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.
Leonardo Dalla, commonly known as Leo Dalla, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Master Jorge Pereira, known as one of the top super-heavyweight competitors during the 1990’s. Dalla is also revered for his coaching prowess, having developed several black belts, including the well known Maryland grappler Lloyd Irvin.
Struggling with the aches and pains of a life dedicated to jiu jitsu, a few years ago Gazzy decided to rest her kimono and leave the sport/martial art. She moved to Georgia over a year ago having completely cut grappling from her life, but luckily for her fans, she is back. More info inside.
Chris Holdsworth is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Marc Laimon. Regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the North American grappling circuit when he was “just” a purple belt, the former World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Champion (2007) moved on to become a successful mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, reaching the world’s top MMA promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after winning the famous The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) tournament – Team Rousey vs. Team Tate (2013). After a concussion suffered in practice Holdsworth was forced to step away from the cage prematurely, becoming one of the grappling coaches at the renowned Team Alpha Male academy.
Analysis of AJ Agazarm vs Jake Shields grappling match, one of the top duels in the Polaris 3 Jiu Jitsu invitational card set for April 2016. This match will put two of the best wrestlers in jiu jitsu facing each other.
Ítallo Vilardo is a jiu jitsu black belt under the illustrious Leonardo Castello Branco, well known in the grappling and mixed martial arts (MMA) circuits as one of the leading strength and conditioning experts in those fields. A former judo and jiu jitsu competitor who’s been around combat sports since the mid 1980s, Vilardo based his training methods on his own experiences as well as years of research, being behind the success of many important figures in contact sports.
Ruan de Oliveira is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Múzio de Angelis and Leandro Escobar. Ruan stood out in the lower belts of the sport, particularly during his brown belt campaign (2014/2015) for his success on the mat, as well as for his eye pleasing grappling style, with which he conquered important medals at the World Championship, Rio International Open as well as the UAEJJF Grand Slam Tour (Rio).
Brian Mahecha is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Jonatas Gurgel representing American Top Team in the sport’s international circuit. Brian is also an inspirational figure for many, being a cancer survivor who overcame the disease to became one of the top figures in jiu jitsu’s featherweight division, while also being one of his generation’s grappling style “standard-bearer” together with his twin brother Kevin Mahecha.
Kevin Mahecha is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Jonatas Gurgel, being widely regarded as one of the top lightweights of his generation. An American Top Team representative, Kevin and his twin brother Brian Mahecha (commonly known as the “Mahecha Bros”) embody the effectiveness of the new style of jiu jitsu, a style heavily supportive of the sport’s modern day techniques with which Kevin Mahecha beat big grappling names such as Tim Spriggs, Michael Liera Jr, Rodrigo Freitas and many others.
With the date set for Sunday April 24 from The Orpheum in downtown LA, EBI 6 has now confirmed their card. Here are the 16 men, scheduled to compete at the Eddie Bravo Invitational 6.
Pedro Araújo is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Vinícius “Draculino” Magalhães, being one of the top representatives of the Gracie Barra Academy in the heavyweight division. Pedro Araújo made a name for himself in this sport competing its the lower belt divisions, where he conquered over 40 IBJJF medals and 3 world titles.
