Luiz Ribeiro, also known as “Manxinha” or “Manxa” is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Vieira from the Checkmat academy. Luiz Ribeiro is also the founder and owner of London Fight Factory, one of the main Jiu Jitsu academies in London, England, where he has helped the development of the sport in the country.
Gabrielzinho Moraes is a historical figure in BJJ having won the world jiu jitsu championship in the blue belt division in 2003 and in the black belt division in 2004, being the only competitor ever to have won the world championship in blue and black belt consecutively.
This year’s heavyweight edition of the Copa Podio (Podium Cup 2013) was seen with great anticipation. The famous tournament brought to Brazil one of the world’s most loved brown belts, Keenan Cornelius to compete against the top black belts in the world. Check here the full results of the Copa Podio 2013
A black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the legendary Andre Pederneiras, Marcos Galvao, also known by his nickname “Loro”, has become one of the top MMA fighters in the world after winning the Bellator Bantamweight tournament in 2012. Marcos Galvao also trains with another legend of the sport, Vitor Ribeiro.
Ryan Beauregard is an American born jiu jitsu and judo black belt, being also one of the top competitors of his generation in the USA. A former world Brazilian jiu jitsu champion (brown belt 2008), Ryan Beauregard started his own team together with his brothers (Colin and Ian), this “Team Beauregard” has quickly become one of the strongest BJJ academies in the Arizona region.
Rodolphe Olivier is a French grappler who holds the rank of black belt in jiu jitsu, a belt awarded by Ricardo Vieira. Rodolphe and his three brothers (all BJJ black belts) have represented France all around the world, conquering important medals. They have also founded one of the top academies in France, the Gokudo.
Brandon Mullins, is one of the most accomplished American born BJJ black belts, being the second American to win two world titles in the adult black belt division of the sport. Brandon Mullins made a name for himself as one of the top jiu jitsu competitors in the rooster weight division after he won his first Pan American title in 2009 (no gi). He has since become one of the most successful American born BJJ black belts in the world through his recurring success at the world no gi championships.
One of the top female jiu jitsu fighters at the turn of the century, Ana Laura Cordeiro became a star fighting for the Gracie Barra camp where she won 4 consecutive world BJJ titles. She was regarded as the top grappler of her generation before Ana Laura Cordeiro suffered a terrible back injury that prevented her from competing at the highest level ever since.
Ricardo Diogo, also known as “Rey” Diogo was one of the first Carlson Gracie jiu jitsu team representatives to come to the United States where he established his own academy based on his master’s teachings.
Brazilian born Caio Terra is currently one of the most accomplished jiu jitsu black belts in the world with several world titles. In 2007 Caio was invited by Cesar Gracie to come and settle in the US and become Gracie Eltite’s grappling coach, more recently he was invited by MMA fighter Carlos Condit to help him prepare for his UFC title shot against GSP. Cesar Gracie came out in public, making himself vocal. BJJ Heroes got in contact with Caio Terra for a short interview to hear his version of the facts.
Ivan Gomes was one of the top vale-tudo (no-holds-bared) fighters of the past century, Gomes dominated the scene in the 1960/70s, defeating legendary fighters such as Waldemar Santana, Euclides Pereira finishing his fighting career in 1977 with a record of 86 NHB fights and no defeats.
One of the top Brazilian jiu jitsu teams in the world, the Atos Jiu Jitsu academy is led by Andre Galvao and Ramon Lemos, both former training partners at the Brasa academy in Sao Paulo.
Marc Laimon is a renowned grappling coach who holds the rank of black belt in Brazillian jiu jitsu, being also the founder of the Cobra Kai academy. Marc Laimon has worked on the ground games of several MMA fighters, including Bas Rutten, Oleg Tatakrov, Mark Kerr, Johny Hendricks and many others, while producing well known jiu jitsu black belts such as Sim Go and Chris Holdsworth. Marc Laimon was also an instructor on the famous MMA reality show TUF (The Ultimate Fighter).
Fernando Vieira is a jiu jitsu world champion as well as world pro cup champion from the city of Manaus. A black belt under Cristiano Carioca, Vieira has defeated several important figures of the sport including Bibiano Fernandes. He has also spent time fighting in MMA.
Nicolas Gregoriades is a South African grappler who was the first jiu jitsu practitioner to have received a black belt from the renowned Roger Gracie. Gregoriades is also an accomplished competitor and one of the founders of the “Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood”, a BJJ community with affiliates all over the world.
Marcos Torregrosa, also known as Marcos “Yemaso” in the fighting world, is a jiu jitsu black belt under Cassio Werneck. Originally from Puerto Rico, Marcos Torregrosa made a name for himself in the grappling world competing mainly in the United States where he conquered several important tournaments such as the American National, Grapplers Quest, the US Open an many other trophies. Yamaso is also part of the Lloyd Irvin association, which he joined in 2011.
Metamoris Pro Jiu Jitsu Invitational is a grappling event where some of the top names in the jiu jitsu world will face each other in much anticipated super-fights. The fight’s winners are determined by submission only, meaning, if after 20 minutes of fighting there hasn’t been a tapout, the fight will be declared a draw, regardless of any positional dominance that may occur throughout the fight.
And here it is, the second part of BJJ Heroes & DSTRYRsg’s interview to the legendary female fighter, Hannette Staack. On this segment, we go over her absence at the World Jiu Jitsu Championships, how it was to be a spectator for a change, her injury and her plans for the future.
widely considered one of the best female jiu jitsu competitors to have graced the mats and it is an absolute honour to have her on our website once again. This time, BJJ Heroes joined forces with DSTRYRsg to provide a tip-top quality interview.
Fabio Clemente is an historical figure for jiu jitsu in New York (Manhattan), having opened one of the very first BJJ academies in the region, a team that has run successfully since the mid 1990’s. Fabio Clemente earned his black belt under Rigan Machado, and was a member of the Machado Association before he joined the Alliance team in the late 1990’s; He was also responsible for bringing Marcelo Garcia to the US.
