After winning titles and organizing events, Adriano Machado ‘closes the cycle’ as an international referee

When Adriano Machado started practicing jiu-jitsu, in 2001, in Rio de Janeiro, dreaming big was a must. And also a way to increase the will to win. Today, when he looks back, he is sure that every drop of sweat, every minute of training and the pain after activities and competitions was worth it.

Adriano’s curriculum helps to understand the feeling of accomplishment. It’s been more than ten years as a black belt and a shelf full of trophies and medals: five times world champion by the Brazilian Confederation of Olympic Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJO), pan-american and south-american champion, third place in the world master and current NAGA (North American Grappling Association) champion, in addition to numerous national medals, such as Brazilian vice-championship.

“Ever since I saw a jiu-jitsu competition in Jardim Guanabara, in Rio de Janeiro, watching Margarida fight at the time, I was certain that I would like to continue in the profession – says Adriano, who has as goals in 2023 fight at the Pan-American, in Florida, and the IBJJF World, in Las Vegas.”

With a victorious career as an athlete, Adriano Machado also established himself as a referee. He studied, was approved in international courses and has worked in several events in major sports centers in the United States, such as California, Arizona and Nevada.

“After many years training and competing, I feel accomplished as a referee, competitor and also an event organizer. I feel proud because I pursued this path, studied, made an effort, sought to be a jiu-jitsu referee and succeeded”, he said.

As a way of giving opportunities to those who want to pursue a career in jiu-jitsu, he also started to organize an event, Spartan, in Rio de Janeiro. There have been nine editions in Brazil, with 800 to 1000 subscribers per event.

“In 2015, competing in several events in Brazil, I felt the need to hold a jiu-jitsu event within my mold, within everything I had been seeing. I decided to make a solid event, valuing athletes and teachers, aiming at physical integrity of participants. Today Spartan is recognized as one of the best events in the Lagos Region, in Rio. We started small and I can say today that we are big”, concluded Adriano.