A fantastic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner from Danmark, Alexander Trans had a rampant career as a purple and brown belt, winning every major tournament in the world before earning his black belt from Leonardo Vieira late in 2011. Alexander is a Checkmat representative in Copenhagen, training alongside Ida Hansson, Shimon Mochizuki and many others.
The creator of the Baratoplata technique, Rafael Freitas (AKA Barata) is also an accomplished Jiu Jitsu black belt, having competed and won in some of the most respected tournaments in the BJJ international circuit. Barata is also the coach of Gracie Barra New Mexico.
Ian Mcpherson is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Romero “Jacaré” Cavalcanti and one of the top competitors from the Alliance HQ academy in Atlanta, Georgia, USA where he also learned a great deal from “Cobrinha”. Mcpherson made a name for himself by winning the World BJJ Championship and the Pan American as a brown belt back in 2010.
Michel Langhi is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the legendary Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” and one of the most gifted guard players in BJJ’ featherweight division. Being the brother of lightweight world champion Michael Langhi, Michel (often regarded as “Langhinho”) became a starlet of his own merit after successive impressive wins in the lower ranks where he won tournaments such as the World Championships, the Pan American and the Brasileiro.
One of the most prestigious figures in the Cia Paulista academy, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Paulo Gazze Junior holds an extensive list of achievements in BJJ having defeated fighters such as Dean Lister (2x ADCC Champion), BJ Penn (World BJJ Champion/ UFC Champion), Fabio Leopoldo (World BJJ Champion) and in MMA where Gazze Junior has won against significant athletes such as Chris Leben (UFC fighter) and Dwayne Ortiz (Former Olympian for USA’ Wrestling team).
Yuri Simões is one of Jiu Jitsu’s rising stars and a representative of the Checkmat academy fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Awarded with his black belt on December 2011, Yuri made a name for himself in the lower ranks after wining several important competitions such as the Mundial, the World Nogi Championships, the European Open to name a few. Yuri Simões is also the adopted brother of another BJJ starlet, Ary Farias.
Daniel Gracie is a Renzo Gracie Team representative and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlinhos Gracie. Daniel is an ADCC veteran that managed to reach the highest stage of BJJ in the mid 1990’s, medalling in all of the most important tournaments in the world, a standard he managed to keep for many years and carry into his MMA career where he competed at the highest level in tournaments such as the Pride FC and Bellator FC.
A former tri-athlete, Guilherme Cascon is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the illustrious Master Carlos Henrique, who coaches at the Brazil 021 team academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Guilherme has reached the podiums of important tournaments throughout his competitive career, such as the Brasileiro and the Copa Rolls Gracie.
Leandro Lora is a representative of the Brazil 021 Jiu Jitsu team. A former Kioto team member, Leandro has earned his black belt from the prestigious Master Carlos Henrique on July 2010.
Thiago Leiras is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the prestigious Flavio Aleluia and a member of the Brazil 021 BJJ team. Having medalled in important tournaments such as the Rio Open, Copa América and Copa Cyclone, Leiras reached the degree of black belt in August 2011.
Luis Sergio Roman is a Puerto Rican national who holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under James Boran. Originaly a Sambo athlete, Luis Roman turned to BJJ in the 1990’s and became a black belt in the early 2000’s.
Grand Master Joao Alberto Barreto (9th degree red belt in BJJ) is a legendary figure for Jiu Jitsu world wide. Graduated by Helio Gracie himself, Joao Alberto became one of the top competitors of the Gracie Academy in the 1950’s being unbeaten in Vale Tudo matches (the early MMA). Barreto was also part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a referee in the early stages of the famous organization.
André “Dedeco” Almeida is an American Top Team representative and the founder of Best Way BJJ. A 4th degree black belt in Jiu Jitsu under Ricardo Liborio, and one of the most respected instructors in the sport, Dedeco has graduated several great competitors of the sport such as Rafael Formiga, Leandro Escobar and Michael DeLuca.
Fabiano Silva is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Liborio from the American Top Team (ATT), who also competes in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Fabiano is also known as the head coach of the Temecula (USA) branch of ATT.
Salvatore Pace is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos Lemos Jr and a BJJ Coach with international experience, having taught in both …
Bruno Ferreira is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt graduated by the inimitable Master Francisco Albuquerque (also known as Toco). Ferreira has medalled in several important events such as the Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian Nationals), the South American Championship and the Brazilian Teams Tournament.
The Companhia Paulista, commonly know as Cia Paulista, is a historical Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team enrooted in São Paulo,Brazil. Cia started as a small local team though it grew into one of the top Jiu Jitsu academies in the world since its birth in the 1980’s. Cia Paulista is famed for producing high calibre fighters such as Eduardo Santoro, Carlos Vieira, Roberto Godoi.
Interview with one of the biggest legends in Jiu Jitsu, Hannette Staack, 6 times world champion and one of the leaders of the Brazil 021 team in the United States and Brazil. Hannette talks about her busy schedule, her training habits, her day to day life, her social projects and the future of the sport. Get to know the woman behind the champion through this interview.
The first North American black belt awarded by master Claudio Franca, Garth Taylor is also one of the most accomplished BJJ competitors of his generation, having medalled several times in important Jiu Jitsu tournaments such as the Mundial and the Pan American. A black belt since December 2000, Garth is also an accomplished coach.
Luciana Machado is the proud owner of the famous M Kimonos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brand. MKimonos was arguably the first brand to become world famous in the BJJ world, a brand associated with big names such as Saulo Ribeiro, Vitor “Shaolin”, Royler Gracie and many others. The witty and outspoken Brazilian got together with BJJ Heroes and revealed a little about who she is and what the brand is all about.
