BJJ News

The Death of Medet Zheenaliev — Kyrgyzstan Fighter Who Drowned Saving Four Teenage Girls

Jun 01, 2026 · community, kyrgyzstan

When the news came through about what happened at Lake Issyk-Kul, it moved quietly through the grappling world—the kind of story that doesn't trend, doesn't get a thousand takes, but lands differently on people who understand what combat sports actually asks of the body and mind. Medet Zheenaliev we

Read more →

BJJ World Champion Brenda Larissa Named 14 Years of Alleged Abuse by Melqui Galvão

Jun 01, 2026 · abuse-allegations, athlete-news

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu world faced a reckoning it couldn't ignore. The machinery of institutional response had already been set in motion—the IBJJF and CBJJ announced a permanent ban on April 28, the same day police arrested Melqui Galvão in Manaus.

Read more →

Mica Galvão Reveals Childhood Abuse, Gun Threats Under Father Melqui

May 23, 2026 · abuse, athlete-news

When you're a child prodigy in jiu-jitsu, the story usually goes one of two ways. Either you're a natural talent backed by a supportive team, or you're the product of a parent pushing you hard to succeed.

Read more →

Ulpiano Malachias, Gracie Barra 5th Degree and One of Brazil's Most Beloved BJJ Figures, Has Passed Away

May 21, 2026 · coaches, community

The mats in Houston are quieter today. Professor Ulpiano Malachias, a 5th-degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.

Read more →

Fighter's Cauliflower Ear Explodes Mid-Match, Stops the Fight

May 17, 2026 · cauliflower-ear, community

The fight stopped because of an ear. Not a referee standing up a stalled scramble.

Read more →

Guy Ritchie Got His 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt on a Film Set — Tom Hardy Watched

May 16, 2026 · belt-promotion, celebrity-bjj

Guy Ritchie makes films for a living. Snatch, Lock Stock, two Sherlock Holmes movies, The Gentleman, the King Arthur film everybody forgot they hated until someone rewatched it.

Read more →

Jeff Glover Wants to Fight Chris Bones to Settle Whether He Has Any Rickson Lineage At All

May 16, 2026 · chris-bones, community

Jeff Glover is not a Rickson Gracie black belt. His lineage runs through a different branch entirely — Rolls Gracie, then Ricardo Miller — not a Rickson in sight, and he's never claimed otherwise.

Read more →

77-Year-Old Earns Gracie Black Belt After 12 Years — Somehow The Fastest Promotion Story Of The Week

May 15, 2026 · belt-debates, black-belt

Paul Laniosz got his black belt in Gracie jiu-jitsu on Saturday, February 7. A month later, on March 18, he turned 77.

Read more →

BJJ News — community