With over 100 members actively involved in teaching, training and competing in BJJ and MMA competitions, worldwide, the Gracie family are generally credited with founding the art. And certainly its introduction to North America with Royce Gracie’s amazing run in the early UFC and other Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitions has spearheaded the growth of this MMA discipline.
A lesser known truth is there are several students of Maeda as well as Luis Franca, with Owaldo Fadda being his top student, who also helped galvanize the importance of BJJ. The Franca style of Jiu-Jitsu slightly differentiated itself from the Gracie families’ Jiu-Jitsu, but proved to be no less effective on the mats. This brand of BJJ actually won a historic closed door inter-school challenge between the two academies.