Two shirtless men sitting on a rocky cliff looking over a cityscape, ocean, and mountains in the distance.
Two men smiling, one older with glasses and a black shirt, and one younger in a white martial arts gi with patches, in a dojo or training room.

But what most people don't see is the path before the mat.

As a kid, I struggled with posture issues, speech challenges, and had a hard time grasping certain subjects at school. These created a quiet, invisible insecurity that followed me for years. Jiu Jitsu became more than training. It became therapy. With every roll, I found clarity, healing, and confidence.

In my early 20s, life threw another test. A serious back injury forced me to step away from the mats—and nearly from my dreams. But I didn’t quit. I pivoted.

I leaned into a holistic, integrated approach to BJJ and Judo. Rehab. Resilience. Redefinition. That injury became the catalyst for how I teach today—with depth, empathy, and longevity in mind.

20+ years later, I still train. I live pain-free. And I show others how to move through life with power, clarity, and presence.

Group of male martial artists in white gis and black belts posing indoors.

From US to Rio. From White Belt to Mentor.

I wasn’t born into Jiu Jitsu. I was born in Ohio—miles away from the mats, the energy, and the cultural fire of Rio de Janeiro.

But that’s where my journey truly started.

I stepped onto the mat at age 7 at the legendary Sensei Mehdi Dojo. By 14, I was under the guidance of Roberto Traven. And I never left. For decades, I trained with some of the most respected names in martial arts—George Mehdi, Traven, Behring, Toco, Muzio, Rilion Gracie. They didn't just teach me techniques. They reprogrammed how I think, lead, and teach.

A New Country. Same Mission.

A new start. A new culture. But the same mission: to build a community where Jiu Jitsu wasn’t just sport—it was a lifestyle.

I didn’t just want to open a school. I wanted to create a space that felt like home.

Doral was the beginning. We launched our first school just six miles from Miami International Airport. It wasn’t about flash. It was about feeling. About building something that could hold space for kids taking their first steps on the mat, for parents training side-by-side with their children, for adults rediscovering themselves one roll at a time.

Over time, our students became a tribe. One rooted in discipline, supported by joy, and led by clarity. Alongside my partner Marcelo Herz, we created a place where growth is the goal and community is the method.

Years later, Fort Lauderdale followed. A different zip code. The same heartbeat. We opened the doors in 2022 to serve more families, more newcomers, more people searching for something real. Located just minutes from Dania Beach, this school was designed to feel calm, clear, and welcoming—especially for those just beginning their BJJ journey. And it worked.

Today, whether you're a five-year-old learning to fall safely, a parent looking for structure and mentorship, or an adult starting from scratch, there’s a space for you in our schools.

A group of children in martial arts uniforms with two adult instructors in a dojo, standing in front of a wall with a large martial arts logo. The children are smiling and holding certificates.

In 2017, I moved back to the U.S. with my family.

Three men dressed in white Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gis with black and red belts, kneeling on a tatami mat in a martial arts gym.
A man and two children in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gis standing on a mat in front of an orange and white wall, smiling and posing for a photo.
A man with short dark hair, wearing a green t-shirt and backpack, stands on a sandy beach using a mobile phone, with the city skyline, tall buildings, and mountains in the background.
Group of people participating in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event outdoors on a beach, with two men in traditional BJJ uniforms posing for a photo while others train and relax nearby under a cloudy sky.
A man standing in front of an empty mixed martial arts fighting cage inside an arena with bright lighting and an audience area in the background.
Two young men posing together on a wrestling mat, one wearing a green T-shirt with a white star and brown shorts, the other wearing a red, white, and black jacket with gray shorts.
An indoor wrestling arena with a blue mat and two wrestling circles, with a few people standing in the center and some equipment around.

Beyond the Mats.

For 18 years, I also built a corporate career behind the scenes—executing global campaigns and events for brands like UFC, Barcelona FC, UWW, FIFA, and the Brazilian Olympic Committee. That clarity and pressure-tested leadership? It came from the mats.

Eventually, I merged both worlds to launch Rio Sports Tour—an immersive BJJ travel experience for practitioners who want to live and breathe the art in Rio. We’ve hosted over 500 travelers from around the world.