Category Archives: News

For the first time ever in Miami, brothers Royler and Royce Gracie will team up to teach a super seminar at Valente Brothers. The fifth and sixth sons of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie are world renowned fighters and teachers. Royce Gracie was the first ever inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame and is a 3x UFC Open Weight Champion. Royler, is a multiple time Sport Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling World Champion. The seminar will take place on December 4th from 2PM – 6PM at the Valente Brothers Headquarters in North Miami Beach. The seminar will cover a variety of grappling, throwing and striking techniques. Valente Brothers students may register at the school’s front desk. Visiting students will be placed on a waiting list and will be confirmed on a first come first serve basis on October 11.  Professors Pedro, Gui, and Joaquim are very proud and honored with this opportunity and strongly recommend all VB students to take opportunity of this rare and special event. The Valente brothers grew up training and learning from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie and his sons. Royler Gracie was the head professor at the Academia Gracie Humaitá in Rio de Janeiro where the Valentes grew up training.

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On December 4th, 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. Royce will also be attending the Belt Ceremony on December 6th.

Today, Valente Brothers Brown Belt, Miguel Diaz de la Portilla won the race for the Florida Senate with  a margin of 10 points. Miguel began training with Professor Pedro Valente back in 1997 and was part of Pedro’s first group of students. Miguel recently received the brown belt and continues to practice on a regular basis.

Miguel, a Miami Dade native, graduated from Belen Jesuit Preparatory school in 1981, attended the University of Miami earning his B.A., Cum Laude in 1984, and then went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 1987.

As Miami-Dade County Commissioner from 1993-2000, Miguel created the Office of the Inspector General, founded the Miami Dade County Expressway Authority, created Community Zoning Adjustment Boards and transformed the land use and zoning process in Miami-Dade County.

Miguel is the youngest person to have chaired the Miami Dade County Commission.

This week Professor Pedro Valente taught Level one of the Valente Brothers’ Law Enforcement Survival course to Aventura Police Defensive Tactics instructors. The objective of this course is to teach Police Defensive Tactics instructors how to transmit the techniques presented in the course to other officers.

Grandmaster Rorion Gracie spent the evening at Valente Brothers and for over 90 minutes discussed principles and benefits of the Gracie diet, the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and overall Gracie Jiu-Jitsu philosophy. As Professor Pedro Valente said, “teaching the fighting skills of Jiu-Jitsu without imparting the philosophical principals is a dangerous mistake.” Following Grandmaster Rorion’s Great Jiu-Jitsu philosophy lesson, the Valente brothers thanked Grandmaster Hélio’s eldest son for everything he did for Jiu-Jitsu in the United States and the world. Students and teachers were very pleased and honored with this surprise and memorable visit.

 Click here to view last night’s pictures.

Watch Rorion Gracie recounting the history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and the UFC on the Video Gallery positioned on the right column of this page.

Professor Pedro Valente, currently in Los Angeles assisting in the production of a documentary by the Biography Channel on the life of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, met soccer super stars Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. The players, who admitted being fans of Royce, asked to learn a few moves and demonstrated good technique. Royce and Kaká, also talked about how today the fact that they do not drink alcohol or smoke is a rarity in professional sports. As Kaká said, “we are old school athletes!”

Note – Real Madrid, the Spanish soccer team that has been dubbed the most successful club of the 20th century, began practicing today on the UCLA soccer field, with hordes of journalists and spectators attending the highly anticipated event. 

Stars such as forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest paid soccer player in the world, and defenders Pepe and Marcelo Vieira, kicked soccer balls and ran scrimmages on the enclosed field behind UCLA’s John Wooden Center. Other players, such as midfielder Kaká, are due to arrive next week.
The Real Madrid visit is part of the team’s pre-season tour, which will include games against Club America in San Francisco on Aug. 4 and against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 7 at the Rose Bowl.

Today Professor Pedro Valente taught a seminar in Columbia, South Carolina. During the class, Prof. Valente presented of variety of techniques and emphasized the importance to practice Jiu-JItsu as a complete fighting system. Once again the seminar was organized by VBJJ student Jack Walker, who currently resides in Columbia, SC.

Day 2 of the Rickson Gracie seminar was held in the Sociedade Israelita Brasileira (SIB) in Rio’s traditional and famous neighborhood of Copacabana. Once again, the seminar had a great number of participants.

During his visit to Rio de Janeiro, where he is spending time with his father, Professor Pedro Valente was invited by Master Rickson Gracie to participate in his Invisible Jiu-Jitsu Seminar. The event was held in a professional soccer club in Lagoa, a district in the south side of the city. Many black belts were in attendance including Kyra Gracie and Rickson’s son Kron. The seminar was taught in English given the presence of foreigners in Rio due to the occurrence of an international jiu-jitsu tournament this coming weekend. During the seminar, Rickson taught many of the same techniques that he imparted in march at VBJJ in Miami. At the Q&A section, in the end of the seminar, an international participant asked Master Rickson’s opinion on competition Jiu-Jitsu. He responded that “competition jiu-jitsu represents only 30% of real jiu-jitsu.” He went on to say that “without the other 70%, which includes stand up self defense, defensive striking and clinching skills and an efficient vale-tudo guard, practitioners cannot develop the confidence to walk the streets knowing that they can survive a possible confrontation.”

While on a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Professor Joaquim Valente and Jiu Jitsu student – helicopter pilot Jared Schmelzer met with Commander Adonis Lopes of C.O.R.E. (Coordenadoria de Recursos Especiais), the SWAT Team of Rio de Janeiro State Police (Polícia Civil do Estado do Rio de Janeiro). This police unit has proven a great versatility in serving Brazil and protecting its’ citizens with a helicopter division. The helicopter and its team has been directly responsible for saving many lives and strongly combating the criminals of the drug trade, which affects the country as a whole.