Organization
BTT
Overview
Brazilian Top Team (BTT) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts team and academy network founded in Brazil in the late 1990s. The organization emerged from the Carlson Gracie lineage and became widely recognized for its role in the development of professional MMA and high-level grappling competition.
Affiliation
Core Identity
Organization name Brazilian Top Team
Common name BTT
Acronym BTT
Organization type Academy affiliation and team network
Founded Circa 1997
Founder
- Murilo Bustamante
- Ricardo Liborio
- Mario Sperry
Headquarters (historical) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Headquarters (current) Distributed (team and academy network)
Operational status Active
Primary discipline Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
Affiliation Model
Affiliation structure Team-based training network with academies and training centers operating under the Brazilian Top Team identity.
Gym independence Affiliated academies operate as independent gyms while identifying with the BTT team and lineage.
Branding / naming conventions Use of Brazilian Top Team or BTT branding in academy names, competition registration, and team representation.
Instruction / curriculum Training rooted in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with strong integration of wrestling and MMA-oriented grappling; implementation varies by academy.
Typical affiliation signals BTT team designation in competition registration, gym branding, and historical association in professional MMA and grappling contexts.
Competitive Presence
Primary competitive ecosystem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition circuits and professional MMA events.
Ruleset fit Aligned with standard Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rulesets and professional MMA competition formats; not a governing body.
Athlete representation Athletes and competitors represent BTT as a team identity in grappling and MMA competition.
Footprint
Global footprint Originating in Brazil with affiliated academies and team representation across multiple international regions.
Discover affiliated gyms Affiliation appears at the gym level within city and gym profiles when available.
Relationships
Related organization types
- Competition organizations
- Gyms (affiliates and team academies)
- Coaches (lineage- and team-linked instructors)
- MMA promotions (historical and contextual relationship)