Marcelo Garcia is a Brazilian submission grappler and a 4th degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach. A highly decorated competitor, Garcia is widely considered to be one of the best grapplers in the world and arguably the best pound for pound submission grappler. Holding 5 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and 4 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship titles, Garcia is a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame and the third BJJ athlete to be inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame.
Kyra Gracie Guimarães is a Brazilian submission grappler and a 4th degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner. A member of the Gracie family and a highly decorated competitor, she is a four-time World Jiu-Jitsu champion and a three-time ADCC Submission Fighting World champion.
Roger Gracie is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist (MMA) and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner and coach.
The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament held annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. It is widely considered the most important and prestigious jiu-jitsu tournament of the year.
Roberto "Spider" Traven is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist whose fighting style is based in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission wrestling. He was a sporty person growing up, it took him 16 years to find Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but straight away he picked up tuition with one of the most highly decorated coaches of all time, Romero Cavalcanti AKA “Jacaré”. His natural ability for BJJ was clear from the get-go and the fact that he was obstinate made a recipe for a good fighter. Training 3 times per day alongside other historical figures such as Fabio Gurgel, Leo Vieira, Jamelão and many others, Traven managed to reach the grade of black belt within 4 years, an almost record breaking time frame in BJJ.
Fábio Duca Gurgel do Amaral is a former Mixed martial arts fighter and 7th degree coral belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach.
André Luiz Leite Galvão is a Brazilian grappler and professional mixed martial artist. A 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Fernando "Tererê" Augusto as well as a Judo black belt, Galvão is one of the most decorated athletes ever, having won most major international tournaments multiple times.
Fernando Augusto da Silva is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, mixed martial arts fighter, and submission grappler. He is a black belt under professor Alexandre Paiva of Team Alliance. Tererê is a two-time World Champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in black belt division. He has also won a number of other Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, including Pan-American Championship, South-American Championship, Copa do Mundo and Brazilian National Championship.
Michelle Zonato Nicolini or Michelle Nicolini is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist (MMA). Among the most accomplished female grapplers of all time, Nicolini holds third place for most IBJJF World Championship titles, with eight wins. She is a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame.
Leonardo "Leo" Leite is a retired Brazilian judoka, jiu jitsu practitioner, and mixed martial artist.
Tayane Porfírio de Araújo is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) 4x World Championship black belt champion. In 2017 Porfirio realized the IBJJF Grand Slam after winning her weight category and the absolute category at all 4 major Gi Championships: World Championship, European Open Championship, Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship and Brazilian Nationals Championship.
Andresa Corrêa is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) 3x black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championship champion and 3x black belt World Nogi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship champion. She is one of a select few athletes to have won each of the major Gi Championships on more than one occasion World Championship x3, European Open Championship x2, Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship x2 and Brazilian Nationals Championship x4.
Alexandre "Gigi" Paiva is a long standing figure, having been involved in Jiu Jitsu since the early 1980s, in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community who has made a number of important contributions to the sport which are referenced below.
AJ Agazarm is an American submission grappler and mixed martial artist.
Ffion Davies is a Welsh submission grappler, mixed martial artist and a world-champion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) competitor. She is a multiple winner of the IBJJF World Championship, including the no-gi championship in 2023 in both the 61 kg and absolute divisions.
Dominyka Obelenyte is a Lithuanian born, grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt competitor. Obelenyte is a multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion in coloured belt and a four times black belt world champion in both her weight class and in the open division accomplished by the age of 20.
Laurence Cousin Fouillat is a French submission grappler and third degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor and instructor. Considered a pioneer in the sport, Cousin is regarded as the first European female to receive a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2005 she won the CBJJO World Jiu-Jitsu Cup and medalled at the IBJJF World Championship taking place in Rio de Janeiro. In 2007 Cousin became the first woman from outside Brazil to become IBJJF World jiu-jitsu champion.
Kaynan Casemiro Duarte is a Brazilian submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor. Duarte is a four-time champion at the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship and two-time champion at the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the Heavyweight division.
Josh Hinger is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor as well as former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Hinger is three-time champion at the World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship and a Bronze Medalist at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.
