Rigan Machado has spent decades building fig hters, actors, and champions, and when asked on a recent podcast which celebrity student stands out most from his years on the mats, the ninth-degree red belt didn’t hesitate to name Ashton Kutcher.
Machado stated, “I think Ashton Kutcher and I think Ashton Kutcher he trained for 15 years. He’s a black belt in Brazil. He is very consistent. He’s one of my best friends. He’s amazing. He been training for 15 years.”
He continued, “It’s not like oh he got a black belt by chance. No, he took 15 years to get his black belt. He is very talented. Have a great background in wrestling and jiujitsu come very easy for him because he’s already a natural grappler. And just have to add the guard, the arm bars, the submission, and he pick up very fast. He’s a very talented and very amazing student.”
Machado’s praise carries weight given his own background. He is the nephew of Carlos Gracie, the founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and was raised on the mats surrounded by the Gracie family. He trained under Rolls Gracie as a teenager and famously competed against his cousin Rickson Gracie in a heavily sponsored match in Rio when he was 18 years old,.
Since moving to the United States, Machado has become one of the sport’s most recognizable instructors, teaching in Beverly Hills and drawing a client list filled with actors, directors, and producers. That work has extended well beyond the academy.
He has coordinated fig ht scenes for major productions including Black Panther, Fast and Furious, and John Wick, and has since moved into acting, producing, and directing.
Coaching celebrities, Machado explained, requires a clear separation between the mat and the outside world.
“Let the celebrities come inside the mat and for me it’s very important to leave everything outside,” he said. “When you step on the mat. I’m not your friend, I’m your coach.”
He credits that discipline, paired with genuine respect for the craft, as the reason students like Kutcher have been able to progress as far as they have.
