Hélio Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).
Carlson Gracie was a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A member of the Gracie family, he was the eldest son of Carlos Gracie, and nephew to Hélio Gracie, founders of Gracie jiu-jitsu.
Kyra Gracie Guimarães is a member of the Gracie family and a former world-champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner.
The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is an annual Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament organised by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). It is regarded by some as the toughest and the most prestigious Gi tournament in the world. The first World Jiu-Jitsu Championship known as Mundial de Jiu Jitsu took place in February 1996 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2007 the tournament moved to the US, taking place every year since then in California.
Marcio Simas is a 7th degree coral belt (red/black) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu understanding Carlos Gracie, Jr. and the head of Gracie Barra Orlando and the Florida Federation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Saulo Mendonça Ribeiro Filho, brother of the equally famed Xande Ribeiro, is a 6th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). After earning a black belt in Judo, he began his training of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro under Royler Gracie, the son of Hélio Gracie, at the famous Gracie Humaitá.
David Vieira is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), a BJJ competitor, instructor and a professional mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter.
Reyson Gracie is the 3rd son of Carlos Gracie, the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a member of the Gracie Family. Like his father, he has structured his life around three pillars: Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracie Diet and Spiritualism. Reyson Gracie is a 9th degree red belt in BJJ.
Fábio Duca Gurgel do Amaral is a 4-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (1996–2001). The co-founder of the Alliance Jiu Jitsu Team, Gurgel is President of the Professional League of Jiu-Jitsu.
Alliance is one of the most prominent Brazilian jiu-jitsu associations and the current defending World team champion, having won the titles at the World Championships from 2008 to 2016. They also won the World Championships back to back in 1998 and 1999. Alliance was founded by Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti and his students: Fabio Gurgel, Alexandre Paiva, and Fernando Gurgel. Alliance Global headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia at the Alliance Martial Arts Academy, where "Jacare" is the head instructor. Fabio Gurgel, also known as the "General", is the co-leader of Alliance and the head instructor at Alliance São Paulo. Alexandre "Gigi" Paiva heads the third main Alliance academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Oswaldo Baptista Fadda was a practitioner of jujutsu and developer of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, reaching the rank of "nono grau", a ninth grade red belt. He is known for being one of the highest ranked non-Gracie black belts and also for teaching students from the poorer areas of Rio de Janeiro, where brazilian jiu-jitsu was regarded as an upper-class sport. Fadda's lineage, the most prominent second to the Carlos Gracie lineage, still survives through his links with today's teams such as Nova União, Grappling Fight Team, as well as Deo Jiu-Jitsu and Equipe Mestre Wilson Jiu-Jitsu.
Jeremy Arel aka “The Gerbil” is a North American grappler in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who is well known for his blog on living and training in Rio de Janeiro as well as his YouTube tutorial channel.
Antonio Ricardo Jardim Libório is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Grand Master Carlson Gracie. He is the co-founder of American Top Team (ATT) and Brazilian Top Team (BTT), the founder and CEO of Martial Arts Nation and the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Institute (IBJJI), and also a professor of BJJ at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
Caio Terra is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) competitor and world champion. Caio began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003 and received his black belt in 2006. His promotion to black belt is one of the quickest recorded in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu history.
Bruno Franco Fernandes is a Brazilian ophthalmologist and martial arts teacher based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Takeo Yano, also known as Takeo Iano, was a Japanese judoka who helped in the establishment of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Brazil.
Augusto Mendes is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner. He is currently signed to the Absolute Championship Berkut. He was the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Black Belt World 70 kg champion (2013), International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Nogi 73.5 kg champion in 2012 and 2015 and UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion in 2011 and 2013.
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.
Yvone Magalhães Duarte is a is a 7th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt practitioner and instructor. The first woman to achieve the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Duarte is considered the martial art's foremost female pioneer. In 2021 she became the highest-ranked women after reaching the 7th degree coral belt.
Brazilian 
