Grandmaster Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941) learned Jiu-Jitsu in Japan, was bestowed with the nickname Count Koma in Spain, won hundreds of fights in Cuba, and disseminated his knowledge to promising young students, like Carlos Gracie, in Brazil. To bear fruit until this day, and at every corner of the planet, the master had to have firmly entrenched [...]

Eight weeks removed from the IBJJF Pan-American Championship, and Gracie Barra doesn’t want to hear about resting on its laurels after having won the team title at the European Championship. The focus now is on trying for a repeat performance in their own backyard, at the March 29 Pan to take place right down the road [...]

The black belt Michelle Nicolini (CheckMat) won the women’s absolute division at the IBJJF European Championship this past weekend, outdoing two opponents. In her first match, she submitted Monica Vanessa with an armbar. In the final, she went up against her teammate Ida Hansson, who is soon to become a medical doctor, and won by [...]

The main WPJJ event in Abu Dhabi will only happen in April; still the climate is already heating up for the big Jiu-Jitsu stars already this February and March, when three more tryouts for the big event will take place to determine who gets free airfare, food and board for their trip to the United [...]

Our buddies with the twitter account @BRblackbelt, responsible for some of the most interesting and exotic Jiu-Jitsu camps in Brazil and abroad, issued this poll a little while ago: #BJJ is not about who you beat, but what you conquer. What have you conquered so far? GRACIEMAG agrees and applauds the query, and it echoes the [...]

In the wake of a lukewarm show in Chicago, expectations for UFC 143 on Saturday are high—at least, to our trainee. “Boss, I predict an array of different finishes, a night Jiu-Jitsu fans won’t be forgetting anytime soon! There will be triangles, back attacks, and even never-before-seen subs—even picking “Submission of the Night” will be [...]

GMA member school Choke BJJ had two competitors at the recent European Open, in Lisbon. Professor João Pedro Santos celebrated the results. “Two of my students conquered medals for Denmark. Michael Pedersen, my assistant, was the master brown belt middleweight champion. He won four fights without allowing a single point against him”. A purple belt completed [...]

GMA member Sergio Vita invites all for the Lisboa/Cascais Portugal WPJJ trials. The event is scheduled next february 25th-26th, at Pavilhão dos Lombos, Cascais. The winners of each division will compete at the main event with all expenses paid, next April. For more info, go to worldpro-portugal.com.

On the 22nd of January, at Clube Canto do Rio club in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro State, the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship (refresh your memory here) was held to determine the last batch of Brazilians to earn all-expenses-paid trips to the big event in Abu Dhabi next April. Champions like Rodolfo Vieira, Gabriel Willcox and Gabi [...]

GMA member Sergio Vita has some great news about the recent European Open. Icon JJ Team, formed by Vita JJ and other schools, had a great showing in Lisbon. The team finished first for the second year in a row at the white belt division and also won the Master and Seniors division. Vita talked [...]