FIGHTERS
The legendary practitioners who built, refined, and redefined Brazilian Jiu Jitsu across the last century.
HELIO GRACIE
“O Mestre”
Helio Gracie is the historical face of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the figure most responsible for the art's global spread, though the precise nature of his contribution is one of the most contested quest…
MARCELO GARCIA
“Marcelinho”
Marcelo Garcia is widely regarded as the greatest pound-for-pound BJJ competitor of all time and the most influential figure in modern no-gi grappling. A middleweight at 76 kilograms, Garcia won the A…
GORDON RYAN
“The King”
Gordon Ryan is the most dominant no-gi competitor in the history of submission grappling. Born in New Jersey in 1995, Ryan rose to prominence as a member of John Danaher's original Renzo Gracie traini…
MITSUYO MAEDA
“Conde Koma”
Mitsuyo Maeda is the technical ancestor of every Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner alive today. Born in Aomori Prefecture in 1878, he entered Jigoro Kano's Kodokan school of judo as a young man and qui…
CARLOS GRACIE SR.
“O Patriarca”
Carlos Gracie Sr. is the eldest of the Gracie brothers and the figure most directly responsible for transmitting Mitsuyo Maeda's Kodokan judo into the Brazilian context that would eventually become Br…
ROYCE GRACIE
“The Lion”
Royce Gracie is the practitioner most responsible for the global spread of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As the youngest Gracie brother sent to represent the family at UFC 1 in November 1993, the lean, 178-pou…
RICKSON GRACIE
“The Black Belt of Black Belts”
Rickson Gracie is the most mythologized fighter in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The third son of Helio Gracie, born in 1958, he became the family's primary representative for high-stakes challe…
ROGER GRACIE
“The Greatest of All Time”
Roger Gracie is generally considered the most decorated competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner of all time. The grandson of Carlos Gracie Sr. and son of Mauricio Motta Gomes (a black belt under …
ROLLS GRACIE
“The Bridge”
Rolls Gracie is the figure most responsible for connecting the traditional Gracie jiu-jitsu of the 1950s and 60s to the modern competitive sport that emerged in the 1980s and beyond. The son of Carlos…
CARLSON GRACIE
“O Lobo Solitário”
Carlson Gracie is the figure who most directly bridged the original Gracie family teaching with the team-based competitive structure that would later define Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The eldest son of Carl…
ROYLER GRACIE
“Royler”
Royler Gracie was the most successful early-ADCC competitor in the featherweight division and the figure most responsible for establishing that small grapplers could win at the highest level of submis…
RENZO GRACIE
“Renzo”
Renzo Gracie is the figure most responsible for the global expansion of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the 1990s and 2000s and the architect of the New York City BJJ scene that produced the modern Danaher era…
JOHN DANAHER
“The Professor”
John Danaher is the most influential coach in modern Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the architect of the systematic, principle-based pedagogy that defines high-level no-gi grappling today. Born in New Zealan…
MARCUS ALMEIDA (BUCHECHA)
“Buchecha”
Marcus Almeida, universally known as Buchecha, is the most decorated competitor in the history of the IBJJF World Championship. Born in São Paulo in 1989 and trained from a young age under Rodrigo Cav…
ANDRÉ GALVÃO
“Deco”
André Galvão is the most influential competitor-coach of the modern era after John Danaher and the founder of Atos Jiu-Jitsu, one of the two dominant competition teams of the 2010s and 2020s (alongsid…
MIKEY MUSUMECI
“Darth Rigatoni”
Mikey Musumeci is one of the most technically innovative competitors of the modern era and the first American to win an IBJJF Black Belt World Championship in gi. Born in New Jersey in 1996 and traine…
TAINAN DALPRA
“Tainan”
Tainan Dalpra is the dominant lightweight and middleweight competitor of the early 2020s and the most successful product of the modern Atos Jiu-Jitsu competition program. Born in São Paulo in 2000 and…
GARRY TONON
“The Lion Killer”
Garry Tonon is one of the founding members of the Danaher Death Squad and the figure most responsible — alongside Eddie Cummings — for establishing the inside heel hook as a high-percentage finish at …
RODOLFO VIEIRA
“O Rei Leão”
Rodolfo Vieira was the dominant heavyweight competitor of the early 2010s and the figure who briefly threatened to make wrestling-heavy BJJ the dominant style at the heavyweight level before Marcus Bu…
LEANDRO LO
“Leandrinho”
Leandro Lo was one of the most technically gifted competitors in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the only black belt to win IBJJF World Championships in five different weight classes — a record…
MICA GALVAO
“Mica”
Mica Galvao is the most prominent young competitor of the early 2020s and one half (with Tainan Dalpra) of the Atos competition team's modern competitive identity. Born in Manaus in 2003 and trained f…
EDDIE BRAVO
“The Twister”
Eddie Bravo is the founder of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu — the first major no-gi-specific BJJ system — and one of the most influential figures in the development of modern submission grappling. Born in San…
CRAIG JONES
“Craig”
Craig Jones is the most influential Australian grappler in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and one of the architects of the modern leg-lock-focused no-gi competitive style. Born in Adelaide, Austra…
RUBENS "COBRINHA" CHARLES
“Cobrinha”
Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles is one of the most accomplished featherweight competitors in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a defining figure of the late-2000s and early-2010s IBJJF lightweight comp…
ROMULO BARRAL
“Romulo”
Romulo Barral is one of the most decorated medium-heavyweight competitors in the history of IBJJF black-belt competition and a defining figure of the Gracie Barra competitive program in the late 2000s…
LUCAS LEPRI
“Lepri”
Lucas Lepri is one of the most decorated lightweight competitors in the history of IBJJF black-belt competition and a figure who dominated the 76-kilogram weight class across the mid-2010s. Born in Be…
KADE RUOTOLO
“Kade”
Kade Ruotolo is one half of the Ruotolo twins (with brother Tye) and one of the youngest elite-level competitors in the history of submission grappling. Born in Santa Cruz, California in 2002 and trai…
BEATRIZ MESQUITA
“Bia”
Beatriz "Bia" Mesquita is one of the most decorated female competitors in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the figure most responsible for establishing women's lightweight competitive BJJ as a d…