9 years after the death of the great master Carlson Gracie, who built the legendary Jiu-Jitsu and MMA team, the Carlson Gracie academy, on the third floor of the Figueiredo Magalhães street, number 414,  closed its doors on August 25th 2015.

The school founded by Carlson in the 70’s helped take hundreds of boys off the street to give them a second chance in life through Jiu-Jitsu.
The widow of the master, Marly Gracie, who is in poor health, no longer felt able to manage the gym, which was considered a true temple for many students and Carlson Gracie fans ( who died in 2006). It was there, that Rolls Gracie also taught his students before his death in 1982.
The owner of the space, Ze Paulo, who was a student and friend of Carlson and kept the rent to 2000 Reais/month accepted the proposal of a church to rent the space for 7,000 Reais.

However, as the black belt Marcelo Saporito revealed to PVT, that the Carlson Gracie Academy will reopen in November 2015 under the same name and purpose of forming new Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

They have big plans for the academy, Saporito said:

” Our project is just beginning. We will have classes for children, adults and competitors. We are planning on reopening in a month time to establish that the Carlson Gracie Club is still there alive and well as long as people who dream like us “.

Responsible for leading the Carlson Gracie Club in recent years, Marcelo Saporito joined other black belts to realize the local revitalization project. They are: André “Greg” Gáudio, Leandro Boeuri and Pedro Levi, all with more than 20 years in the team.