Fernando Margarida | Old School: Legends of Jiu-Jitsu

For those who remember Margarida, he was a point of reference for a generation of competitors. He brought a very aggressive, hard-nosed, submission focused style that commanded respect on the mats. 

Margarida's star burned bright and burned out fast. A World champion in 2001, Margarida won every major title in jiu-jitsu but a motorbike accident in 2002 and a series of personal problems off the mat disrupted his career and he never managed to return to form. 

As one of the most-talked and visible about competitors in the early 2000s, Margarida inspired a generation with his trademark kneecut pass. This inspired a number of future world champions, who including Lucas Lepri and Romulo Barral, who directly credit Margarida for influencing their games. 

Now inactive and completely out of the jiu-jitsu scene, Margarida's legend persists as one of the best competitors of his era, and that's why we chose him as the subject for this episode of Old School: Legends of Jiu-Jitsu.