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.
Bruno Almeida Alves is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Zé Radiola from the Gracie Barra (Pernambuco) academy. Bruno piled up medals in some of the toughest BJJ tournaments in the world at the middleweight division such as the Mundial (World Championship), the European, the Pan American, amongst many others.
The first Swedish female black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Ida Hansson is also one of the top competitors of her generation, having fought throughout the world, medalling in some of the world’s most important grappling tournaments. Hansson fights out of the Checkmat team in Denmark (Arte Suave) one of the top high level BJJ academies in Europe.
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.
Sylvio Behring is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 8th degree Coral Belt and a Judo black belt who is regarded as one of the top grappling instructors in the world, having helped develop the games of fighters such as Fabricio Werdum, Anderson Silva, Marcio Corleta and many others. Sylvio Behring is Flavio Behring’s older son and Marcelo Behring’s brother.
Flavio Aleluia is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Carlos Henrique, and one of the head coaches at the Brazil 021 academy. A black belt since 1998, Flavio Aleluia is also considered to be André Negão Terêncio’s right hand man at the academy.
Reginaldo Gurgel Almeida is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master “Sazinho” (from the Takeo Iano lineage) in Fortaleza, who in 2008 moved to the United States where he established a strong SAS team academy. Reginaldo Almeida has medalled in important events, such as the World Cup, the Brazilian Nationals and CBJJE’s Pan Ams, he is also a certificated referee by the IBJJF.
Leo Arruda is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the former world BJJ champion, Luiz Guilherme AKA “Guigo”. Leo Arruda (who is also a black belt in Aikido) has won several important tournaments all over the world, including the World Cup on two occasions (by the Confederação Brasileira de Jiu Jitsu Esportivo – CBJJE) and the Pan Pacific, one of the biggest inter continental tournaments in the world.
Marcus Bello is a Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, being also one of the most important figures in the GFTeam. Bello is famed for his exquisite top game with which he defeated many big names of the sport, including legends like Tererê and Marcelinho Garcia.
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.
Thadeu Vieira is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Paulo Wesley Lopes and the founder of the World BJJ Association, a team represented all over the world. Thadeu is also famed for his entrepreneur endeavours, having released “The BJJ Book” and the “20 Classic Armbars DVD”.
Nivaldo Oliveira a world Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion and a black belt under the legendary Leo Vieira. Nivaldo has become one of the strongest fighters from the Checkmat team, having defeated several important figures in tournaments all over the world.
Vinicius Marinho is another great GF Team (Grappling Fight Team) black belt with an extensive curriculum of achievements in competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu including wins at the Mundial (World Championships) and the Brazilian Nationals. Marinho, who started training at age 10,achieved his BJJ black belt status when he was 19 years of age.
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.
Gabriel Ribeiro is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Carlos Henrique, under whom he graduated in 2010. A team member of the Brazil 021 academy, Gabriel has medalled in prestigious Rio de Janeiro tournaments such as the Copa Conde Coma the Carlson Gracie Cup and the Gavazza Cup.
Famed for his unique leopard print hairstyle and his fast rise to BJJ stardom where he achieved a BJJ black belt under Master Lloyd Irvin in 3.5 years, Mike Fowler is also a very successful grappler and one of the most famous produce from Team Irvin’s camp, doing justice to the famed “Grappling Blue Print” advertised by Master Lloyd.
One of the strongest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teams in current times, the Grappling Fight Team (most commonly known as GFTeam) has been on the spotlight of the sport with consistent wins at the Brazilian National Championship and the big wins of fighters such as Rodolfo Vieira at the most important tournaments in the world such as the Mundial and the Pan Americans.
