Jean Jacques Machado

Jean Jacques Machado is a legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) competitor and instructor. Regarded as one of Carlos Gracie Junior‘s top students in the 1980’s, a status cemented with his wins over several important grapplers of his generation, including grappling and mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Wallid Ismail at the Copa Atlantica tournament in Brazil. Jean Jacques Machado continued his good form after he moved to the United States to open his own academy, winning years later the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC).

Jean Jacques Machado Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Jean Jacques Machado

Nickname: n/a

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Junior > Jean Jacques Machado

Main Achievements 

• 1st Place ADCC World Championship (1999)
• 2nd Place ADCC World Championship (2000 / 2001)

Favorite Technique/Position: Rear naked choke & Butterfly Guard.

Team/ Association: Machado Jiu-Jitsu

Jean Jacques Biography

Jean Jacques Machado was born on February 12, 1968, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which left him without fingers on his left hand, Machado is related to the Gracie family from his mother’s side of the family, given that Lair (Carlos Gracie Junior’s mother) is Jean Jacques aunt.

The Machado brothers started training with their cousin Carlos Gracie Junior during a period when Jr. worked as an assistant instructor at Rolls Gracie‘s academy (an academy shared with Carlson Gracie). After Rolls’ death, “Carlinhos” moved the team to the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, where he formed Gracie Barra, giving a coaching opportunity to Jean Jacques, who became team’s main instructor (though supervised by Carlos). There Machado coached many men who would later become legends of the sport themselves, men such as Helio ‘Soneca’, ‘Soca‘, ‘Gordo‘ and many others.

Soon after Jean Jacques was promoted to black belt by Carlos Gracie Junior, he moved to the United States of America, following his older brother Rigan Machado‘s footsteps. Rigan had opened a small BJJ academy in California and Jean Jacques came to the USA with the intent of helping his brother grow the gym.

In America Jean Jacques and his brothers created a new trend by giving adequate instruction to the “Gringos” (Americans). In Brazil showing foreigners Gracie jiu-jitsu techniques were still seen as a taboo and something that was frowned upon by the majority of jiu-jitsu professors. The Machados received a lot of bad credit in Brazil for training people such as Mark Kerr and Ricco Rodriguez before competitions where they were facing Brazilians. They also taught Enson and Egan Inoe (who later went to Nova Uniao) and movie stars like Chuck Norris and Steven Segal.

When Jean Jacques Machado first arrived at the USA there weren’t any competitions in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu scene for black belts. To keep his competitive flame on, and because Jean wanted to try something new, he ventured in Sport Sambo (or Sombo) where he won a few State Championships and the Pan American Championship in 1993. Before reaching success at the ADCC, Jean Jaques also tried his luck in MMA, against the then-undefeated Frank Trigg. He lost a hard-fought battle on the 3rd Round due to a cut (knee as he was shooting in for a single leg).

Aside from being one of the best BJJ coaches in the world and a legend of the ADCC organization, Jean Jaques Machado and his brothers were also part of over 20 episodes of Chuck Norris’s Walker Texas Ranger and had their own film called ‘Bad Boys from Brazil’.

Jean Jacques Machado vs Caol Uno

Jean Jacques Machado vs Ricardo Arona