Mitsuyo Maeda

Japanese judoka and prizefighter who brought judo and jujutsu to Brazil, directly enabling the creation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Taught Carlos Gracie in Belém, Brazil in the 1910s, passing on ground fighting techniques that the Gracie family would evolve into BJJ. One of the most consequential figures in the history of combat sports — his teachings gave birth to one of the world's most practiced martial arts.