Category Archives: News

On April 9thth, the Ultimate Fighting Champion and Hall of Famer, Royce Gracie, will return to Miami to teach a super seminar at the Valente Brothers headquarters in North Miami Beach. The seminar starts at 2PM.

“Royce’s reputable career as a fighter began in 1993 after defeating three opponents in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in Denver, Colorado. His brother Rorion came up with this innovative challenge as a way to show Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the world. Discipline after discipline was defeated by the slight 6’1”, 180 pound Royce Gracie. The viewers were in awe. His opponents consistently outweighed him by more than 50 pounds. He went on to win 3 UFC titles and today is the only man in the history of no holds barred matches to successfully defeat four opponents in one night. After leaving the UFC Royce went on to compete in MMA events in Japan and is a huge icon in this country.” 

Professor Joaquim Valente, took advantage of his spring break at Barry University to visit Rio during a very special week. Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) in Brazil is probably bigger than in any other country and although it is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. Every year around 500,000 foreign visitors come to Rio to witness this event. During the festivities, Joaquim met some of Rio de Janeiro’s most important figures. The youngest of the Valente brothers, had the opportunity to speak to the Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, about the role of Jiu-Jitsu in education and the upcoming UFC Rio in August. Also, Joaquim met Rio’s Secretary of Security, José Mariano Beltrame, the man most credit as being the key figure behind the operations that are banning the most dangerous drug lords from the favelas of Rio. Secretary Beltrame, an enthusiast of Jiu-Jitsu, expressed the importance of Jiu-Jitsu in preparing police officers to better perform their jobs.

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Message from Professor Pedro Valente Sr.:

“This belt ceremony, where our disciples are promoted, represents in a very important symbolic way, the evolutionary process of the human species.  In the case of jiu-jitsu, within the Valente Brothers philosophy inspired in Grandmaster Helio Gracie, it signifies not only technical development, but our physical and spiritual evolution.

Over the last few weeks Professor Pedro Valente traveled over 9,000 miles and taught classes to over 500 students in the US and abroad. As the Valente Brothers family strengthens nationally and internationally the number of students training at our affiliate schools grows very quickly. The Valente Brothers’ teaching methodology strictly based on Grandmaster Hélio Gracie’s self-defense has proven to be a powerful tool in building a successful Jiu-Jitsu school. All Valente Brothers instructors have trained many years under the tutelage of the Valentes and are genuine representatives of the Hélio Gracie Jiu-Jitsu system. Professor Pedro was extremely pleased with the fine work of all instructors and students.

The city of Aventura Police Department will once again be training at Valente Brothers during this week to complete level two of the Valente Brothers’ Police Survival Tactics. By friday, over one hundred officers will have learned the techniques and tactics of this specialized law enforcement course.

On Saturday and Sunday Professor Pedro Valente once again visited the beautiful Bidokan Academy in Guyaquil, Ecuador for a two day seminar. The school is Ecuador’s only Royce Gracie Network member and is one of the most traditional and successful martial arts centers in Ecuador. The academy’s chief instructor, Roberto Bitar, received his black belt from Royce Gracie during last year’s belt ceremony at Valente Brothers and aside from his Jiu-Jitsu skills is a prominent plastic surgeon in Ecuador. Both seminars covered a variety of Combat Gracie Jiu-Jitsu techniques. Also, Professor Pedro shared with students and instructors the secrets behind the philosophy taught by Carlos and Helio Gracie.

Geographical note: Guayaquil is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, with a metro area population exceeding 3.3 million. The city is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil. Ecuador located in South America is bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do nothave a border with Brazil.

By: VB Brown Belt, Steve Abood

Today at Valente Brothers, we celebrate Helio Gracie Day, a day celebrating the legacy of the beloved teacher and pioneer who dedicated his life to creating, perfecting, proving, and teaching a system of self-defense which allows an individual of any physical ability to gain self-confidence through the knowledge that they can defend themselves and their families. In addition to the technical and strategic improvements to the ancient martial art of the Samurai, Grandmaster Helio Gracie created a teaching method that allowed the preservation and transmission of the art from one generation to the next. Our ultimate aim at Valente Brothers is to pass on the teachings of our Grandmaster, Helio Gracie, to the next generation. By always remembering the self-defense objective in everything we do, all of us can ensure that his teachings will live on.

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In addition, Grandmaster Helio’s daily way of living, which included the Jiu-jitsu Eating Regimen developed by his brother Grandmaster Carlos Gracie, set the ultimate example of a lifestyle compatible with self-defense and avoiding preventable harm. Our adherence to his healthy principles of living, every day of the year, but especially on this day, can spread like ripples in a pond to positively influence those around us, ultimately benefiting society at large.

This morning at Valente Brothers, the morning class was followed by a moment of silence paying homage to the Grandmaster and remembering these contributions.

Please join us tonight for our regular evening classes at Valente Brothers, as we train, celebrate, show appreciation for, and share happy memories of our teacher, Grandmaster Helio Gracie, born ninety-seven years ago, on this day.