The red & black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the very first black belt graded by Carlos Gracie Junior, is the nephew of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu founder, Carlos Gracie (Senior). He is amongst the toughest BJJ competitors of the 1980’s, and till this day, admired and adored. Born on the 2nd of July, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having Carlos Gracie as an uncle, Rigan and his four brothers, grew up being very close to the Jiu-Jitsu environment, rolling with his cousins from an early age. Machado moved to the USA in the late 1980’s where he established his successful grappling franchise, producing high profile fighters and coaching famous personalities. Rigan was fortunate to have the help of Hollywood actor Chuck Norris, who helped him get established and brought a lot of attention to the gym. With the rapid growth of The Academy. When the time to leave the competitive career on the side came, Rigan started to dedicate himself fully to coaching Jiu-Jitsu.