The History of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiujitsu is deemed as one of the newer forms if martial arts in the Mixed Martial Arts community. This is due to its creation estimated to have been from less than a century ago, with the inferred year of birth being in 1925.

However, Ju-jitsu’s origins dates to the 16th century with the earliest recorded teachings dating from 1532 onwards. The creation of this technique was intended for samurais when weapons were loss and hand to hand combat was needed. This form of fighting originated from traditional Japanese judo, hence the intertwining of techniques in the modern BJJ.

Ju-Jitsu was first brought to Brazil in 1917 by Mitsuyo Maeda and was taught to 2 brothers- Hélio Gracie, and Carlos Gracie. However, it was only in 1925, when the Gracie brothers first opened their dojo to the public