Crezio Chavez

Historical Achievements & Legacy Milestones

• 9th Degree Red Belt Grandmaster — Attained the absolute highest active rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, representing the foundational generation of the art.
• Petrópolis BJJ Patriarch — Relocated and founded the first formal Jiu-Jitsu academy in Petrópolis in 1959, establishing a multi-generational pipeline of elite practitioners.
• “Heróis dos Ringues” Cast Member — Served as a premier co-main event feature on Brazil’s historic televised Vale Tudo broadcast on TV Continental.
• Undefeated Competitive Career — Defended the Gracie Academy banner flawlessly in no-holds-barred challenges against boxing, capoeira, and luta livre representatives.

Overview

Grandmaster Crézio Chavez (born Crézio Azevedo de Souza) is an esteemed 9th-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu red belt. A cornerstone vanguard of the original Gracie Academy during the legendary Vale Tudo boom of the 1950s, Chavez is revered both as an undefeated fighting pioneer under Carlos and Hélio Gracie and as the historic patriarch who originally introduced the martial art to the Petrópolis region of Rio de Janeiro.

Nicknames & Training Lifestyle

After discovering a profound affinity for ground-based leverage, Chavez fully immersed himself in the martial art. He spent a long and fruitful 12-year period living directly inside the original Gracie Academy headquarters, eating, sleeping, and breathing the art alongside his master instructors, Carlos and Hélio Gracie.

Displaying an exceptionally fast, agile, and surgically precise style on the mats, he was affectionately nicknamed “Cabritinho” (Little Goat) by Grandmaster Hélio Gracie. Within the broader public combat scene, he was also widely recognized as “Fuzileiro” due to his honorable service within the Brazilian Marine Corps.

The Television & Vale Tudo Era

Recognizing his immense athletic potential and high submission accuracy, the Gracie family pushed Chavez into the grueling arena of Vale Tudo (no-holds-barred) competition. He made his professional debut at the tender age of 17, dispatching his opponent in a blazing fast 57 seconds.

As no-holds-barred fighting exploded into the mainstream, Chavez became a central cast member on Heróis dos Ringues (Ring Heroes), a massively popular, nationally broadcast fighting television show on TV Continental. While Carlson Gracie and João Alberto Barreto functioned as the main attractions of the show, Chavez anchored the co-main event slots. He defended the efficiency of the Gracie system by routinely dismantling challengers from specialized disciplines—including Capoeira, traditional Boxing, and Luta Livre—ultimately retiring from active combat completely undefeated.

Teaching Legacy

Chavez graduated as a certified instructor under Carlos and Hélio Gracie at the age of 22. Shortly after his formal certification, he married and relocated to his wife’s hometown of Petrópolis. In 1959, he opened the region’s very first Jiu-Jitsu academy, seeding an entirely isolated mountain geography with authentic grappling frameworks.

Though he stepped away from active ring competition early, Grandmaster Crézio spent the subsequent decades expanding his administrative and pedagogical legacy, actively coaching students well past his 80th birthday. His son, Crézio Sousa, proudly carried the family name forward, evolving into a prominent heavyweight fighter for the Carlson Gracie Academy during the competitive boom of the 1980s and 1990s.