Rigan Machado with the Utah black belts under his lineage. Left to right: Dave Johnson, Gerald Harris, Rigan Machado, Jeff Kunze, Brandon Ruiz
Arcanum You have had a chance to compete at a high level and also teach a lot of great athletes. So what do you like about competing and then what do you like about teaching?
Rigan Machado Competition is part of a big motivation for me to train, to go to the highest level because the competition always pushing for me to go to the next step. I think the competition help you to get the top shape. Competition help you to get ready to make your techniques the best, you know what I mean? I recommend to everybody.
Arcanum You are doing a lot of teaching now. What do you like about that?
Rigan Machado I remember one time I talked to Helio Gracie, and he said the key to the success in the jiu-jitsu for me, for my family is you have to love what you do. I love to teach, I love to get somebody who know nothing and make him a very good player, he can do the right chess game, he will learn how to set up the submission, and he will learn how to set up the sweeps. That’s what I love; I love to see people grow from level one, all the way to the black belt, that’s amazing.
Arcanum So that leads me to my next question: what makes a good jiu-jitsu coach?
Rigan Machado As a jiu-jitsu coach I remember one time I have a lesson from Rolls Gracie with Carlos Gracie. I was an assistant coach like in the process of learning how to teach and he got for me to teach a guy who I believe was the worse student. I see some of the other trainers got students who is already great athletes, who learn it real fast and I was a kind of upset. I come to my coaches to ask, why you gave me the worse student for me to try and make this guy a champion? The answer was the answer I use in my philosophy today. He came to me and said there is no such thing as a bad student, just a bad coach. The reason I gave you this student because it’s a bigger challenge for you. You are going to have to think, you have to figure out ways to make this guy better than the other guys who are already better athletes. That’s why I put the worse student in your hands; because that’s going to challenge you to develop your abilities to become a better coach to everybody else.
Arcanum How do you make the mental transition and physical transition from training in class to gearing up for a competition?
Rigan Machado The competition is…when you train in the academy you don’t have no adrenaline, you don’t have no pressure. You don’t have the responsibility. I think the moment you have responsibility you have pressure, have people watch you. All these elements change a lot. You combine with that adrenaline, the time factor, the points. I think with competition the more you do, the better you get in control your adrenaline, the better you get at feeling comfortable and the better you play the chess game. I remember one time I talked to my coach Rolls. He said two things make a good act: hours on the mat and hours in competition. I follow the same philosophy. The more you compete, the better you’re going to be.
Arcanum I remember finding a website – I think it was an older website for the Machados – that talked about how you guys steered away from the violent, vale-tudo kind of competition. Can you talk about that?
Rigan Machado I love mixed martial arts, you know what I mean? But I was more in love with jiu-jitsu. The love I have for this sport is so big in my heart. At the time we did a choice what we loved the most and my brothers decided we loved the martial arts; we loved the philosophy, we loved the history, we loved everything, so let’s focus a hundred percent in the sport. And that basically at the time was the decision. I don’t if know that was a mistake, because the mixed martial arts grow real big. But we didn’t know it was going to get that big. Another way I think we think we couldn’t know and choose to go to the mixed martial arts is because the true mixed martial of today is a fantastic chess game, it’s a fantastic game. You have the throws, you have the boxing, you have the – things like I love. But I am happy because today I train a lot of fighters and I have experience to put together some real good fighters. For me it was at the time a decision for the love for this sport.
Arcanum So do you and your brothers get together often quite a bit still?
Rigan Machado We use to be often together all the time but the problem is we are getting so busy doing seminars, movies, all kinds of different things it is sometimes not easy like it used to be. I tried to do my best to see my brothers but everybody is so busy. But we try to keep together.
Arcanum What are some misconceptions about Brazilian jiu-jitsu that are still out there that you would like to change? The only thing is sometimes I get sad. I love when I got my Black Belt. I was very proud the effort and the training to be recognized as a Black Belt. You sometimes today see the business aspect change that some people come and say, hey I give a Black Belt in two years, I give a Black Belt and in three years. It’s kind of like a way to make money. But I believe you have two types of Black Belts: the one you buy in the mail or the one you put your sweat and blood to deserve. I try to tell my students, which one you like to be a Black Belt from? It’s your choice.
Rigan Machado
Arcanum What’s your take on the different styles of jiu-jitsu that are out there? Going back to the marketing thing, there are all kinds of different groups that market their style of jiu-jitsu. Is it all different or is jiu-jitsu just jiu-jitsu?
Rigan Machado Jiu-jitsu is a group, everything change according to the type of grappling the instructor to do. It is the same, but you see a guy the size of an elephant he is going to use the strength, he is going to use the weight, he won’t be as fast. Some of the guys are small and fight like a rat all over the place, moving this way and that way. Its almost like you decide which type instructor you connect yourself to play your game better. You are more like the elephant type or you are more of the rat side, and there is all the stuff between. The ability of a good coach occur when even you are a big guy but you still have that ability to teach a guy to fight like a little guy. All this is a process of gaining experience in teaching. But that’s basically what it is; you see people with different games because they have different body type and different approach on the chess game. But it’s not different jiu-jitsu, I believe jiu-jitsu is jiu-jitsu; jiu-jitsu for me is grappling. You are born a grappler, you make better your grappling, but I don’t see much different from one to another. Basically jiu-jitsu is a bunch of techniques which you try to figure out what’s the best for you to apply and develop your game. I don’t think I have magic, nobody have the magic to make you become a superstar. I think you do the hard training you are going to get good.
Arcanum When you look back on your life and career and are you glad that you decided to choose martial arts and jiu-jitsu as a career and a pathway?
Rigan Machado I think it was because my cousins by growing up in a small city, it was my cousin Carlos who is the founder of Barra Gracie who was my coach. He asked me why you don’t move to the big city and train with me and Rolls Gracie, and I help you because you like you have the ability to be good. I think because my cousins, I think that’s what pushed me to start like doing jiu-jitsu. I have a great relationship with my cousins and I followed the game. My cousins motivated me to do it.
Arcanum As you look back is that something you are happy you decided to pursue in life?
Rigan Machado I never decide, I think because I love to compete and love to do this sport, I think that destiny put me together to teach and become a martial artist. I didn’t predict I am going to be a jiu-jitsu instructor. For me it was something helping to keep my brothers together, something like a bond to have with my brother and my cousins. I am very happy because I do something I love.
Arcanum So, you have been involved in a lot of different in movies and television productions. What do you like about it? What draws you to that?
Rigan Machado For me growing up my father loved the music, loved the movies, he always take me to see movies and talking about the actors. When I was a child I went to a drum school little bit for fun and in high school I loved to go to the movies. I was curious little by little when I met Chuck Norris; Chuck Norris took us to watch and work a bit in Walker Texas Ranger. Then I met Steven Seagal and some other people and little by little got to work with them. I started to see behind the scenes to see how everything worked with the cameras and little by little I started liking it more. I decided, like let’s see how far I can go in this industry…let’s see if I have the ability to do something in this business. For us we have just fun; but my major love, my number one love is jiu-jitsu. Movies and things like that can be the number two.
Arcanum Do you have any new projects that are working on as far as film or television goes?
Rigan Machado We have a few projects in place; we have a reality show in the works and a few movies. But just in the development process, we didn’t sold the show yet. But I have a lot of good people working with me right now.
Arcanum Just because you mentioned Steven Seagal I have to ask…you know people have all kinds of opinions about the different martial arts actors and whether they are legitimate. So this is kind of a funny question, but is Steven Seagal legit?
Rigan Machado Steve Seagal for me – I met him with my brothers to work with him on a movie called Under Siege 2 – he was the best gentleman. He was fantastic, he treated me very nice, he took me to his house, he show us the set, and we did a movie with Warner Brothers. He was always very nice to me. A few times we were talking about martial arts and stuff. When Steve Seagal talk about marshal arts he know what he is talking about. He is a true Black Belt in his style, he is a guy who is…he is a tough guy. You can see this side of him too. He is maybe not in his top shape, or maybe he is in the movies, but he’s not…he is a guy who can fight.
Arcanum I just had to ask that.
Rigan Machado No problem.
Arcanum So last question is, what something that you have learned is as a world champion in grappling? Something that you have learned that you think would benefit anybody in the sport from a beginner to someone who has really high aspirations?
Rigan Machado For me the biggest lesson I have, I have a philosophy – leave your ego at the door. Its very easy in the process of growing up doing that ego is something that can effect, something that can destroy and create enemies. I think the more humble and more you put your feet on the ground is better. A lot of people come to the academy and say, I am best this, best that, I want this, I want that. That is great, but base the realities on the mat. I don’t care what you say, lets go on the mat and we training and if you show me something you know amazing, I like to learn even from you. So, I think like you come to a point you are always a student who never stop learning, and I think you leave your ego outside, and when you go on the mat you make friends, protect your partners and do a good training. There is always going to be doors, they are going to keep open for you. I think basically that’s my philosophy. I hope people take that philosophy for them because it is only going to be beneficial for your career as an athlete.
Arcanum Is there anything else that you would want to say? Anything I should have asked?
Rigan Machado That’s it; you asked all the right questions.
Arcanum All right, thanks for your time.
Rigan Machado Thank you.
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