Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. BJJ focuses on taking ones opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or chokeholds.
Masahiko Kimura was a Japanese judoka and professional wrestler who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships three times in a row for the first time in history and had never lost a judo match from 1936 to 1950. In submission grappling, the reverse ude-garami arm lock is often called the "Kimura", due to his famous victory over Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie. In the Japanese professional wrestling world, he is known for being one of Japan's earliest stars and the controversial match he had with Rikidōzan.
Mitsuyo Maeda, a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda , was a Japanese judōka and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions. He was known as Count Combat or Conde Koma in Spanish and Portuguese, a nickname he picked up in Spain in 1908. Along with Antônio Soshihiro Satake, he pioneered judo in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a Brazilian former mixed martial arts fighter, submission wrestler, kickboxer and instructor. Ruas was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion, and also competed for the World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC), PRIDE Fighting Championships and the International Fight League, where he head-coached the Southern California Condors.
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).
Valdemar Santana, sometimes known as Adema Santa, was a Brazilian martial artist who trained in Capoeira under Mestre Bimba and in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Hélio Gracie. He was also trained in Luta Livre and boxing.
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.
Carlos Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França and Oswaldo Fadda, he helped develop Brazilian jiu-jitsu based on the teachings of famed Japanese judōka, Mitsuyo Maeda in Kano Jujitsu (Judo) and is widely considered to be the martial-arts patriarch of the Gracie family. He purportedly acquired his initial knowledge of Jujitsu by studying in Belem under Maeda and his students. As he taught the techniques to his brothers, he created a martial arts family with Hélio and with other members of the Gracie family who provided key contributions to the style and development, eventually creating their own self defence system named Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is distinct from its indirect predecessor jujutsu, focusing primarily on the grappling techniques while downplaying the striking elements common among older schools of Japanese jujitsu.
The Gracie Challenge was an open invitation challenge match issued by members of the Gracie family, representing their self-defense system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu against challengers of other martial art systems in a vale tudo match, or "anything goes" competition.
The Gracie family is a family of martial artists originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for promoting the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, commonly known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, originating from Kano jiu-jitsu (Judo) brought to Brazil by judoka prizefighter Mitsuyo Maeda.
Jean Jacques Machado is a Brazilian Jiu jitsu practitioner. He is one of the five Machado brothers. Machado is nephew of BJJ co-founder and Grandmaster Carlos Gracie, and learned the martial art from an early age.
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.
Wellington Leal Dias Santos, known by his nickname Megaton, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner, and 7th degree coral belt of the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu association under Royler Gracie. Wellington originally trained under Rogerio Camoes and later at the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu school in Rio de Janeiro. Wellington received his black belt at the age of 18. Wellington is currently a coral belt under Royler Gracie.
Mauricio Villardo Reis is best known as Mauricio Villardo. Professor Villardo is a Master Instructor and practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He holds a sixth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Royler Gracie, the head instructor of Gracie Humaitá. Mauricio is also a former World Champion of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship held by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).
Jose Carlos Moreira is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and a former mixed martial artist.
Oswaldo Baptista Fadda was a practitioner and developer of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, reaching the rank of "nono grau", a 9th degree red belt. In 2014, he was posthumously awarded the 10th degree. 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.
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.
Kastriot "Georges" Mehdi was a French-born Brazilian judoka, considered one of the most prominent practitioners of judo in Brazil.
The fight between Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura and Brazilian jiu-jitsu founder Hélio Gracie was held at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on October 23, 1951. It was held as a special challenge, with no titles on the line: Gracie was the self-proclaimed national jiu-jitsu champion, seen as a regular judo 6th dan by Kimura, while Kimura himself was coming from a career in professional wrestling and teaching of judo. The result of the fight was a victory for Kimura by technical submission.
Two fights between Hidehiko Yoshida and Royce Gracie were held in 2002 and 2003 at mixed martial arts organization PRIDE Fighting Championships. The first bout was disputed under special rules, and ended with Yoshida being declared the winner by the controversial application of a choke. A rematch under full MMA rules happened a year later, ending in a draw due to the absence of judges demanded by Gracie. The whole affair attracted notoriety and controversy in the mixed martial arts world due to those and other factors.
Japan 
