Rigan Machado


Rigan Machado is an 8th degree red and black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, earning his rank under Carlos Gracie Jr. He is a former Pan American Champion and a veteran medalist of the ADCC. Machado currently teaches out of his Beverly Hills California Academy and is instructor to several Los Angeles-based celebrity students.

Biography

Machado is one of five brothers of 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." Like all children he took it more as a game than as something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He started to take training and competing more seriously at the age of 14. This is the time where he would start to train every day on the mat. From the age of 14 through 21, he won the Brazilian National Championships every year and every belt division.
He amassed a record of 365 wins and 0 losses in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition. He also created a record by having 19 matches in one day and finishing all of them by submission. He remains unbeaten in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in more than 13 years of competition. His training sessions were all very technical and intensive under the eye of his two instructors Rolls Gracie and Carlos Gracie Jr.
Machado was awarded the first black belt under Gracie Barra founder Carlos Gracie Jr. 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.
He also trained with his other cousins such Rickson Gracie, Rorion Gracie, Rillion Gracie, his uncle Carlos Gracie Sr, and his brothers.
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.

Instructor lineage

→ Tomita Tsunejirō → Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Hélio Gracie → Rolls Gracie & Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie Jr → Rigan Machado

As an instructor

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, Vin Diesel, Wiz Khalifa, Bryan Callen, and Charlie Hunnam.