The popularity of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is increasing daily! More and more people are stepping on the mats, from the celebrities to the “everyday folk”.
However, it wasn’t always like that. Just a few decades ago, only a handful of people were training BJJ, such as the legendary competitor & coach Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães.
And even he couldn’t have predicted that Jiu-Jitsu would turn into what it is today:
I could not have imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that I would see that which is going on nowadays. To see how big we became, how far we came…
As a team, as Gracie Barra is now the biggest team in the world – and the sport of Jiu Jitsu as well.It’s just unbelievable to witness all of that. I am really proud and happy to be a part of that history.
Draculino has witnessed the rise of Jiu-Jitsu in its entirety:
I witnessed not just the development of the (Gracie Barra) team, but the development of the sport as well. I was also one of the founding members of the CBJJ, which is the IBJJF now, that Master Carlos Gracie Jr. was the president of…
So, it was pretty cool to witness the development of not just Gracie Barra, but of the sport itself.
Read the rest of our interview with Draculino, as well as more on his take on BJJ history, on the following link.
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