#374 “They Don’t Love Jiu-Jitsu, They Love the Fame”: Coral Belt Draculino | Eindbazen

18 okt 2026 · 01:38:57

Coral belt Vinicius "Draculino" Magalhães is one of the most respected figures in jiu-jitsu. A pioneer of Gracie Barra, he opened the first Gracie Barra school outside of Rio de Janeiro, built Gracie Barra Texas into a team that won the state's biggest competition 22 times in a row, fought MMA until the age of 40 and gave up a career as an attorney to follow his love for the art. More than 40 years on the mats, and still training every day.

Nine years after his last visit, Draculino is back at Eindbazen. We start with a photo from 1994: the day Rickson Gracie showed up to train with a group of young black and brown belts, Draculino among them, and tapped every single one of them. Draculino remembers every detail.

From there he opens up about what jiu-jitsu gained and what it lost, the moment with his master Carlinhos Gracie Jr. that changed his life, the price his body paid for training for results, his upcoming book, and why jiu-jitsu can save lives without healing trauma on its own.

👉 Follow Draculino: https://www.instagram.com/draculinojj/

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:21 The 1994 photograph

1:55 The day Rickson Gracie came to train

9:02 Draculino's upcoming book

11:43 Could this photo be recreated today?

15:05 What jiu-jitsu lost along the way

17:23 Love for the art vs fame and money

25:53 Roots jiu-jitsu vs sport jiu-jitsu

49:55 Training for results and paying the price

1:01:39 Jiu-jitsu, therapy and mental health