Machado is nephew of BJJ co-founder and Grandmaster Carlos Gracie, and learned the martial art from an early age.
Despite this congenital problem, which directly affects the skill of gripping, he began his Jiu-Jitsu training over thirty years ago and dominated the competitive arena of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in his native country, capturing every major title and competition award from 1982 through 1992.
On June 6, 2011 in a private ceremony held at the Rickson Gracie Academy in West Los Angeles, Machado was promoted to a 7th degree red-and-black belt.
[1] This prestigious promotion is in recognition of Machado's 25 years as a black belt instructor, competitor and champion.
He famously taught both 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo[7] and podcaster Joe Rogan, along with a number of other celebrities and prominent martial arts figures like Freddie Prinze Jr.[8] and Dan Inosanto.