Valente Brothers Honored to Attend UFC Freedom 250 at the White House
Professors Pedro, Guilherme and Joaquim Valente were honored to receive a special invitation to attend UFC Freedom 250, the historic mixed martial arts event held on June 14, 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.
The evening carried special historical significance for our family. Professor Pedro Valente was mentioned as the only attendee present at the White House who was also present at UFC 1 in 1993, the event that introduced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the world and changed martial arts forever.
Reflecting on the night, Professor Pedro shared how deeply meaningful it felt to witness the sport arrive at the White House more than three decades after UFC 1, feeling that he was also representing his dear teacher, Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, and his son Rorion Gracie, co-founder of the UFC. What began in a small arena in Denver in 1993 was now unfolding at the most iconic address in the United States.
The occasion carried another layer of meaning for the Valente Brothers, who are lifelong students of martial arts history. More than a century earlier, President Theodore Roosevelt trained jiu-jitsu inside the White House, taking lessons from Kodokan instructor Yoshiaki Yamashita beginning in 1904 — at a time when the terms jiu-jitsu and judo were used interchangeably — and from John J. O'Brien before him. Roosevelt held informal challenge matches at the White House, pitting his jiu-jitsu teachers against wrestlers and other athletes to test the art. Seeing martial arts return to the executive grounds in 2026 honored that legacy.
The Valente Brothers also expressed their gratitude to their students, Ivanka and Jared Kushner, for the invitation and for their continued support of the martial arts and of the Valente Brothers Academy.
We are grateful for the opportunity to witness this moment in martial arts history, and we remain committed to preserving and teaching the authentic self-defense Jiu-Jitsu passed down by Grandmaster Hélio Gracie.
Photographs, in order: the Valente brothers at the White House; the brothers with Ivanka Trump, her children and Jared Kushner; a portrait with Jared Kushner on the South Lawn; President Donald Trump and Dana White during the walkout; and Professor Joaquim Valente speaking with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.