is a pioneer for women’s jiu jitsu and a black belt under John Lewis. A unique character in the female competitive grappling scene throughout the 2000’s decade, Gazzy’s outspoken demeanor and competitive accolades made her a fan favorite across the globe.

Lucas Pinheiro, also known as “Bad Boy” is a jiu-jitsu athlete of Brazilian Indigenous descent, who was awarded the rank of black belt by …

Reylson Gracie is a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and one of the most well respected representatives of the Gracie self defence style, being the son of Gracie jiu jitsu founder Carlos Gracie (Sr) and one of its pioneers in the United States where he raised awareness to the his family’s trade. Reylson is also an important figure in the development of jiu jitsu’s vocabulary, having created the names for several techniques, as well as a visionary in this martial art’s gi fashion, being the first producer of coloured gi’s (kimonos). Reylson is also the father of the well known MMA and BJJ fighter Rodrigo Gracie.

Nic Ruben is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Eduardo “Teta” Rios, being one of the most accomplished grappling competitors in the European continent. Earning medals at important tournaments such as the World No-Gi Championship, European Open or the Pan American No-Gi Championship, Ruben flew the Frontline Academy flag high (a team he co-founded) while raising awareness to the Norwegian jiu jitsu scene.

Felipe Silva, commonly known as “Bocão” is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Rogério Poggio and Pitoco Jordan, being known as one of the most active competitors of the Infight Jiu Jitsu Academy throughout the 2000’s & 2010 decade. Bocão also became one of the main coaches of the team, later joining the United Arab Emirates school system as a grappling coach.

As the sport of Brazilian jiu jitsu expands to all corners of the Earth, more talent is generated by countries we not often relate …

Paulo Rezende, commonly known as “Paulão” Rezende, is a 4th degree Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Leonardo Castello Branco, being an iconic figure of the sport particularly in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, from where he has developed some of the best grapplers the world has laid eyes on, such as Marcelo Garcia, Reinaldo Ribeiro, Rodrigo Ranieri and Matheus Diniz to name a few.

Vinicius Amaral is judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, the latter awarded by two legendary instructors: César “Casquinha” Guimarães and Master Carlson Gracie. An iconic figure in both sports, Amaral took part in the Brazilian National Judo Squad for 5 years, while in BJJ he represented Carlson Gracie Academy as well as Gama Filho, GF Team and Game Fight, earning several world titles in jiu jitsu. Vinicius is also a highly regarded instructor, having developed high-end athletes such as Bruno Malfacine, Theodoro Canal, Denilson Pimenta, etc. In 1999 Vinicius Amaral founded Game Fight, a well respected academy with a broad affiliate network.

Carlson Gracie Junior is a 5th degree black belt under his father, Carlson Gracie (sr) being also the head representative of the Carlson Gracie Association, as well as the head coach of the Carlson Gracie Academy in Chicago, IL – where he moved to in 1996.

Wilson Reis is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Roberto Godoi, being one of the sport’s most successful transitions to mixed martial arts (MMA). Wilson Reis conquered important medals in jiu jitsu, including a São Paulo state title (2004) and a world title (2004), before making the transition to MMA where Reis competed in important organizations such as EliteXC (bantamweight belt holder), Bellator and more recently the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The 5th edition of EBI seemed promising at the start, with the promoters toying with the idea of adding a few prominent grapplers from jiu jitsu’s main competitive environment, namely IBJJF or the ADCC medalists. The card is finally out, find out who is involved.

The intent of this article is not to downsize no-gi jiu jitsu, but find the causes for the gi’s unlikely dominance over the sport’s no-gi events.

Rodrigo Freitas is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Aldo Januário (Caveirinha), known as one of the top competitors of his generation, a …

Thiago Gaia is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Marco Barbosa, having spent most of his lower belt career under the tutelage of Leonardo Vieira. Regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the sport since his purple belt campaign (2009/10), Gaia confirmed his talent as a black belt medalling in some of Brazil’s top tournaments, particularly in Sao Paulo’s No-Gi grappling scene.

Thiago Abreu, commonly known as Thiago “Baiano” is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Rodrigo Cavaca and a representative of the Checkmat team in the sport’s competitive circuit, having conquered medals in some of the main tournaments of the grappling world, including the World Championship (Gi and No-Gi) as well as the Pan American Championship and Sao Paulo Open.

Daniel Wanderley, also known as “Cachorrão” or Big Dog, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Gutenberg Melo commonly known for his involvement in the development of mixed martial arts (MMA) stars such as Anthony Pettis, Erik Koch and Ben Askren at the Roufusport MMA academy. As a competitor, Wanderley has also ventured into MMA, while achieving important medals in jiu jitsu, particularly in the “over 30” category (masters) where he won the Pan American No-Gi Champion and placed 2nd in the World No-Gi Championship.

Thiago Gaia is one of the top Brazilian competitors in jiu jitsu today. A former student of Leo Vieira and black belt under Barbosa, Gaia made waves this past weekend with his Instagram post, showing an iBJJF official attempting to block Gaia’s message on the podium. On this piece we speak to Gaia about his message and the event.