Ep. 46: Luis França

Luiz França: The Forgotten Founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

He trained the poor. He defied the Gracies. He changed Jiu-Jitsu forever — and history almost erased his name.

While the world credits the Gracie family for creating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, another lineage was quietly growing in the shadows — one born not in luxury, but in the favelas of Rio.
His name was Luiz França Filho, and his story challenges everything we think we know about BJJ’s origins.

In this episode, we uncover the mystery, the controversy, and the hidden legacy of the man who may have been one of Brazil’s first true Jiu-Jitsu masters — a student (possibly?) of Mitsuyo Maeda, Soshihiro Satake, and Geo Omori, and the teacher of the legendary Oswaldo Fadda.

From the docks of Manaus to the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz França’s journey runs parallel to — and sometimes against — the Gracie empire.

But while the Gracies built fame through spectacle and challenge matches, França built community — teaching soldiers, laborers, and kids from the favelas the art of self-defense.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The untold story of Luiz França’s early training under Japan’s Kodokan pioneers.
• Why historians like Robert Drysdale question whether França ever trained with Maeda — and why André Borges of BJJHeroes.com disagrees.
• How França’s student Oswaldo Fadda challenged the Gracie Academy in 1951 — and won using footlocks the Gracies called “dirty.”
• How the França–Fadda lineage gave rise to modern legends like José Aldo, BJ Penn, Rodolfo Vieira, and Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro through Nova União and GFTeam.
• Why França’s philosophy — Jiu-Jitsu for everyone — still matters today.

This is not just another Gracie story.
This is the tale of the man who built Jiu-Jitsu from the ground up, who never sought fame, and whose teachings shaped the sport long after his name faded from the headlines.