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.
Take a walk down memory lane and read about the connection between surfing and jiu jitsu, from the confrontations between representatives of the two sports in the 1970s until the prosperous and harmonious relationship between the two sports today.
Ryron Gracie is the grandson of Helio Gracie and the oldest son of Rorion Gracie, being part of the third generation of jiu jitsu’s most illustrious family. A recognizable figure within the jiu jitsu community, Ryron Gracie became also a familiar face amongst MMA fans after a series of web episodes named “The Gracie Breakdown” Where Ryron and his brother Rener Gracie go over techniques utilized in UFC events. Ryron Gracie is also an instructor at the Gracie Academy.
Nelson Monteiro is a jiu jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Junior and one of the coaches in the illustrious Gracie Barra academy. One of the first BJJ black belts from Gracie Barra to open a school in the United States, Monteiro was also connected with the birth of the ADCC, the world’s most established biggest submission wrestling tournament (Abu Dhabi Combat Club).
José Leão Teixeira or “Zé Beleza”, as he is often named within the BJJ community, is one of the founding members of the Gracie Barra academy and an important figure in jiu jitsu’s history. A former member of the epic grappling team built by Rolls Gracie, José Leão Teixeira founded the Leão Teixeira Jiu Jitsu School, one of the top kids BJJ academies in Brazil. Jose Teixeira was also involved in creation of CBJJ/IBJJF.
A spectacular jiu jitsu fighter from Checkmat and one of the most accurate finishers modern day jiu jitsu, Renato Cardoso received his black belt in 2012 by the hands of Rodrigo Cavaca and hit the ground running that year winning both a world title (CBJJE) and a Sao Paulo International Open only a few weeks after receiving the well deserved black belt.
Milton Regis is a black belt under Great Master Francisco Mansur and one of the top instructors of the Kioto Academy, leading the Sayville, NY, branch of the organization. An accomplished black belt with medals at the Pan American (Gi and Nogi) as well as the NAGA and the Brazilian National Championship, Milton Regis also co-created and promoted the Long Island PRIDE, a competition that has been successfully running since 2007.
DJ Jackson, is one of Team Lloyd Irvin’s most accomplished grapplers and an important figure in jiu jitsu’s middleweight division, having won the IBJJF world championship in every belt on his way to earning his black belt, a promotion he achieved on July 2012. Originally a wrestler, DJ Jackson became part of Lloyd Irvin’s jiu jitsu team on his off season, and picked up a series of wins from the start, relegating wrestling to the background to focus on BJJ competition.
