SUMMARY
- Jean Jacques Machado was born with a congenital condition which would make it extremely difficult for him to pursue life in combat sports.
- However, he overcame all odds to become one of the most well-known names in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu scene.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan‘s instructor Jean Jacques Machado is one of the most important names in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is a part of the Machado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Family and has been practicing the MMA technique since early in his life. He has won regional and world championships but his life has not been easy. He was troubled by a congenital disease since birth but he overcame it like a true fighter.
Jean Jacques Machado was born on February 12, 1968, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was born with amniotic band syndrome due to which he just had a thumb and a little finger on his left hand. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Amniotic band syndrome can occur when the inner layer of the placenta, called the amnion, is damaged during pregnancy.”
In BJJ or any MMA technique for that matter, such a congenital issue could adversely affect your abilities. For Machado, his grappling abilities would take a huge hit due to this syndrome. However, he was born into a family that consisted of combat sports specialists. So, he had the support he needed, all he needed further was the will and dedication which he had in abundance.
Machado is the nephew of Grandmaster and founder of BJJ Carlos Gracie. Machado’s instructor is Rickson Gracie. Rickson is the son of Helios Gracie, brother of Carlos. The Gracie family is also one of the most well-known families of BJJ. Machado was destined for greatness considering he was born into this family but overcoming his birth defects to win world championships is an inspiring journey.
Jean Jacques Machado won several professional titles including the Submission Wrestling World Championship
Machado dominated BJJ in Brazil and won every competitive title from 1982 to 1992. In 1992, he moved to the USA to bring his BJJ dominance to the North American country. From here, he took his domination to the world.
His professional titles include 11x Cruiser Weight Champion at the Rio De Janeiro Jiu-Jitsu State Championship (1982-1992), 11x Cruiser Weight Champion at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu National Championships (1982-1992), National and Pan American Cruiser Weight Champion at Sambo Wrestling Championships in 1993 and 1994, and 4x BJJ American Championships (1995-1998), among others.
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His most prestigious title was the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medal in 1999 in the 77kg division. He even won the Most Technical Fighter Award at the World Championships. In the same category, he was a silver medallist in 2000 and in the open category, he earned another silver medal in 2001.
Jean Jacques Machado belongs to the Machado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Family
The Machado family consists of five brothers. In descending order of age: Carlos, Roger, Rigan, Jean Jacques, and John. As previously mentioned, they are cousins to the Gracie family. However, their BJJ is a bit different than Gracie’s. Machado’s style of BJJ is more physical than the Gracie’s.
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Rigan and Jean Jacques are the most successful of all the brothers when it comes to competitions. However, all of them are very well-matched when it comes to their BJJ achievements. Carlos: 8th Degree Red & White belt. Roger: 7th Degree Red & Black Belt. Rigan: 8th Degree Red & White Belt. Jean Jacques: 7th Degree Red & Black Belt. John: 7th Degree Red & Black Belt.
Joe Rogan sings praise for his BJJ instructor Jean Jacques Machado
During an episode of JRE, Rogan explained Jean Jacques’ plight as a child and how he overcame it. On episode #1904 of JRE, he said, “It is a feature [not having fingers in one hand] because he is a multiple-time world champion.
And because of the fact that he was born with this one hand that didn’t have fingers, he developed a style of jiu-jitsu… where he utilizes that left hand to get under chins… he slides it in there and sinks rear-naked chokes on people.”
Further, he said, “And he also developed a style that didn’t rely on grips, developed a style that’s overhooks and underhooks, which became modern no-gi jiu-jitsu, which is incorporated in mixed martial arts because in mixed martial arts they don’t wear the kimono.”
Rogan is just one of the many famous personalities who have been trained under the Machado family. Chuck Norris, Stephen Thompson, Eddie Bravo, and Ricco Rodriguez have been trained by the Machado family.