Rigan Machado | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | July 2, 1966|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Los Angeles, California, US | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Style | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sambo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teacher(s) | Helio Gracie, Rolls Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | 8th deg. BJJ coral belt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relatives | Machado family Gracie Family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable students | Dan Inosanto, Erik Paulson, Chuck Norris, John Will, Chris Haueter, Rick Minter, Cindy Omatsu, Damone Revere, Rodney King | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rigan Machado (born 2 July 1966) is an 8th degree red and White belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, earning his rank under Carlos Gracie, Jr. He is a former Pan American Champion (1996, 1997 weight and absolute) and a veteran medalist of the ADCC. [1] Machado currently teaches out of his Beverly Hills, California academy and is instructor to several Los Angeles–based celebrity students.
Machado was born in Rio de Janeiro, and is one of five brothers in the Machado family. He began training at the age of five with his cousins, "The Gracie Family". In an interview, when asked about his exact relationship with the Gracies, he said: "My mother's sister married the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie."
Machado was awarded the first black belt under Gracie Barra founder Carlos Gracie Jr. [2] and is one of the original teachers who taught in the garage of Rorion Gracie in the early days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in America. [3] He also trained with his other cousins such Rickson Gracie, Rorion Gracie, Rillion Gracie, his uncle Carlos Gracie Sr, and his brothers. At one point in 1986, he even publicly competed against Rickson Gracie at a Jiu-Jitsu competition in one of the earliest public matches between members of the family. [4]
He is widely regarded as one of the top competitors in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu history. He also competed and won many tournaments in judo, sambo, and wrestling. In Sambo he was placed second at the 198 lbs division, and third at the open class of the 1993 Pan American Sambo Championships in Chula Vista; [5] and at some point between 1990 and 1994, he was seen submitting several Judo black belts in at least one Judo competition at the West Covina Dojo. [6]
Kanō Jigorō → Tomita Tsunejirō → Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Hélio Gracie → Rolls Gracie & Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie Jr → Rigan Machado
Machado currently teaches at his school, "The Academy Beverly Hills", located in Beverly Hills, California. He is also the commissioner of Jiu Jitsu World League. Due to the location of his gym, many students of his gym are celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, [7] Vin Diesel, Wiz Khalifa, Bryan Callen, and Charlie Hunnam. [8]
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.
Rickson Gracie is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin and Royler Gracie. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was widely considered to be the best fighter of the Gracie clan, and one of the toughest in the world. In July 2017, he was promoted to ninth-degree red belt, the second-highest ranking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Ron Tripp is an American chiropractor, sports executive, coach, and former competitor in judo and sambo.
Carlos Machado is a former world master's champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is the eldest of the five Machado Brothers, known for BJJ, that also includes Roger, Rigan, Jean Jacques and John. He is also the brother-in-law of UFC fighter Stephen Thompson. He currently runs BJJ schools across the United States, Australia, Canada and Mexico.
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).
Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian-born Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master, a prominent member of the Gracie family, writer, publisher, producer, lecturer, lawyer and the co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the oldest son of Hélio Gracie and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is widely recognized as one of the men responsible for introducing Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to the United States and the world following the arrival in the US of first cousin, Carley Gracie in 1972.
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.
Marcio Simas is a 7th Degree Coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Gracie, Jr. and the head of Gracie Barra Orlando and the Florida Federation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Gracie Humaitá or Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy on Humaitá Street, in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, founded by Helio Gracie. The Academy offers classes in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
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.
John Will is a notable martial artist from Australia. Will won the Best Exponent Award in the first World Silat Championships held in Jakarta in 1981. Will also completed his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Rigan Machado and Jean Jacques Machado in 1998, making him one of the first twelve foreign nationals to have earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Fábio Santos is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and instructor.
The Machado Family are a family of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners, mixed martial artists and grapplers. They are the founders of RCJ Machado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and are cousins to members of the Gracie family.
Chris Haueter is a 6th degree black belt Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner and coach. As one of the first non-Brazilians to achieve the rank of black belt and the first American black belt to compete at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, he is regarded as a pioneer of the sport. Haueter is also known for coining several unnamed Brazilian jiu-jitsu's positions.
Rolls Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist. He was a prominent member of the Gracie family known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and considered by some the family's best ever fighter. He was teacher of Rickson Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr., Royler Gracie, Maurício "Maurição" Motta Gomes, Márcio "Macarrão" Stambowsky, Rigan Machado and Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti. He died in a hang-gliding accident in 1982. He is the father of Rolles Gracie and Igor Gracie.
Kastriot "Georges" Mehdi was a French-born Brazilian judoka, considered one of the most prominent practitioners of judo in Brazil.
The Gracie jiu-jitsu ranking system is a method of signifying competency and moral character of a jiu-jitsu practitioner, developed by founders Carlos and Hélio Gracie, and utilized by members of the Gracie family.
Márcio "Macarrão" Stambowsky is a Brazilian martial artist. An 8th degree coral belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, he is one of the "Famous Five" Rolls Gracie black belts. Regarded as one of the top Brazilian competitors of the 1980s, he is also the father of professional Bellator MMA fighter Neiman Gracie Stambowsky.
Alessandra "Leka" Vieira is a submission grappler and a 6th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach. Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women's Brazilian jiu-jitsu, she became in 1999 the first-ever female black belt World champion.