Fábio Santos is a red and black belt instructor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

. Santos graduated with a BA in physical education from the Universidade Gama Filho.

Biography

Upon immigrating to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Santos taught in Rorion Gracie's

Rorion Gracie

Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and instructor, a prominent member of the Gracie family, and a founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the oldest son of Hélio Gracie and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,...

 academy in Torrance

Torrance, California

Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. He later opened his own academy in San Diego

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

In the early UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

 events, Santos can be seen ringside with the Gracie family

Gracie family

The Gracie family is a prominent sporting family from Brazil known for their founding of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu . They have been successful in combat sport competitions including mixed martial arts, vale tudo and submission wrestling events...

 and Pedro Sauer

Pedro Sauer

Pedro Sauer is an 8th-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu red and black belt under Rickson Gracie and Helio Gracie. On May 17, 2005, he was named "Best of the Best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor" in a worldwide poll conducted by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club ....

, most notably in UFC 3

UFC 3

UFC 3: The American Dream was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 9, 1994, at Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United States, and was later released on home video.-History:UFC 3 used an...

 when he entered the ring to yell at Joe Son who had been taunting the corner after a fatigued and dehydrated Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...

 defeated Joe's friend, Kimo Leopoldo

Kimo Leopoldo

Kimo Leopoldo , or simply Kimo, is an American mixed martial artist. He made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994 losing to Royce Gracie by submission. Kimo's fighting style has been described as freestyle, with a mixture of striking and grappling techniques.He was credited with a black belt in Taekwondo...

.

Fabio Santos is featured in MMA Sports magazine, where he has a column called Jiu-Jitsu 101.

Many people believe that Dean Lister

Dean Lister

Dean Richard Lister is an American mixed martial artist and a former King of the Cage champion. He currently fights at the Middleweight division after moving down from the Light Heavyweight class...

 received his black belt from Santos, since Santos was Dean's Jiu-Jitsu instructor up to Dean's brown belt. However, Santos's black belt student Jeffrey Higgs actually gave Dean his black belt.

Instructor lineage

Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda

Mitsuyo Maeda

,a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda,was a Japanese judōka and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions. He was also known as Count Combat or Conde Koma in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, a nickname he picked up in Spain in 1908...

 → Carlos Gracie, Sr.

Carlos Gracie

Carlos Gracie was the first Gracie to learn Judo from Otávio Mitsuyo Maeda. Based on this judo training, Carlos and his brothers founded the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...

 → Helio Gracie

Hélio Gracie

Hélio Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who, together with his brother Carlos Gracie, founded the martial art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, known internationally as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...

 → Rolls Gracie

Rolls Gracie

Rolls Gracie was a notable practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a member of the Gracie family.- Biography :...

→ Fábio Santos

Awards

• 1996 World Jiu-Jitsu Champion
• 1996 Pan American Champion
• 1999 Gameness Champion
• 2000 World Jiu-Jitsu Champion
• 2003 Pan American Champion
• 2003 US Open- Black Belt Masters Champion
• 2004 United Gracie- Black Belt Superfight Champion
• 2005 Black Belt Pro Am- Superfight Champion