About The University of Jiu Jitsu
Owned and operated by Jiu-Jitsu World Champions Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, the University is a progressive learning environment that promotes traditional martial arts and their accompanying values, based on positive attitude, discipline, family, honor, loyalty, respect, and samurai spirit. The goal of the University is to not only build better martial artists, but also better human beings.
Saulo Ribeiro
Saulo Ribeiro is a 4th degree blackbelt in Jiu-Jitsu, a six time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, and two time ADCC Submission Grappling World Champion.
Saulo is the only Jiu Jitsu fighter in history to win world titles at five different weight divisions, a feat many believe will never be replicated. Saulo Ribeiro was born in July 1974, in Manaus, Brazil. He started training Jiu Jitsu when he was 15 years old as a way to complement his Judo game with submissions. In December 1991, Saulo Ribeiro moved away from his home town to pursue his academic career in Rio de Janeiro, and there began his training under Royler Gracie, at the legendary Gracie Humaitá. Royler Gracie would award Saulo his black belt in Jiu Jitsu 4 years later on the 27th of November 1995, shortly after Saulo won the Brazilian Nationals Lightweight Title.
Today, Saulo Ribeiro is considered one of the premier Jiu Jitsu instructors in the world. In 1995 he founded the Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Association. The association currently has over 20 academies spread throughout the world, with over 2000 students under the “Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Association” banner. He has formed and graduated over 30 Black Belts. In 2009, he became an author of a best-selling book, with the release of the highly acclaimed “Jiu Jitsu University”.
Xande Ribeiro
Xande Ribeiro is a 3rd degree blackbelt in Jiu Jitsu, a six time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, and two time ADCC Submission Grappling World Champion. He is also one of only six men in the history of Jiu Jitsu to win 2 Absolute division (open weight) titles.
Alexandre Ribeiro was born January 20th of 1981. He started training Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 10, in his hometown of Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil. He started learning Jiu Jitsu at Academia Monteiro, under the Monteiro brothers, who were purple belts at the time, under legendary Royler Gracie. At that academy, he got the nickname “Xande”, and is recognized around the world with this name.
At the age of 18, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, and began training with the Gracie Humaita team. He received his black belt in March of 2001, from his brother, and Master Saulo Ribeiro.
Currently, Xande just finished his eagerly awaited DVD instructional “Xande”, which is expected to top all best selling lists for Jiu Jitsu DVD’s. Continuing the Ribeiro legacy, as the most sought after Jiu Jitsu instructors in the world.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport and a self-defense system created by the legendary Gracie family. Especially instrumental to the art’s development was Helio Gracie, the youngest of the five Gracie brothers. Due to his thin and frail physique, he was forced to adapt the techniques he learned, so that a smaller, weaker person could overcome an adversary of greater size and strength. In the prime of his career, Helio Gracie would accept and defeat challenges of much larger, heavier, and stronger men, in his quest to prove the superior effectiveness of Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu is originally derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan judo in the early 20th century, which was itself developed from a number of schools of jiujutsu in the 19th century. Jiu-Jitsu emphasizes taking an opponent to the ground and utilizing ground fighting techniques and submission holds involving joint-locks and chokeholds. The premise is that most of the advantage of a larger, stronger opponent comes from superior reach and more powerful strikes, both of which are somewhat negated when grappling on the ground.
