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Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
Portrait unavailable. General BJJ illustration; not a likeness of this person.Illustration: The BJJ Story

Rodrigo Medeiros (Carlson)

From Maneco and Carlson Gracie to Nova Geração and BJJ Revolution, Rodrigo Medeiros built his story through teaching.

Biography

Rodrigo Medeiros’s story is a teaching line carried across cities and countries. A 1998 Carlson Gracie Academy biography says he started judo at five and took up jiu-jitsu at twelve after an invitation from Maneco, before training with Carlson Gracie. By 1992, teaching had become central to that path. According to BJJ Heroes, Medeiros and Francisco Albuquerque began a jiu-jitsu class in Leblon with Carlson’s approval. The project became Nova Geração. BJJ Heroes also reports that Medeiros taught as an affiliate from 1993 and moved to the United States with Carlson in 1996. In San Diego, Medeiros later established BJJ Revolution Team, with Albuquerque contributing to its development. The team’s current website presents it as an affiliation that supports schools in the United States and overseas; member testimonials identify Medeiros and Julio “Foca” Fernandez as its leaders. This is Rodrigo Medeiros of the Carlson Gracie lineage, not Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros of Brasa Team. His profile is best understood through the classrooms and organizations that connected Maneco and Carlson’s instruction to Nova Geração and, later, BJJ Revolution.

Sources for this profile

  • Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at UCLA, “Who is Rodrigo Medeiros?,” last modified 31 May 1998.(opens in a new tab)

    • A 1998 Carlson Gracie Academy biography says Rodrigo Medeiros began judo at five, began jiu-jitsu at twelve after an invitation from Maneco, and then trained with Carlson Gracie.

      Where in the source: Who is Rodrigo Medeiros? — opening paragraph

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Nova Geração Academy,” n.d.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes reports that Francisco Albuquerque and Rodrigo Medeiros began teaching a jiu-jitsu class in Leblon in 1992 after Carlson Gracie approved it; the project became Nova Geração, and Medeiros moved to the United States in 1996.

      Where in the source: Nova Geração Academy — “The Early Days of Nova Geracao,” paragraphs 1–2 and team-details table

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Rodrigo Medeiros,” n.d.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes identifies this Rodrigo Medeiros as Carlson Gracie's black belt and explicitly distinguishes him from Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros of Brasa Team; it says he taught as an affiliate from 1993, moved with Carlson Gracie to Los Angeles in 1996, and later established BJJ Revolution Team in San Diego with Francisco Albuquerque's contribution.

      Where in the source: Rodrigo Medeiros Jiu Jitsu — opening identification note and biography paragraphs 2–3

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Revolution Team, “BJJ Revolution Team,” n.d.(opens in a new tab)

    • The BJJ Revolution Team's current official site presents the organization as an affiliation supporting schools in the United States and overseas, and identifies Rodrigo Medeiros and Julio “Foca” Fernandez as its leaders in member testimonials.

      Where in the source: BJJ Revolution Team home page — Welcome section and Jeff Messina / Edward Anthony testimonials

      Accessed:

Lineage

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