808 Jiu-Jitsu/Rio Maui Training Center

Filed Under: Hawaii • Maui (Added on Nov 06, 2009)

Tags: 96761 • Hawaii • Lahaina

808 Jiu-Jitsu/Rio Maui Training Center is the first Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in the state of Hawaii. Located on the beautiful island of Maui, we teach the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. On the west side in Lahaina, we are conveniently located just above the Lahaina Gateway across the Honoapiilani Highway from the Lahaina Cannery Mall. We’re a quick right and a quick left past the Wiki Wash.

808 Jiu-Jitsu is owned and operated by second degree black belt Christian Kennedy-Grandi. Christian was personally trained by Carlson Gracie of the Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Brazil. Christian was born in Sweden of a Brazilian Italian Father and a Swedish Finish Mother where his family moved him to Brazil after birth. He started training Jiu-Jitsu at age 14 in Rio at the academy of the Grande Master Carlson Gracie. There he trained with top UFC and Pride Fighter Champions. In 1999, he returned to Sweden where he competed internationally with many medals.

He began teaching Jiu-Jitsu in Sweden immediately with bi-yearly two month trips to Brazil to train. In 2002, Carlson Gracie arrived in Sweden to present Christian with his Black belt. Afterwards Christen built a successful Carlson Gracie Academy in Sweden which remains today. He has begun the same task here on Maui. In 2007 He came to the USA to teach a two month workshops in Jiu-Jitsu at the Carlson Gracie Academy in California, afterwards he visited friends on Maui. It was here he was introduced to Professor Fabio. They struck a friendship and Professor Fabio invited Professor Christian to return. Christian accepted and in 2008 returned to establish the first Carlson Gracie Academy in Hawaii.