The Most Famous

MARTIAL ARTS from Brazil

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This page contains a list of the greatest Brazilian Martial Arts. The pantheon dataset contains 179 Martial Arts, 14 of which were born in Brazil. This makes Brazil the birth place of the 3rd most number of Martial Arts behind United States, and Japan.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Brazilian Martial Arts of all time. This list of famous Brazilian Martial Arts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Brazilian Martial Arts.

Photo of Hélio Gracie

1. Hélio Gracie (1913 - 2009)

With an HPI of 55.98, Hélio Gracie is the most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages on wikipedia.

Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie jiu-jitsu, also known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). Considered as the Godfather of BJJ, according to his son Rorion, Gracie is one of the first sports heroes in Brazilian history; he was named Man of the Year in 1997 by the American martial arts publication Black Belt magazine. A patriarch of the Gracie family, multiple members of his family have gone on to have successful careers in combat sport competition including mixed martial arts (MMA).

Photo of Anderson Silva

2. Anderson Silva (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 51.40, Anderson Silva is the 2nd most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Anderson da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɐ̃deʁsõ ˈsiwvɐ]; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 and ended in 2013 and included a UFC record 16 consecutive victories in that span. Silva left the UFC in November 2020 and returned to boxing. UFC president Dana White, UFC commentator Joe Rogan and numerous mixed martial arts (MMA) pundits have named Silva as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Silva was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2023.

Photo of Rickson Gracie

3. Rickson Gracie (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 48.10, Rickson Gracie is the 3rd most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Rickson Gracie (Portuguese: [ˈʁiksõ ˈɡɾejsi]; born November 21, 1959) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin and Royler Gracie. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was widely considered to be the best fighter of the Gracie clan, and one of the toughest in the world. In July 2017, he was promoted to ninth-degree red belt, the second-highest ranking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Photo of Royce Gracie

4. Royce Gracie (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 47.41, Royce Gracie is the 4th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Royce Gracie (Portuguese: [ˈʁɔjsi ˈɡɾejsi]; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer, and is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). He also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1's MMA events, and Bellator. In 1993 and 1994, Gracie was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4, which were openweight single-elimination tournaments with minimal rules. He used his skills in submission grappling to defeat larger and heavier opponents. He was also known for his rivalry with Ken Shamrock, whom he beat in UFC 1 and then fought to a draw in the rematch for the Superfight Championship at UFC 5. Royce later competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he is most remembered for his 90-minute bout against catch wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000, and a controversial "judo vs jiu-jitsu" mixed rules match against Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, at PRIDE Shockwave in 2002. Royce Gracie's success in the UFC popularized Gracie jiu-jitsu (commonly known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu) and revolutionized mixed martial arts, contributing to the movement towards grappling and ground fighting. For his pioneering in mixed martial arts, Gracie was the first inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003 alongside his once-rival Ken Shamrock. In 2016, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Photo of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

5. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 46.26, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira is the 5th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtoniu ʁoˈdɾiɡu noˈɡejɾɐ], born 2 June 1976), better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is the twin brother of UFC fighter Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Nogueira rose to prominence in Japanese promotions Fighting Network RINGS where he won the 2000 RINGS King of Kings tournament, and later with Pride Fighting Championships, where he was the first Pride Heavyweight Champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a 2004 PRIDE FC Heavyweight Grand Prix Finalist. He is one of only three men to have held championship titles in both Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the others being Mauricio Rua and Mark Coleman).

Photo of Wanderlei Silva

6. Wanderlei Silva (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 44.92, Wanderlei Silva is the 6th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Wanderlei César da Silva ( VAN-dər-lay, Brazilian Portuguese: [vɐ̃deʁˈlej ˈsɛzɐʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ], Japanese: [bandaɾeː ɕi.ɯba]; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the most wins, knockouts, title defenses and longest winning streak in PRIDE history. He is the former PRIDE Middleweight Champion and the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion. He most recently competed for Bellator MMA in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. In February 2024, Silva was announced as the next inductee in the "pioneer wing" of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Photo of José Aldo

7. José Aldo (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 43.93, José Aldo is the 7th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒoˈzɛ ˈawdu]; born 9 September 1986), known as José Aldo, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after previously competing at Featherweight, and was the fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champion. He became the first UFC Featherweight Champion following the UFC/WEC merger. Aldo is considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, and is often regarded as the greatest featherweight of all time after defending his UFC title seven times and his WEC title twice. After his first MMA defeat in November 2005, Aldo remained undefeated for over a decade, winning 18 straight fights until UFC 194 in December 2015, when he lost to Conor McGregor. He was named Sherdog's 2009 Fighter of the Year. In Sherdog's April 2017 pound-for-pound ranking, Aldo was called "the greatest featherweight in mixed martial arts history." As of 8 October 2024, he is #11 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.

Photo of Lyoto Machida

8. Lyoto Machida (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 43.92, Lyoto Machida is the 8th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Lyoto Carvalho Machida (町田龍太, Machida Ryōto, Portuguese pronunciation: [liˈotu maˈʃidɐ], born 30 May 1978) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as a UFC Middleweight Championship title challenger. He most recently competed in Bellator MMA in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions.

Photo of Charles Oliveira

9. Charles Oliveira (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 43.69, Charles Oliveira is the 9th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Charles Oliveira da Silva (born October 17, 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and fourth degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. Oliveira currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Lightweight Champion. As of April 16, 2024, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of November 19, 2024, he is #15 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Oliveira started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his youth, achieving multiple championship titles before transitioning to MMA in 2007. Oliveira holds multiple UFC records, notably the most submission wins in the organization's history at 16, most finishes at 20 and most bonuses at 20.

Photo of Fabrício Werdum

10. Fabrício Werdum (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 43.68, Fabrício Werdum is the 10th most famous Brazilian Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Fabrício Werdum (Portuguese pronunciation: [faˈbɾisju veʁˈdũ]; born 30 July 1977) is a Spanish-Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is also a 4-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Heavyweight Champion and a member of the ADCC Hall of Fame. He holds black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai. Werdum has competed in PRIDE, the UFC, Strikeforce, and Jungle Fight. At the time of his departure from the UFC, Werdum was #14 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

People

Pantheon has 19 people classified as Brazilian martial arts born between 1913 and 1989. Of these 19, 18 (94.74%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Brazilian martial arts include Anderson Silva, Rickson Gracie, and Royce Gracie. The most famous deceased Brazilian martial arts include Hélio Gracie. As of April 2024, 5 new Brazilian martial arts have been added to Pantheon including Rickson Gracie, Charles Oliveira, and Alex Pereira.

Living Brazilian Martial Arts

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Deceased Brazilian Martial Arts

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Newly Added Brazilian Martial Arts (2024)

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