Samuel Braga

Posted by Fanatics Authors on January 24, 2019

Samuel Braga is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and ten time world champion. Samuel is a member of the Gracie Barra competition team and currently owns and runs an academy in Knoxville, Tennessee in the United States. There are several other affiliate schools of his in the surrounding area, including, but not limited to, Leviathan Jiu Jitsu, Maryville Jiu Jitsu, and Seymour Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy. He was awarded his black belt in only 5 years time in 2005 by Vinicius "Draculino" Magalhães after consecutive wins at lower belt levels in some of the most prestigious grappling tournaments in the world. He is a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Achievements

World Bronze Medallist (2001 blue, 2006 and 2011 black)
Pan American Silver Medallist (2008 black)
World Silver Medallist (2003 purple, 2007, 2009 black)
Brazilian Teams Champion (2003 purple)
Pan American Champion (2004 brown)
World No Gi Champion (2007, 2016 Master 1)
Brazilian Champion (2001 blue, 2002 and 2003 purple, 2004 and 2005 brown)
World Champion (2002 purple, 2004 brown, 2005, 2008 and 2010 black)

Instruction

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Samuel Braga Biography

Samuel Braga was born on July 31st, 1982 in Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. At age 7, Braga started training Tae Kwon Do. He took the martial art very seriously and competed often, even earning his black belt when he was only a teenager. Then in his later teenage years Samuel quit Tae Kwon Do and took a break from martial arts altogether. Braga found jiu jitsu in 2000. He had originally attended to return to Tae Kwon do, but became curious in jiu jitsu classes at the gym he signed up at. Braga was familiar with jiu jitsu, having seen it used in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other Mixed Martial Arts promotions. It only took one class for Samuel to get hooked on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He opted to leave Tae Kwon Do and focus primarily on jiu jitsu.

Braga spent his lower belt years training at the Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte academy. Samuel Braga was a natural, and quickly worked his way through the ranks. He plowed through his competition, earning 5 Brazilian Nationals in a row, first in the blue belt division in 2001, then twice in the purple belt division in 2002 and 2003. Finally again two times in the brown belt division in 2004 and 2005. After these wins, Braga was awarded his black belt. He received it from Master Draculino after the Brazilian Nationals in 2005. Braga’s black belt came just in time for the World Jiu Jitsu Championships that same year. He would go on to win his first black belt World Title at the event.

Samuel Braga would end up being stripped of his Silver Medal by the IBJJF after the finals of the Mundial in a fight against Guilherme Mendes. Braga had been defeated and did not take Guilherme’s victory celebration lightly. Braga pushes Mendes and was disqualified from the tournament.

Braga continued to compete however and ended up winning his sixth World Championship title in 2011. After winning six World Championships, Samuel is still practicing this beautiful art that changed his life, giving him more discipline, confidence, and respect in all areas of his life inside and outside the ring.