Sérgio Luiz da Penha (born August 20, 1959) is a
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
practitioner and instructor. He is most known for an epic fight against
Rickson Gracie in the 1980s. Sergio currently is a coach for well known
MMA fighters in
Las Vegas such as
Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Patrick Bonnar (April 4, 1977 – December 22, 2022) was an American mixed martial artist. Bonnar competed as a Light Heavyweight in the UFC for most of his career. Bonnar was the runner-up on The Ultimate Fighter 1, his TUF Ultimate Fi ...
,
Steve Cantwell,
Anthony Njokuani among others. Sergio has just received one of the highest honors in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by obtaining his eighth degree
red and white belt.
Penha is notable for being one of a very small number of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners skilled enough to have completely bypassed brown belt, moving straight from purple to black belt.
Some sources claim that Penha may have been responsible for training
Kazushi Sakuraba in Brazilian jiu-jitsu during his course of victories over various members of the renowned
Gracie family.
In an interview, Penha confirmed he had taught Sakuraba at the
Takada Dojo, although he clarified it had been only 15 days in December 2001, long after Sakuraba had achieved his wins over the Gracie family. He also revealed the Takada Dojo fighters had been interested to learn "not secret methods and strategies specifically for beating jiu-jitsu," but "just basic techniques."
Instructor lineage
Kano Jigoro →
Tomita Tsunejiro →
Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda →
Carlos Gracie →
Reyson Gracie → Osvaldo Alves → Sergio Penha
See also
*
List of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners
References
External links
Sergio Penha - Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBlog for Sergio Penha - Brazilian Jui-JitsuOn the Mat- Interview with Oswaldo Alves
1959 births
Living people
American male mixed martial artists
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
People from the Las Vegas Valley
Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city)
People awarded a coral belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
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