The supermodel, 44, and the Miami-based jiu-jitsu instructor, 37, first made headlines in February when Gisele shared a video of her session at his academy in Florida, paired with a caption that thanked him and his brothers for being "awesome teachers.
Later that year, Gisele and Joaquim sparked romance rumors when the pair visited Provincia de Puntarenas a province located on Costa Rica's coast , two weeks after her divorce from NFL star Tom Brady was finalized. They were joined by the supermodel's two children β son Benjamin Rein and daughter Vivian Lake β and several other people. In the months that followed, they were seen out and about together on several occasions. However, Gisele denied having a romantic relationship with Joaquim at the time, telling Vanity Fair , "I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I'm divorced, I'm sure that they're going to try to attach me to anything.
A third-generation practicer of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Joaquim currently teaches the martial arts sport at a Miami-based academy alongside his brothers and fellow co-founders Pedro and Gui. The oldest of the siblings, Pedro, began teaching jiu-jitsu classes throughout Miami after his move from Rio de Janeiro in Joaquim, the youngest of the brothers, was the last of his siblings to move to Miami. Upon his arrival, his involvement with instruction played a pivotal role in the development of the brothers' curriculum due to the knowledge he gained from the Grandmaster when he was in Brazil.
The brothers offer classes to students of all genders and levels of experience. We currently teach several elderly students as well as students with disabilities," according to the Valente Brothers' website. Similar to his brothers, Joaquim was introduced to jiu-jitsu before he could walk and began lessons at the age of two.
He and his brothers were introduced to striking and throwing techniques by experts from a young age, skills that were pivotal for holistic jiu-jitsu training methods, as opposed to strategy taught specifically for tournaments.
