Marcel Fortuna, also known as “Mãozinha”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Alexandre de Souza (Pop), and a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Having conquered an IBJJF World title representing the Gracie Florianópolis team (2007), Fortuna would later join the famous Ralph Gracie’s academy in San Francisco – California (2009), with whom he started his MMA career, while still keeping active within the local grappling circuit.
On this article we go through the amazing work being done by the non-profit jiu jitsu organization “Tap Cancer Out” in the United States.
Darson Hemmings is a Jamaican/Canadian black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu by Jorge Britto, being the first athlete of Caribbean origin to compete in the ADCC. Hemmings is also one of the most accomplished Canadian competitors of his generation with medals at tournaments such as the World No-Gi Championship, European Open and Pan American Championship.
Neiman Gracie is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie, being also the great grandson of Gracie jiu jitsu founder Carlos Gracie (10th degree), grandson to 9th degree red belt Robson Gracie as well as the son of the famous Master Márcio Stambowsky. Neiman earned his place in the sport by his own merit, earning numerous titles in Gi and No-Gi tournaments before his transition to mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2013, having fought for prestigious promotions such as Bellator and World Series of Fighting (WSOF).
Amal Easton is a veteran muay thai competitor and Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie, regarded as a pioneering figure for the South American grappling style in the United States. A decorated grappler with numerous titles to his name, Easton is also known as one of the top instructors in the country having developed high end grapplers and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters such as Shane Carwin, Elliott Marshall, Brendan Schaub, Nathan Marquardt and countless others.
In depth analysis of the 2016 IBJJF Pan American Championship, one of the main tournaments in the Brazilian jiu jitsu sporting calendar. From most popular submission trends, to analysing previous years and different tournament settings.
Widely regarded as the second most important tournament in Brazilian jiu jitsu’s sporting calendar, the 2016 International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan American …
An amazing day of Brazilian jiu jitsu occurred today as the open weight brackets of the adult black belt divisions were played out with …
Full results for the last stop of the Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Grand Slam Tour – London. An event that gathered a few high end athletes such as Jackson Sousa, Erberth Santos, Alan “Finfou”, Lúcio “Lagarto”, Tayane Porfirio and a few others.
If becoming a star in the your goals, you will not want to miss the 2016 ADCC Trials, which now have announced its date and location
Patricia Fontes, commonly known as “Pati” Fontes, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Lucas Leite, being one of the most successful competitors of her generation. Having built her resume in the lower belt divisions of the sport, Pati earned the grappling community’s admiration after her 2015 run, when she won her first two IBJJF World titles, first one as a brown belt (gi), repeating the deed a few months later, at the No-Gi Worlds as a black belt, consolidating her rank.
Mackenzie has been training at the famour MMA Lab for a few months, a gym that has produced names such as Ben Henderson, having also introduced another high profile jiu jitsu champion Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes to MMA.
Pedro Gama, commonly known as Pedro “Gama Filho” is a historic figure for grappling based combat sports in Brazil, particularly for Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. Among his greatest achievements were Pedro’s efforts towards placing jiu jitsu in the Physical Education curriculum of the Gama Filho University (UGF), his work in creating the “Reação” Institute, which allowed for thousands of underprivileged kids to access judo (many of which became international level athletes), his influence in the creation of teams such as GFTeam and Nova Geração, and above all his efforts in raising awareness for jiu jitsu and judo athletes in Brazil.
The heel hook is a grappling submission hold used to force an opponent to quit (tap-out) thus ending a match in either jiu jitsu, sambo, catch-wrestling or mixed martial arts (MMA). Find out more about this important grappling position here.
Yan Lucas, commonly known as “Pica-Pau” is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Pirillo Roriz, and one of the top representatives of Gracie Barra – Ceará. “Pica-Pau” made a name for himself in the lower belt divisions of the sport, with wins at tournaments such as the IBJJF World Championship and the American Nationals, winning against big names of the sport such as Mahamed Aly, Isaac Doederlin, Hiago George and many others.
One of the most recent trends in Jiu Jitsu’s competitive scene is the Single Leg X-Guard to the “One Handed” Toe Hold submission. In this article we go back in time, to rescue the first grapplers to make the position famous in the sport.
One of the strongest teams in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has recently vetoed the Munich Open due to a dispute with the German Jiu Jitsu Federation (BJJBD). Read the case as we discuss the issue with Checkmat Europe leader Chico Mendes.
Marcel Gonçalves is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu, recognized as the very first student of the prestigious grappling coach. Gonçalves is one of the top lightweights of his generation having medalled in important tournaments such as the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships, the IBJJF World Championships as well as the IBJJF Pan American and FIVE Grappling’s North American Invitational Championship.
Miami’s jiu jitsu is getting stronger, and much of this momentum is owed to a trio of black belts and their students, who have been making waves in the sport recently. Straight out of Fort Lauderdale, these athletes are headed for greatness at the IBJJF Pan American Championship later this month.
With Polaris’ 3rd event already set for April 2 in Poole – South of England, its card has now been revealed in full. Below are the wonderful match-ups made for this incredible grappling event.
