UFC Hall of Fame member Royce Gracie was there alongside the Valente family once again.

“Royce proved Jiu-Jitsu’s supremacy to the world and created all of what there is now in modern martial arts. Royce’s presence here brightened up our party and was an honor to us,” said red belt Pedro Valente.

A number of students were promoted at the party, but only ten received their black belts. They were: Asim Zaidi, Enrique Montoya, Eric Stupel, Felipe Lay, Frank Flores, Keith Lambert, Keih Romer, Ken Dellet, Miguel Reyes and Vinicius Pires, all of whom have practiced the gentle art for years and were rewarded out of merit and recognition.

Check out this can’t-miss video of the ceremony, with statements from the Valente family, Royce Gracie and a number of students.

And you, what have you done to spread Jiu-Jitsu in the society? Tell us.

Pedro Valente with his teacher, João Alberto Barreto

“With a last name like mine (meaning “valiant” in Portuguese), I had a rough time as a kid at school,” remembered Dr. Pedro Valente, wearing a gi, as he told the story of how he got his start in Jiu-Jitsu. “My father told me that in his day he would say, ‘No way, it’s just my name that is Valiant,’ but I resolved to learn how to defend myself.”

That was how the lesson-, remembrance-, emotion- and friendly embrace-filled ceremony to decorate the surgeon with a Jiu-Jitsu red belt went yesterday at around 8:30pm at Gracie Humaitá academy in Rio de Janeiro, at Professor Relson Gracie’s behest.

Valente, who paused in silence to hold back tears when addressing his old friend and master, Helio Gracie, recounted stories of how he took up arms to defend his old friend and former governor of the state of Rio Leonel Brizola, and everyone in attendance ate it up.

After carefully and affectionately removing the red and black belt signed by Helio from around his waist, Pedro Valente had the red belt fastened on him by brothers Relson, Royler and Rolker, and by his first teacher, João Alberto Barreto, accompanied by Master Alvaro Barreto. On the video projection screen Rorion and Royce Gracie sent their congratulations to the father of the Valente brothers, of whom the father made mention: “Were it not for my sons and daughter, I would not still be training today.”

Helio Gracie, as always, was one of the stars, appearing in an old video reminding of Valente’s victories and achievements, inspiring laughter from Gracie Humaitá’s highest-ranking members.

Pedro Valente thus joins a select club of grandmasters. Officially registered by the IBJJF, there are but nine of them, due to complications in obtaining information by the highest governing body of Jiu-Jitsu on the planet. Check out the list of red belts on the IBJJF website, and to help resolve the issues in documenting and making your new belt (of any color) official, visit www.cbjj.com.br/filiar.htm or www.ibjjf.org/member.htm, or send an email to cbjj@cbjj.com.br or ibjjf@ibjjf.org.

Ninth-degree red belts up until 2010 (IBJJF):

Carlson Gracie
Julio Secco
Osvaldo Alves
Reyson Gracie
Amelio Arruda (Associação Oriente)
Deoclecio Paulo (Deo)
Francisco Mansor (Kioto)

"O Dia" and "Marca.BR" newspapers

Two of Rio de Janeiro’s biggest newspapers, O Dia and Marca.BR, featured the gentle art this Monday.

They covered the work being done by the Valente Brothers, our GMAs at Gracie Miami. The fighters present the “anti-bullying program,” a success in the USA, where aggression between peers in school is commonplace.

Through Jiu-Jitsu youths gain confidence and learn to defend themselves in extreme situations, as well as improving their social standing, all while practicing sport.

The publications have been placing great importance on martial arts. Marva.BR, for example, has a regular Saturday column by two-time absolute world champion Amaury Bitetti written with the help of GRACIEMAG.com reporter Carlos Eduardo Ozório.

Gracie Miami's black belt group for 2011. Photo: Publicity.

Last December 6 marked a grandiose promotion ceremony at Gracie Miami, with students and representatives from brothers Pedro and Gui Valente’s Florida headquarters and from the branches from Pembrook Pines, Fort Lauderdale, Guatemala, South Carolina, and Texas, as well as the Royce Gracie academy in Ecuador all present.

With the UFC pioneer in attendance, the diverse group of practitioners, young and old, was promoted to their new ranks, like Scott Penley, 71, who started training in 2009.

Also approved by Royce, a select group was promoted to black belt. They were: Paul Hansen, Jex Fontaine, Jack Walker, Calvin Carter, Eduardo Cambas, Roy Cantu, and Oliver Jordan, long-time practitioners who were observed throughout 2010 and tested in the requisites of technique, mental focus, emotional posture, and knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu history, its philosophy, and lifestyle.

Portilla with the Valentes

One of the students of GMA member school Gracie Miami, of the Valente brothers, just had a great achievement.

Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a brown belt, got elected to the Florida Senate.

Portilla began training in 1997. He was part of the first class of students when Pedro Valente arrived in the USA.

Read more here about Portilla here.

For more info, go to graciemiami.com.

A student of the Valente brother in Miami, Miguel Diaz de La Portilla managed a great victory, but not one on the mats. The brown belt won the vote and is now the new representative in the Florida Senate.

Miguel has practiced Jiu-Jitsu since 1997 and is a member of one of Pedro Valente’s first groups of students. He recently was promoted to brown belt and continues to attend class as much as possible.

Starting at minute two of the video below the senator shows his self-defense skills. It’s worth checking out.

Valente Brothers Fort Lauderdale inaugurated its new 4,700 sqft facilty in great fashion.

Professors Pedro, Gui, and Joaquim Valente, along with Professor James Robertoson and Fort Lauderdale Chief Instructor Bruce Belfield among several other students had an amazing night in the new facility.

Many students from headquarters attended, demonstrating the school’s overall unity and camaraderie. The special class covered an array of Jiu-Jitsu techniques and culminated with a technical and competitive sparring session.

On a special note, Professor Pedro Valente, in name of all professors, staff, and students, congratulated the Valente Brothers Fort Lauderdale team for their tremendous dedication, work ethic, and loyalty.

For more info, go to graciemiami.com

Valente Brothers Fort Lauderdale inaugurated its new 4,700 sqft facilty in great fashion.

Professors Pedro, Gui, and Joaquim Valente, along with Professor James Robertoson and Fort Lauderdale Chief Instructor Bruce Belfield among several other students had an amazing night in the new facility.

Many students from headquarters attended, demonstrating the school’s overall unity and camaraderie. The special class covered an array of Jiu-Jitsu techniques and culminated with a technical and competitive sparring session.

On a special note, Professor Pedro Valente, in name of all professors, staff, and students, congratulated the Valente Brothers Fort Lauderdale team for their tremendous dedication, work ethic, and loyalty.

For more info, go to graciemiami.com

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured  on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.

Aventura is a planned, suburban Miami city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from the Spanish word for “adventure,” and was named “Aventura” after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, “What an adventure this is going to be.” The name predates the well-known mall (Aventura Mall) built near the condominium developments. According to the U.S. Census estimates of 2007, the city had a population of 29,475.

Find out more at graciemiami.com.

Rickson and the Valentes. Photo: Gracie Miami

This weekend has all the ingredients to become a historical one at Gracie Miami, in Florida.

The Valente Brothers will be welcoming the legendary Rickson Gracie for a couple of sold out seminars.

And the son of Helio Gracie is already among them.

For more info, go to the GMA Blog.

Rickson with the Valentes. Photos: Gracie Miami

This weekend has all the ingredients to become a historical one at Gracie Miami, in Florida.

The Valente Brothers will be welcoming the legendary Rickson Gracie for a couple of sold out seminars.

And the son of Helio Gracie is already among them.

Read what the Valente wrote in their website: “Master Rickson Gracie arrived in Miami this Thursday morning and visited Valente Brothers during the Grappling Techniques and Sparring classes. Professor Pedro Valente introduced Rickson to the class expressing his gratitude for Rickson’s contributions to the establishment of Gracie Jiu-JItsu as the most efficient Martial Art and for Rickson’s will to teach at Valente Brothers.

Rickson thanked all students and teachers for the warm welcome and said, ‘I am very proud to witness the success Pedro, Guilherme and Joaquim have achieved by maintaining my father’s (Grandmaster Hélio Gracie) style and method’. Following the class, Rickson sat on the mat and spent over one hour talking Jiu-JItsu with students and professors.”

For more info, go to graciemiami.com