Joaquim and his brothers, Pedro Valente and Gui Valente, began learning jiu-jitsu “from their father before they could walk” and now teach at the Valente Brothers facility.

“At the tender age of 2, Pedro, Gui and Joaquim were already taking private lessons from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie,” reads the company’s website. “Growing up, the Valente brothers trained daily at the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro.”

Pedro began teaching classes in Miami, Fla., in 1993, launching the family’s full-time academy five years later.

Joaquim was “still living in Brazil” at the time, “work[ing] with Grandmaster Hélio directly and provid[ing] Pedro and Gui with valuable information” until he followed them to the United States in 2007.