Maurício Motta Gomes

Main Achievements

• The Famous Five/Six Elite — Historically revered as one of only six practitioners to be awarded a black belt directly under the late Master Rolls Gracie.
• 1st Place — Rio de Janeiro State Championship Open Weight Division (1981 Adult Black Belt Champion)
• International Pioneer Framework — Engineered the foundational launch of the very first Gracie Barra academies across both Japan (Tokyo, 1997) and China (Shanghai, 2002).
• Historic British Promotion — Formally graduated Jude Samuel in 2005, who became recognized as the first home-grown British Jiu-Jitsu black belt in history.

Overview

Maurício Motta Gomes, widely addressed by his iconic nickname “Maurição,” is a legendary 8th-degree red-and-white coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Boasting over 50 years of residential mat experience, Gomes is internationally historicized as a cornerstone architect of the global jiu-jitsu expansion. As one of the ultra-exclusive few black belts formally graduated by Master Rolls Gracie, his technical vanguards fueled grassroots booms across South America, Asia, and Western Europe, securing him the immortal moniker of the “Godfather of British Jiu-Jitsu.”

Early Life & Competitive Career

Maurício Gomes began his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey at just four years old, introduced to the “Gentle Art” by his father, who held the rank of brown belt. He was enrolled to train under the tutelage of Master João Alberto Barreto, absorbing traditional self-defense frameworks during his childhood years.

As a teenager, seeking to test his limits in the sport’s shifting competitive design, he transitioned his training to the camp of the family champion, Master Rolls Gracie. Under Rolls’ progressive mentorship, Maurício evolved into a highly dangerous heavy-pressure competitor. His competitive prime culminated in 1981, when he conquered the absolute open-weight division of the Rio de Janeiro State Championships, a milestone that cemented his status among the elite tier of Brazilian grapplers. Shortly after his standout tournament run, Rolls Gracie formally awarded Gomes his black belt in November 1981, an instruction line Maurício preserved deeply until his master’s tragic passing in 1982.

International Legacy & “The Godfather of British Jiu-Jitsu”

Gomes transitioned into an international ambassador, expanding the sport’s global boundaries. In 1997, he opened the first formal Gracie Barra franchise in Tokyo, Japan, earning distinction as the first native Brazilian instructor invited to run a permanent program there. In 2002, he cloned this structural vision in China, setting up Shanghai’s inaugural Gracie Barra facility alongside his son.

He later concentrated his operations within the United Kingdom, establishing Gracie Barra UK and anchoring instructional spaces across London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Belfast. To fortify the technical standards of the territory, he brought over elite world champions like Braulio Estima to assist him. In 2005, Gomes achieved a massive regional milestone by promoting Jude Samuel to black belt, marking the first home-grown British practitioner to reach the rank. This foundational impact earned him the lifelong title of the “Godfather of British Jiu-Jitsu.”

Personal Life & Immortal Lineage

In 1979, Maurício married Reila Gracie, the daughter of Jiu-Jitsu founder Carlos Gracie Sr., a union that closely linked his lineage to the core family structure of the art’s creators. Together, they fathered Roger Gracie, who chose to use his mother’s historic surname for competitive designation. Roger went on to become an unprecedented 10-time adult Black Belt World Champion, universally regarded as the absolute greatest competitor in the history of modern sport grappling.

Today, Master Maurício Gomes resides permanently in the United Kingdom, preserving old-school pressure mechanics and lineage while coaching alongside his son at the world-renowned [Roger Gracie Academy](https://bjjbloodline.com/profile/?teacher_id=133) headquarters in London.