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Check out what legendary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Sambo champion John Machado has to say a bout his experience rolling with BJ Penn, how good Rickson Gracie really is, what it was like to work on Red Belt, and much more. This is part 1 of a 2 part interview.
For our readers unfamiliar with John Machado, he is a 4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the 1982-1990 Rio de Jainero State Champion, Brazilian National Champion/World Champion from 1983-1990, and the Sambo Wrestling champion from 1993-1994. MMAyou.com: First, how are you doing?
Machado: I'm doing great and I'm excited for your website. I hope you guys do very well.
MMAyou.com: Thank you. I know you're in the movie Red Belt, please tell us about your experience on the set.
Machado: My student and my cousin Renato Magno, he teaches the director David Mamet so I knew about the movie for a while. A few years actually. I knew he was working on a story, this and that, but once the thing materialized and the movie started, the process. So I came into work as a choreographer and also to take part in the movie, in the acting because I studied that before.
It's been an amazing experience to work with David Mamet. It was a mix of very known actors, great actors, with a group of martial artists. To mix Ray Mancini and Ricco Chiparelli, and to train the actors, organize the fight scenes, it was an amazing experience.
MMAyou.com: How long did the actors train with you? Machado: A couple of months before the movie, the preproduction. So we were working with the actors and I was teaching mainly Chiwetel, the main guy in the movie. I had to teach him not only the basics so he understands what the art is about but also the choreography. It was very unique because I'm teaching him the choreography and I'm actually fighting him in the movie. It's like two things are going on there. (John and actor Chiwetel Ejiofor training for Red Belt)
MMAyou.com: Has your cousin Rickson Gracie made any comments to you about the movie?
Machado: Yeah definitely. Rickson from the start congratulated me and expressed his support, and was very proud and happy.
MMAyou.com: Who were some of your biggest wins against?
Machado: I fought in Jiu Jitsu. Put it this way. I was very successful in my wins and I was very happy to have great opponents in my days competing in Brazil. Fabio Gurgel, Wallid Ishmael, (inaudible) very good opponent. Leonardo, he's a coach today but Leonardo Castello Blanco, he's like a heavyweight. Champ Travin, Roberto Travin, you name it, I fought all of those guys. Sergio "Boloa" Souza, that's his nickname, "Bolao", that is how he was known. Very good guy. I fought all of those guys from the Carlson Gracie team.
MMAyou.com: Didn't you win seven years in a row the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships?
Machado: Yeah, actually what happened is this. The World Championship, they started in 96. We've been here since 1990. They didn't have World Championship. We won the biggest tournament they had over there which was the State Championship in Rio. So we won that many years in a row.
It was a different structure. Later, they came out, they came up, I helped my cousin because I did the first tournament in the United States. The first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament in the United States I did inside the LAPD Academy in 1991. It was the first ever.
Around 96, I had an organization the American Federation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and then I helped my cousin to do the first Pan American here in the United States. The first international tournament. See things were taking shape there. So he started the Brazilian Federation. You didn't have that. The biggest one was Rio and we won. Those were the tournaments we all fought; Rickson, all my cousins. It was an amazing tournament.
My cousin helped build tournaments here. Every four or five months I did a competition. A lot of the guys, most of the guys that are black belts today competing, or teaching, or even went to do MMA they were like young teenagers competing back then. Dean Lister, all of those guys, they were kids man, blue belts competing in my tournaments.
MMAyou.com: You've never been submitted in competition. What's the secret to your success?
Machado: I think not that it's a secret. Of course, I always prioritized my defense, not just the attack, you know what I mean? Sometimes you can finish, sometimes you can't. You always have to try and keep a constant defense. I lost but I didn't get submitted.
MMAyou.com: Why do so many MMA fighters not finish their arm bars?
Machado: Hahahaha. I think it's the strategy that they use. I think they rush the arm bar too much. They focus on the finish instead of focusing on the positioning. I rather they should stay on the mount longer, take an advantage. They rest too much and they don't work on the KOs to establish the finishing hold. Once they go for it they are in too much hurry, maybe because of the round, or their own, maybe because of themselves, or because of the round, the pressure.
MMAyou.com: Who's had the biggest influence on you as a fighter and teacher?
Machado: I have like a, I would say I don't have like a. Of course Carlos Gracie, the founder of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, his philosophy. One person would be him because he was not only a great champion, the founder, a great champion, but his generosity, his philosophy, he total. He was a complete fearless in the way he carried himself and I really admired that in him. But I didn't train directly with him because of his age so I would say my older brothers because they were all black belts. I was like a blue belt and they were already black belts so my brothers. Carlos Gracie Jr.
So I had a few guys I picked things from them, you know what I mean? Like when you're growing up, good traits for when you form yourself. I think we all do that when you're growing up. You have an uncle that you look at, any little kid you look in good qualities, role models that you can. Sometimes you find a person that has everything. Some people have a little bit here a little bit here a little bit here.
I worked with the different cousins so Rickson Gracie of course. So I trained with him for a years, also as a teenager I learned a lot of good things, a little of his philosophy as well and the way he teaches his students.
I would say my brothers, my older brothers, so Rigan and Carlos. Because they were in the academy; Carlos Gracie Jr and Rickson Gracie.
MMAyou.com: There's been a lot of talk about Rickson's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game over the years. You would be the authority on this. How good is he on the mat would you say?
MMAyou.com: (Silence). John, you there?
Machado: Yeah yeah yeah. I'm just thinking. There's wrong answers, there's no wrong questions (both laugh).
Rickson is as good as it gets. A lot of guys they can be really good but I think what made him special was that a lot of people have a combination of factors in their favor. Some guys might have good techniques but they're very weak physically, or they're not healthy, or their mental is not strong. Some guys can become very good in Jiu Jitsu but they have a weak mental game. So Rickson has a very good combination of factors; his fitness, his discipline. Until today he's in great shape. He has his routine every day that he grows through. That takes a lot. His mental, his skill, his technique.
MMAyou.com: Who created Gracie Jiu Jitsu?
Machado: You have the founders in Carlos Gracie and Helio Gracie. Carlos started the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Helio Gracie tweaked, you understand, he improved so much the Jiu Jitsu. From then through the years each generation, each group started giving their contribution to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Me and my brothers we competed in Sambo, started doing a lot of leg bars, so we went back to Brazil. And we already trained in wrestling over here, especially Rigan. Wrestling, we were competing in Sambo, training a lot for the Sambo rules. A lot of leg locks a lot of heel hooks. We’d go back to Brazil and we’d train with all the guys in the 90s. And the guys were like "Wow, that's so different".
MMAyou.com: What is your exact relation to the Gracie family?
Machado: My relation, blood relation, it's my aunt, my Mom's sister she was Carlos Gracie's wife. They had six children so they're my cousins. She was Carlos's last wife for forty years. He had like twenty-one children so he had different wives of course.
MMAyou.com: You said twenty-one children?
Machado: Yeah, Carlos Gracie had twenty-one children. He was a very unique guy.
MMAyou.com: He's got to be fearless to have twenty-one kids
Machado: I'm telling you my man. I have four and I see how hard it is. Go have twenty-one.
I'm related different ways even. Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, and the late Ryan Gracie, their mother is my mom's cousin from another relationship. Our grandmothers are sisters. I would be related to them through this side as well. Not by my aunt being related to Carlos Gracie, being his wife. From another side, my grandmother is Renzo's grandmother's sister. We grew up in the same hometown and I've known these guys since I can talk.
MMAyou.com: I know you've rolled with BJ Penn before, what was that like?
Machado: BJ Penn, he's a very talented individual. He's one of those guys, he has many attributes in his favor. His flexibility, his strength pound for pound is very strong, his techniques in Jiu Jitsu, his striking is smooth, so I think that's what makes him so good in MMA.
Our rolling was a technical roll. We were working on some positioning. He came to visit my school to ask about some positioning, some guard work and stuff and I shared my ideas with him. It was great and he's a very talented individual.
I've known BJ since he like started in Jiu Jitsu. I remember him as a blue belt. He came to my purple belt to visit me because he use to train at Ralph Gracie's in San Francisco. Then he came to Los Angeles to visit my school. We had some Hawaiian students, they were all friends so he came. I really think he was purple belt. We had some fun and then a few years later he came to do some technical work. Just a little tune up, a little bit.
MMAyou.com: How do you think he is going to do next week against Sean Sherk?
Machado: You never know until the fight happens, you know? But of course he's the favorite in my eyes because of what he can bring to the ring. All those attributes. Even though he has a strong opponent who's a powerful wrestler I think BJ is more multidimensional in his game. He can play on top, he can play on the bottom, he can strike. So he can takedown, he can strike, and he can play the guard game so he brings more. But he has a tough opponent and you never know. I hope the best for him to win this fight. I think he is the favorite but you must wait until the fight happens.
Check back tomorrow as John discusses who can beat Fedor, goes more in-depth about Red Belt, his philosophy on martial arts, and much more!
For more information on John Machado please visit www.johnmachado.net. For more information on the movie Red Belt click here.
Be sure to check back with us soon as we will have more great interviews coming your way. We have John Machado part 2, BJ Penn, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko and more coming soon. You can also check out our vast interview archive by clicking here.
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