André Luiz Candido da Silva, commonly known in the Brazilian jiu jitsu community as André ‘Marola’ is a black belt under Wendel Alexander, and the head coach of Nova União’s jiu jitsu team, at the academy’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, having replaced the legendary André Pederneira’s position as coach in the team in 2008.
A former DI wrestler, AJ Agazarm became known in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for his fast gameness, his scrambles and his takedowns which earned him numerous titles and his black belt (2013), awarded by Eduardo de Lima and Carlos Gracie Junior.
Eddie Bravo is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Jean Jacques Machado, being the founder of 10th planet jiu jitsu. Bravo made his mark in the jiu jitsu world by submitting Royler Gracie at the ADCC (2003), after which he launched his 10th planet jiu jitsu, a program that became widely publicized, gathering a huge following in the grappling and MMA circuits.
Tim Spriggs is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Julius Park of the Crazy 88 academy, an affiliate of Lloyd Irvin‘s academy. Born and …
Mata leão, meaning ‘lion killer’ in Portuguese, is the name of a popular choke-hold in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a choke that is called hadaka jime in Judo, and rear naked choke in the American grappling circuit. Here you will find a run down of the history of the rear naked choke, and the roots of the mata leão name.
The darce choke (d’arce), also called brabo choke is an arm triangle type choke used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA and other grappling styles, created in the mid 1990s, having since gained tremendous notoriety, particularly in the no gi facet of Jiu Jitsu.
The brabo is a gi/kimono choking technique utilized in grappling related sports/martial arts whose creation is attributed to Leonardo Vieira in the early 2000’s decade, one of the top featherweights in the history of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a sport.
Sergio Zimmermann is a Jiu Jitsu black belt who made a career competing in Europe having won the European Jiu Jitsu Open, one of the top competitions in BJJ’s yearly calendar on 10 occasions.
A chronological account of one of the biggest rivalries in martial arts history and the events that led to it. The jiu jitsu vs. luta livre lasted for almost a century, starting in the early 1930’s until de end of the 20th century.
Gianni Grippo is widely regarded as one of the leading figures of the ‘Berimbolo Generation’ of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, having built that reputation in the lower belt divisions of the sport where he conquered 6 world titles (4 with the gi and 2 without). Grippo competed for the Renzo Gracie Academy up until brown belt, when he switched to Marcelo Garcia’s Alliance, continuing his grappling career at the multiple time world champion academy.
One of the top competitors of his generation, Victor Silverio became a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in 2013, a grade he earned training under the supervision of the illustrious Master Julio Cesar of the Grappling Fight Team (GFT).
Shimon Mochizuki was the first Dane to achieve the status of black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a rank awarded by Leonardo Vieira, being also one of Europe’s most successful coaches.
The inverted guard, also known as Roleta guard, tornado guard or upside down guard, is a creative grappling position developed in the 1990’s by Roberto Magalhães. The term upside down/inverted guard is utilized when the guard player goes upside down and uses his legs and grips to keep the fight at a desired distance.
Gustavo Dias is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Cristiano Marcello and Ocimar Costa, who competes for the Gracie Humaita team, Dias has a long list of accomplishments
The Miragaia is a Jiu Jitsu position developed in the early 1990s by Renato Miragaia. The position became popular in the competitive circuit of the sport as it allows the fighter on top to limit the mobility of the guard player, utilizing this control to his advantage.
Marcio André is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and one of the top athletes of his generation in the sport, being also one of the prime representatives of the Nova Uniao team in the gi.
The rubber guard is a grappling position of origin unknown that was first seen being put to use in competitions by Nino Schembri in the late 1990s decade, later being also picked up by Eddie Bravo in the early 2000s.
Thiago Sá Fortes is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Vieira, and a top level competitor in the IBJJF tournament circuit, representing the Checkmat academy.
The half guard, is a grappling position developed in the early 1990s by Roberto Correa, a well known Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete. The position has since then transformed the landscape of combat sports, having particular use in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Submission Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts.
Marcio Dos Santos is coral belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and a leading figure of the sport during the 1980s decade, being directly involved in the development of Osvaldo Alves’ and Carlson Gracie’s teams, two of the most dominant academies in Jiu Jitsu during that era.
