BJJ Academies in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro is where Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was born. Carlos Gracie opened the first Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu in 1925 in the Flamengo neighborhood, on Rua Marquês de Abrantes; the academy later moved to Avenida Rio Branco 151 in downtown Rio in the 1960s. From that single room came every modern BJJ lineage.

The most influential teams either originated in Rio or were anchored there. Carlson Gracie Academy was founded in 1965 in Copacabana (Rua Figueiredo Magalhães), and through the 1980s its competition team dominated the sport. Gracie Humaitá's modern identity dates to 1985, when the academy moved into Padre Antonio Vieira High College in the Humaitá neighborhood, with Hélio, Rickson, and later Royler running the room. Gracie Barra was founded in 1986 by Carlos Gracie Jr. in Barra da Tijuca (the global HQ later moved to Lake Forest, California in 2005). Nova União was founded in 1995 by André Pederneiras and Wendell Alexander in Botafogo. Gordo Jiu-Jitsu's Roberto "Gordo" Correa de Lima — Rio-raised, started training in 1986, black belt 1993 — developed the modern half-guard while rehabbing a knee injury as a purple belt.

The competition history is just as rooted: the IBJJF World Championship was first held in 1996 at Tijuca Tênis Clube and stayed there through 2006 before moving to Long Beach. Today the IBJJF Rio Open runs at Tijuca Tênis Clube, and Copa Pódio's invitation-only Grand Prix — founded in 2011 by Jeferson Maycá — runs out of Rio.