When it comes to the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there are several families that dominate the martial art. Whether that’s a huge family with various uncles, grandparents or just a brother and sister duo – here’s a list of the biggest family names in BJJ. For those wondering, the criteria for this list isn’t just based on competition accomplishments.
Although this is a factor, we’ve also looked at qualities such as innovation and creating new moves, quality of teaching and general entertainment and impact that they’ve had on the culture of BJJ. With this said, without these grappling families, the world of BJJ would look like a very different place. It would look almost unrecognizable and definitely not in a good way.
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The Gracie family
This family name needs no introduction and is synonymous with the term ‘BJJ’. Put simply, without the Gracies, BJJ wouldn’t be where it is today and they bought it to the forefront of martial arts. Whether it’s the earlier history with the likes of Carlos Gracie teaching his family members, Royce and Rickson Gracie dominating UFC and Pride, or the GOAT gi player Roger Gracie, it’s fair to say the family is by far the most influential where the martial art is concerned.
These days the Gracie legacy is still going strong with Gracie Barra being the biggest organization in BJJ, whilst the likes of Rener Gracie are also teaching thousands online. Not only this, but names such as Kron and Neiman Gracie are still representing the family name in MMA, with Igor Gracie and others still showing that Gracies can still claim victory at major competitions too. It’s fair to say that the Gracie’s have done more for BJJ than any other family by some distance.
The Estima brothers
Braulio and Victor Estima have won countless medals between them such as ADCC and Worlds. Not only this, but they are known as some of the biggest innovators in the sport. For instance, their toehold variation named The Estima lock is widely used by practitioners of the art to this day. However, away from The Estima lock they have also helped popularize other moves such as the lapel cradle and variations of the Triangle choke.
With this said, not only were the brother’s successful competitors, but they have also proven to be great teachers too. Generally speaking, this is quite rare having a combination of both qualities. A little-known fact is that they also have a much younger brother, Marcos who is currently a teenage purple belt. Perhaps he will go on to carry the Estima name in the future.
The Machado Family
If the Gracie family helped birth BJJ, then the Macado’s were never too far behind. If you want to argue semantics, then the Machado’s are actually related to the Gracie clan anyway. Similar to the Gracies, the Machado’s were also influential in helping spread BJJ in the early days. Not only this but Jean Jaques Machado was also a fierce competitor and champion in his prime, despite having a birth defect that affects the grip of his one hand.
When competing in the gi in particular, grips are incredibly important so this only shows how good he was and also lead to him innovating and designing new ways to grapple at a disadvantage. Jean Jaques was also the professor of Eddie Bravo who helped birth 10th Planet and often speaks of how influential his mentor was on him. These days, Rigan Michado can be seen teaching celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher and Wiz Khalifa which has also helped grow the popularity of the art.
The Ryan brothers
It’s no secret that Gordon Ryan is probably the best ever in no gi and helped modernize leg locks on the big stage. The ADCC legend has won every prize in no gi and continues to dominate even at a relatively young age. Away from the physical side of BJJ, Gordon Ryan also helped grow the art in terms of celebrity culture. He was arguably one of the first to engage in trash talk and gain fame through his outspoken views. Like Conor McGregor, he has helped turn his showmanship into financial gain as he revealed he was a millionaire in his early 20’s.
Funnily enough, his brother Nicky Ryan seems more humble and quiet. However, he is also a beast on the mats and was the youngest ever competitor at an ADCC competition. With his brother Gordon, he has big shoes to fill but if anyone can do it, Nicky Ryan can.
The Miyao twins
The Miyao brothers are some of the toughest competitors seen, with mangled ears, missing teeth and a reputation for constant training. This has paid off as they have won almost everything going in both the gi and nogi. Famous for popularizing the Berimbolo, they also made smaller grapplers cool again and are also known for being incredibly flexible.
Sometimes, this can make viewers cringe as their freak joint manipulation can sometimes go too far. There are various videos of the Miyao brothers getting their legs twisted beyond physics. Yet, they never tap and always seem to come back weeks later and compete again. Due to this, there is a level of mystique surrounding the bothers who represent heart and work ethic when it comes to going hard and training consistently.
Megaton Dias and his daughter, Mackenzie Dern
Megaton Dias is a veteran of the art and has medalled consistently at Pan Ams and Worlds in particular. Not only this, but he still actively competed in his 50’s which shows just how much BJJ meant to him. Although he is part of the old school scene of BJJ, his daughter Mackenzie Dern represents the new side of the sport. Like her father, she is a serial winner and won gold at ADCC and Worlds in her early 20’s.
She then switched to MMA where she arguably had the best BJJ that women’s UFC had ever witnessed. As a result, it’s not uncommon to see Dern use BJJ in her wins which include armbars, kneebars and a variety of chokes. In the modern era, it’s rare to see fighters crossover from pure BJJ to MMA with as much success as Dern had.
The Mendes brothers
Had the Mendes brothers not retired in their mid 20’s, they may have been considered as the greatest ever. Even though they did retire early, they still left a ridiculously good legacy which means they’re still considered up there with the best. Rafa Mendes in particular won hauls of gold medals at Worlds and ADCC, whilst his brother Gui focused more on the gi and won golds at Worlds and other major competitions. Known for the berimbolo and fluid passing, they were some of the most rounded competitors ever.
Due to their entertaining styles, many fans were sad to see the pair retire. However, since then they started their gym AOJ (Art of Jiu Jitsu) which teaches some of the best up and comers and has a notorious reputation for creating successful competitors with high standards.
The Martinez brothers
The Martinez brothers are some of the biggest names to come out of Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet franchise. The pair, Geo and Richie are known for their exciting no gi style and are always looking for submissions when competing. Because of their background in breakdancing, they started BJJ with an incredible base and awareness and have used this to their advantage.
Not only this but they are true to their 10th Planet roots, with Geo using the truck whilst his brother favors the rubber guard. If you are looking for entertaining, fast-paced matches with crazy scrambles and unorthodox moves, then the Martinez brothers are great in terms of entertainment value. Like most on this list, they also have their own gym and teach regularly.
The Ribeiro brothers
Xande and Saulo Ribeiro are two brothers who also left their mark on the art. Both avid competitors, they are known for winning medals across many different weight categories in their time. Not only this but Saulo was the name behind the most popular book in BJJ. Still relevant as ever, Jiu Jitsu University is often recommended as the first book for newcomers to learn about the art in written form. The book is highly informative and unlike many has stood the test of time.
This is just a small insight into the minds of the Ribeiro brothers and shows just how good they are at teaching. As has been mentioned, they were more than just teachers though and proved it when competing. Xande in particular has an impressive record of avoiding his guard getting passed in competition in over 10 years which is insane. He also holds a few wins over Roger Gracie, which proves his quality.
The Musumeci siblings
Mikey and Tammi Musumeci are probably the most famous brother-sister duo in BJJ. Having both won Worlds several times by their ealry 20’s, they proved that you can still do BJJ at a high level whilst pursuing other skills. For instance, during that time they both studied at university. In fact, in 2020, Tammi Musumeci graduated to become a lawyer.
This shows the level of intelligence that both possess, as most need to dedicate their entire life to get anywhere near the feats achieved by the two siblings. In an era dominated by name-calling and Instagram fame, they both kept a fairly low and friendly profile, showing that nice people can succeed too. Unsurprisingly, it helped that their teacher was the legendary Caio Terra whose style can be seen in the way they roll.
Lachlan and Livia Giles
These are probably the most famous husband and wife duo. Not only this but they are massively influential in terms of the growth of BJJ in Australia. Both avid competitors, Lachlan turned heads with his 2019 ADCC performance, winning bronze in the Absolutes by submitting three significantly heavier opponents.
Elsewhere, Livia is also an avid competitor who is also a veteran at the highest of levels in BJJ. Away from their own accomplishments, the pair have done a lot for Australia. Both teachers in the art, they helped develop the likes of Craig Jones, Jeremy Skinner and Izaak Mitchell to name a few. This was during a time where Australia hadn’t achieved much previous success in the world of grappling which showed their teaching credentials.
The Ruotolo twins
The Ruotolo brothers have both been dubbed the future of BJJ. Trained by the Mendes brothers before joining Andre Galvao at ATOS, they have both made a real name for themselves in recent years – even though they’re still both teenagers. It could be argued that they are the first of a new generation where kids train consistently from children to adults with the sole intention of using BJJ as their main income and lifestyle.
Even more impressive, they both use the gi and nogi in equal measure. Further, they are known for their leg-pin pass which hadn’t been used before. If you think about previous innovators, they made a name for themselves as creators later on in their careers. However, the Ruotolos were showing new moves as teenagers which says everything you need to know about how their BJJ brains work.
