Helio Gracie
Grandmaster Helio Gracie
Helio Gracie, along with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George, and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self defense based martial arts known as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Grandmaster Helio went on to develop jiu-jitsu as we know it today, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Focusing on leverage and timing he was able to create an art in which a smaller, weaker practitioner could defend themselves against a larger, stronger opponent.
Team Vaghi
Professor Rodrigo Vaghi, known as the Godfather of Midwest Jiu-Jitsu, started his training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the “gentle art”, at age 14 in the original Gracie Academy Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Vaghi’s instructors were none other than Grandmaster Helio Gracie (the creator of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and his sons: Rickson, Royce, Royler and Rolker.
After many years of training with the Gracie Family, Rodrigo has become a family friend and a representative of the Gracie family outside of Brazil. Rodrigo is currently a 6th degree black belt under undisputed champion of the Gracie’s, Rickson Gracie, and is the highest ranked black belt representative of Rickson Gracie outside of Brazil. Rodrigo was recently inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
As a competitor Rodrigo has won several Jiu-Jitsu championships, with the most recent of which being the 2010 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
Rodrigo not only won the black belt division in not only his weight class, but the open division as well. While he still enjoys competing at the highest levels, he lives to pass down his knowledge and expertise to his students of BJJ and MMA alike.
