Carlos Machado

Machado was born on November 9, 1963, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the eldest of five brothers: Carlos, Roger, Rigan, Jean Jacques and John. The Machados are cousins of the Gracie family through Luiza Machado, a sister of Laír, the third wife of Carlos Gracie Sr.⁠[1][2]

He first trained under Hélio Gracie at the Gracie academy and then under Rolls Gracie in Copacabana; he was a blue belt when Rolls Gracie died, after which Carlos Gracie Jr. took over his training and later awarded him his black belt.⁠[1][2]

From 1982 to 1987, Machado lived with Carlos Gracie Sr. while studying law.⁠[1]

His brother Rigan moved to the United States in 1988, and Carlos and John joined him in Southern California around 1990; all five brothers eventually settled there. The actor Chuck Norris became a student of the Machado brothers and helped them open their first academy in a shopping center he owned in Tarzana, and they became close friends.⁠[1][2]

In 1995, when Chuck Norris began filming the television series Walker, Texas Ranger, Machado moved to Dallas, first teaching out of the show’s studio and later opening his own academy; he has taught in the Dallas–Fort Worth area ever since.⁠[2][1][3]

On July 16, 2026, Hard Knocks Business released the short video “He trained Chuck Norris…now he has 140+ licensed Jiu-Jitsu schools.,” filmed at Machado’s studio. In the video he said he began teaching Chuck Norris in the early 1990s and continued for more than two decades, that he became a millionaire in his early 40s, that he was 62, and that he had 142 licensed locations with more to come.⁠[4]

He also said that before coming to the United States in 1990 he was already a part owner of the school where he taught in Brazil, and that he first came to Los Angeles through Chuck Norris.⁠[4]

The lesson he took from Chuck Norris was to talk less and act: don’t brag, just do it (video at 00:18)⁠[4]

What matters is not only what you do but what you learn from it; look up to what people do to achieve their results rather than what they have (video at 00:35)⁠[4]

Judge a class by whether the student changes: if the person is the same afterward and is not asking how to enroll, the instructor has missed the mark, whatever the sales script (video at 00:51)⁠[4]

Responsibility always stops with you: if someone wrongs you, you allowed it, so nothing should happen unless you let it (video at 01:33)⁠[4]

Machado founded and serves as president of the Machado Method Jiu-Jitsu Association, which has affiliated academies in the United States and abroad; he personally runs its main academy in Carrollton, Texas, north of Dallas. He holds an eighth-degree coral belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his black belts include Rafael Lovato Jr., Travis Lutter, Anthony Perosh and Elvis Sinosic. He also owns the Dallas Mustangs, a Professional Grappling Federation team.⁠[3][2][5]

Machado’s competition results include the 1997 Rickson Gracie International Tournament superfight title, Pan American titles in 1997 and 1998, U.S. Open titles in 1998 and 1999, and two titles at the 2000 World Masters Championship, in the middleweight and open divisions.⁠[1][2]

Machado Method Jiu-Jitsu Carrollton: Official website: https://machadomethodcarrollton.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[5]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CarlosMachadoBJJ (opens in a new window).⁠[5]