Peter Letsos (born January 1, 1979), aka Pete "The Greek," is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlson Gracie Jr.
| Peter Letsos | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Panayotis Letsos January 1, 1979  Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Other names | Pete The Greek, P.T.G. |
| Nationality |  American |
| Team | Rio Jiu Jitsu |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Website | http://www.riojj.com/ |
Biography
editLetsos is a 3X Pan Am medalist,[1] as well as a 3X Gracie World Champion. He is known in Brazil for winning seven tournaments in one month.
Letsos began training in Jiu Jitsu in high school at the Carlson Gracie Academy in downtown Chicago, and won several matches in the Jiu Jitsu World Championships as a purple belt. He then lived and train Jiu Jitsu in Brazil for four years, spending many hours on the mat with Osvaldo Alves and Carlson Gracie.
He is featured in the book The Gracie Way by Jiu Jitsu journalist Kid Peligro.[2]
Letsos has trained alongside many of the world's best Jiu Jitsu fighters and mixed martial artists, such as Fredson Paixao,[3] André Galvão, Tony DeSouza, and Miguel Torres. He is friends with Eddie Bravo, Kenny Florian, Jeff Glover, and B.J. Penn. Letsos lived and trained with Penn at his mixed martial arts academy in Hilo, Hawaii, where he eventually suffered a devastating injury to his neck while surfing.[4]
Since then, Letsos' emphasis has been on training students in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at his gym, Rio Jiu Jitsu Academy,[5][6] in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood.
Instructor lineage
editMitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr. → Carlson Gracie → Carlson Gracie Jr. → Peter Letsos
External links
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Pete the Greek | BJJ Heroes". 18 June 2011.
- ^ Peligro, Kid. The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family. Montpelier, VT: Invisible Cities, 2003.
- ^ "Jiu-Jitsu Hurts! The Flip Side of the 'Gentle' Art - FloGrappling".
- ^ "FIGHT! Doctor: Pete the Greek - FIGHT!". Archived from the original on 2011-04-26. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ Herle, Erin. "Rio Jiu-Jitsu Academy." GracieMag #190 Jan. 2013: 80. Print.
- ^ "Rio Jiu Jitsu Academy | on the Mat | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | MMA | More". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-03-05.