Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team History, Fighter Stats, Biographies and News

Jorge Pereira is a Brazilian jiu jitsu coral belt (7th degree) who earned his black belt training under Rickson Gracie (1986). Pereira is known …

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) “The Gauntlet”, or in Portuguese “Corredor Polonês” (Polish Corridor) often abbreviated to “Corredor”; is a traditional ritual/initiation process in which the person being initiated is whipped by his fellow training partners, who use their own jiu jitsu belts for the thrashing process.

Jared Dopp is an American competitor in the sport of jiu-jitsu and a black belt under Rafael Lovato Junior. Dopp became widely recognized as …

Chris Haueter is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Rigan Machado, a grade achieved on December 1996 which made Haueter part of the BJJ Dirty Dozen, the first 12 practitioners outside Brazil to achieve the rank of black belt in this martial art. Haueter is also a former US marine and creator of the Combat Base Jiu Jitsu school, being known among the grappling community for his pioneering teaching style and conceptual coaching ability.

Deborah Christine Maxwell, commonly known as DC Maxwell is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Saulo Ribeiro, being part of the Woman’s BJJ Dirty Dozen as the 3rd woman outside Brazil to achieve the rank in this martial art (2nd in the USA). Maxwell is an extremely important figure in the development of the sport/martial art in the East Coast of the United States, particularly within the Delaware Valley and Tri-State area, where DC was one of the very first female athletes and jiu jitsu gym owners.

One of the main Brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments of this year’s fall, the Azusa Pacific University was the host to the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour – Los Angeles. Find the full results of the black belts here.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Los Angeles – Oct 18th, 2015- Free live broadcast is starting. This is for the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, an event produced by the UAEJJF. This the Grand Slam Tour has now reached Los Angeles after an amazing show in Tokyo, producing high value prize money and a roster of amazing grapplers.

Mahamed Aly is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Lloyd Irvin, and a former student of Everaldo Penco as well as Antônio Rogério & Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. Aly made a name for himself in the lower belt divisions of the sport, particularly in the brown belt category where he conquered important titles such as IBJJF World Champion, European Open Champion, as well as Pan American (No Gi) and American National Champion.

The production of high level submission artists in grappling is not a monopoly of Brazilian jiu jitsu, many athletes have come forward in the past few years with backgrounds in a variety of martial arts styles. In this article we go through a few of the top non-BJJ grapplers we have seen compete in recent times.

André Glodzinski is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Master Max Trombini being one of the top representatives of Cia Paulista in the United States. One of the most prestigious referees in the sport, Glodzinski is also known for his inspirational life story, one that saw André return to activity with a prosperous career as a coach and a competitor after a severe car crash which left permanent physical damage.

Everdan Olegário, commonly known as “Mestre Dan” (Master Dan), is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt who trained under the illustrious Fernando Tererê, being also one of the leading figures in the grappling world. From his Cohab Jiu Jitsu, a small academy located inside the social housing community of COHAB in Itaquera – Sao Paulo, Master Dan has produced numerous high level jiu jitsu competitors, including Sérgio Moraes, Guilherme Augusto, Dimitrius Souza, Paulo Baraúna, and to name a few.

This article is dedicated to the first 12 women outside of Brazil to reach the grade of black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Dates and achievements of these amazing grappling pioneers, as well as short bios.

Bruno Paulista, also known as Bruno “Mamute”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Alexandre de Souza and a World and Pan American No-Gi Champion, who on April 2010 suffered a severe and life changing car accident in which Paulista lost many of his basic motor capabilities, such as walking down stairs or chewing. After 4 surgeries and many years of recovery, on March 2015 Bruno Mamute returned to competition at the IBJJF Pan American Championships.

José Tiago Barros is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Cicero Costha, and one of the top light featherweight competitors of his generation, having earned podium spots in the top grappling tournaments, including the Brazilian Nationals, European Open and World Championships. A guard passer by nature (an unusual trait in his weight class), Barros was one of the leading figures to leave the Projecto Social Lutando Pelo Bem (PSLPB) team on October 2015, to join the Jiu Jitsu New School Brotherhood academy.

Paulo Guillobel is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt (5th degree) under Jorge Pereira, being also one of the most highly regarded figures in the community, as an instructor, a competitor and ambassador of this grappling style. Having started his training in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil (1988), Guillobel moved to the US in 2000 where he established his own academy in San Clemente – California, a gym affiliated to the Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Association.

Cynthia Omatsu, commonly known as Cindy Omatsu, is a Japanese-American black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Rigan Machado and Leka Vieira, being best known as the first female grappler outside of Brazil to have achieved the rank of black belt in this martial art (2002). Omatsu also gained notoriety in the jiu jitsu circuit as an interviewer for Grapple TV during the early/mid 2000’s, co-hosting the online show with a fellow teammate Felicia Oh.

On this article, we will go through a Top 10 of the biggest upsets in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Matches that left fans scratching their heads, while reshaping our perception of the top contenders and our understanding of the sport.

Rikako Yuasa, also known as “Lady Sasa”, is a Japanese born, Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under the prestigious Yukinori Sasa, being also one of the most accomplished female competitors of her generation. Competing in the light featherweight division (53.5kg/118lbs) for the Paraestra (Shinagawa) academy, Yuasa won important titles, such as the World Championship, Asian Open as well as European Open.

Wellington Luís, commonly known as Wellington “Alemão”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Cicero Costha, and member of the Jiu Jitsu New School Brotherhood Team, an academy that spawned from the Projecto Social Lutando Pelo Bem (PSLPB) camp on October 2015. Alemão made a career competing in the lower belt divisions of the sport, where he became known as one of the best lightweight prospects of his generation.

Stephen Maxwell, commonly known as Steve Maxwell, is a fitness coach, physical educator, as well as the first American born Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Relson Gracie. Known as one of the pioneers of the gentle art in the East Coast of the United States, Maxwell ran the first certified Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in the region, while also developing the first Brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments in the Coast.