Their capital, Luanda, is home to a small number of BJJ athletes, but a surprisingly large number of highly organized events. All of it is thanks to a man named King Lobão. He’s made some major moves in the BJJ industry, that over unnoticed by the majority of the BJJ community.

Mario Stefan is a black belt in Angolan jiu-jitsu tradicional, a special form of the Arte Suave that takes its name due to the use of “traditional” standing attacks and the incorporation of weapons. Otherwise, it’s far from what any of us would consider traditional in the normal sense.