I have recently devoted a great deal of time, effort, and resources to building my social media presence. Although personal vanity undeniably motivates my ambitions on some subconscious level, I also genuinely care about producing content for a wider audience. Jiu-Jitsu holds a special power that changes lives—a power I have witnessed firsthand over nearly 20 years of training as a student, competitor, coach, and now a gym owner. Expanding my reach by leveraging the often nefarious “influencer” model may compromise my personal integrity, but the ability to spread the benefits of Jiu-Jitsu to students outside the walls of my gym helps validate that spiritual conflict.
The rewards of being an influencer also include intangible benefits. Never underestimate the power of potential profit to aid good deeds. Developing a marketable brand attracts savvy businesses looking to leverage my market share for their benefit, so my inbox is often filled with potential suitors. Unfortunately, many of them are less than reputable. So last summer, when a company contacted me about organizing retreats for influencers, I almost erased the email as spam.
Luckily, I did open this one—from a company named TourHero—and despite my apprehension, I set up a Zoom meeting. They offered an all-inclusive retreat to the destination of my choice within the cities they serve. The package included tours of the city’s historical sites, hotel accommodations, airport transportation, and—most importantly—a gym where we could train BJJ. All I had to do was sell a minimum of six slots to secure the trip. In return, I would receive a free package and a percentage of the profits. Not a bad deal for someone who loves to travel.
The real gem, though, was the destination. We settled on Rio de Janeiro, the birthplace of modern Jiu-Jitsu. For any true practitioner, it would be the equivalent of a journey to Mecca—and for a BJJ retreat, it was the obvious choice.
The flight to Rio is long—nine hours from Miami—but there’s only a two-hour time difference, making it an easy trip. We left Miami International around 11 p.m., slept as well as we could, and woke up in Rio the next day relatively fresh. Traveling to South America is still a journey, but the jet lag haze is far lighter than traveling overseas to Europe or Asia.
We had a great group as well. Everyone was a current or former student of mine, and together we enjoyed the Southern Hemisphere’s summer temperatures in January on the beaches of Rio during our five-day adventure. It was hot—high 80s most of the time—but as a bunch of Florida guys, it felt like a sunny paradise.
Our first day gave us time to decompress and acclimate to our temporary home base. Our lead tour guide, Guilherme, met us at the airport and took us on a 20-minute drive through the city’s outskirts. Almost immediately, we were struck by the beauty of the Rio mountains rising behind the beaches that would become our home for the week.
Our hotel was strategically placed along the shores of the world-famous Copacabana Beach. Guilherme showed us a few places to eat, helped us find a câmbio to exchange money, and went over some basic ground rules. Rio can be dangerous, but if you stay alert and avoid the obvious traps, you’ll be fine. Over the course of our five-day excursion, we never experienced anything remotely unsafe.
After grabbing a quick bite, we headed to Sugarloaf Mountain for a cable car ride over the massive granite peaks along the coastline. We wrapped up the day with a traditional dinner at a local restaurant included in our package. The food was excellent and offered an early taste of the culture.
The next morning, our scheduled events began with a trip to the Christ the Redeemer statue, where we met our second guide, Bruno. His passion for his homeland was evident as he explained the surrounding countryside while we took in the awe-inspiring sight of the massive granite statue—seemingly placed by the hand of God on the mountainside.
The second leg of the day included a visit to the Selarón Steps and a stop at a coffee shop near Bruno’s home in Santa Teresa. One especially memorable moment occurred when Bruno pulled over to show us a view overlooking one of the favelas. The makeshift neighborhood climbed a hillside above the modern buildings of downtown Rio. Bruno took a moment to explain the cultural divide between the wealthy and the poor—how they live together, yet separately. That image stayed with me throughout the rest of the trip.
Later that afternoon, our first training session began. I felt uneasy going into it. I had no prior knowledge of the gym the tour agency had booked for us, and I was concerned about respecting their rules and traditions. I wanted to be sure we weren’t storming in like arrogant Americans, so I made a point of introducing myself to the professor in person on the first day.
The moment I met Marcio, I knew we were in the right place. He was a jovial man of modest stature—not small, but compact and formidable, with the look of a seasoned old warrior. I shook his hand with a slight bow as a sign of respect, and he immediately embraced me. In that moment, I knew we had found the perfect environment.
Marcio was a coral belt who trained directly under Carlson Gracie and Oswaldo Fadda in his teens. He has run his academy in Rio for over 30 years, just a few blocks from the original academy where Rolls and Carlson once trained. After our first session, Marcio took us for açaí bowls and walked us to the site of that original gym. Ironically, it is now a church—the building still spreading spirituality through a different vessel. He then walked us across the street to the statue of Carlson Gracie, forever memorialized as the icon of the art in its birthplace.
We trained several more times at Marcio’s academy, including one unforgettable night. We sat in awe as coral belt after coral belt stepped onto the mats to greet Marcio, each paying respect to a man regarded as a foundational figure of Jiu-Jitsu in Rio. He taught a few combative techniques, followed by another multi-time world champion coral belt who demonstrated darce choke variations. Then we all rolled. It was one of those rare nights that come along only a few times in a lifetime for a true Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.
The remainder of the trip included a bike ride along the beach toward Ipanema for incredible photos of the offshore cliffs, a sunset boat ride, and a farewell dinner at a classic Brazilian steakhouse—all included in the package. But the real beauty of the trip was the connection to the roots of BJJ itself.
Copacabana is a tough place. As a vacation destination, it leaves something to be desired. The environment is breathtaking, but there is always a hint of danger hovering like fog. Yet when I reflect on the true roots of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, that element feels essential. I remembered Bruno explaining the favela on the mountainside overlooking the valley where Rio sits, and suddenly it all made sense.
Jiu-Jitsu was born from chaos. Hélio and Carlos Gracie helped create the most effective fighting system in the world out of necessity—to survive in harsh, unforgiving conditions. Carlson then took it beyond private lessons for the wealthy and brought in the tough guys of Copacabana’s beaches, forging a fight team that would go on to dominate MMA and shape the laid-back training culture most modern BJJ schools embrace today.
That connection is what made this trip meaningful. It is where we all come from. Experiencing it firsthand was truly an honor. I will be going back again—I’m already planning the next trip. So if you’re interested in joining us, keep an eye out for more information.
