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The Nova Geração Jiu Jitsu academy has been led by Francisco “Toco” Albuquerque for several years and is one of the most respected and prestigious BJJ gyms in Rio de Janeiro, having spawned numerous grappling starlets including big names such as Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu and Alexandre “Pulga”.

Jose Junior is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who managed to slip under the radar of many BJJ enthusiasts until he submitted one of BJJ’s top players, Bernardo Faria, on the World Pro Jiu Jitsu Cup tournament in 2011. A student of master Juarez Soares for many years, Jose Junior moved to the United Arab Emirates to be part of the BJJ schooling program there, where he became a grappling coach.

Detailed results of all the fights in the 2011 edition of the ADCC, the world’s most prestigious Submission Grappling tournament in the world. The 2011 ADCC was held in Nottingham England and brought to the English town the elite grapplers of the world who competed for the top spot and the cash prize that came with it.

Rodrigo Cabral was the man commissioned to develop Alliance’s Jiu Jitsu prowess in Russia. This Rio de Janeiro native (also known as “Brucutu”) has left his sunny Brazil to travel to Easter Europe, and establish the first Alliance franchise in the land of Sambo. BJJ Heroes caught up with Rodrigo to discuss this exciting enterprise.

The worlds most prestigious grappling event is on our doorstep! This year we can count on the live broadcast of the ADCC 2011 in High Definition. The ADCC live stream will be broadcasted directly from Nottingham, England and it will be commentated by Shawn Williams and Caleb.

Father to two of BJJ’s biggest stars in the 1980’s, Flavio Behring was also of great contribute to the growth of the sport in Sao Paulo. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Red Belt in Jiu Jitsu, Flavio Behring has trained Jiu Jitsu since 1947 and became one of the Gracie Academy’s top students in the 1960’s.

Rolker Gracie is an important figure in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, being the 4th son of Helio Gracie and one of the main figures within the Gracie Humaitá organization, arguably the most historical of BJJ academies, from where he has influenced the technical growth of many world champions.

Rodrigo Ranieri is a World Jiu Jitsu Cup gold medallist (2006) and a top super featherweight grappler. A BJJ black belt under master Paulo Cesar Rezende, Ranieri (also known as “Mike” or “Mike Tyson”) moved to the United States where he has competed extensively in his weight class and open weight classes all around the country.

A jiu jitsu black belt from the Nova Uniao team, Bernardo Pitel was consistently since the early 2000’s one of the most active competitors in the Pluma weight division. The man from Brasilia, and student of Joao Roque has managed to medal in some of the world’s most important tournaments such as the Pan America, the Mundial and the Brazilian Nationals.

Tom Abdo is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under former world BJJ Champion Luiz Guilherme “Guigo”. Though not a regular competitor, Tom Abdo has also achieved great success in tournaments with several titles in the Sao Paulo State Championships and even a Silver Medal at the Jiu Jitsu World Cup.

The Gerbil, as he is usually called in the Jiu Jitsu community is a black belt in BJJ under the legendary Gracie Barra competitor Roberto “Gordo” Correa. Jeremy Gerbil Arel is also a household name amongst Jiu Jitsu’s internet community through his several online instructionals and his active participation in some of the most important grappling forums on the web, something he has done since his early BJJ days.

Louie Cercedez is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the famous Roy Harris (one of the first American BJJ black belts). With an extensive Martial Arts background, Cercedez also ventured into the early staged of Mixed Martial Arts, having fought on shows when MMA was still in its embryo stage against fighters such as Javier Vazquez and Yves Edwards.

Andre Quiles is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the Leozinho Vieira with strong ties to the MMA team Chute Boxe, for whom he fought many. Quiles has won several important titles in Jiu Jitsu, such as Sao Paulo State Champions (7 times) and South American Championchip.

Fernando Monteiro is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the great master Francisco Mansor. The former Niteroi league champion has trained BJJ since 1977, and is one of the most experienced members of the prestigious Brasil 021 team.

Gastão Gracie Filho was a red belt in BJJ and the brother of Carlos, Oswaldo, George and Helio Gracie, all of which form the founding members of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu style. He moved to Sao Paulo where he helped further develop the sport there in the 1930’s.

Oswaldo Gracie was one of the founding members of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, whom together with brothers Carlos, Gastao, George and Helio, transformed the landscape of martial arts forever in Brazil. Oswaldo is often seen as the better fighter of the original 5 brothers, he went on to promote Gracie Jiu Jitsu in the state of Minas Gerais.

This charismatic black belt from the Alliance Jiu Jitsu team has medalled in some of the world’s most Important competitions such as the Mundial, the European Open and the Pan American, he is also an important figure for BJJ in the country of Ecuador where he resides and where has established an Alliance affiliate academy.

Carlos Henrique is a 5th degree black belt under master Francisco Mansor who has medalled in important tournaments such as the International Masters & Seniors, the Pan American & the Brasileiro (Brazilian Nationals). Carlos Henrique is also one of the leaders of the Brazil 021 team, an important team that has raised champions such as Hanette Staack.

One of the ADCC 2011 starlets, the American Justin Rader is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Rafael Lovato Jr and the Gracie Humaita team who has won important tournaments such as the World Nogi Championships, Grapplers Quest and the Pan American Jiu Jitsu championships.

Amin Touati “Camelinho” is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under the legendary Royce Gracie since June 2011. From Stockholm, Sweden, Amin Touati moved to Dubai in the UAE and helped grow the sport of BJJ in that Arab country.