André Glodzinski

André Glodzinski was born on July 14, 1977, in São Paulo, Brazil, into a life shaped by martial arts from the beginning. His first exposure to combat sports came through judo, which he began training as a young child at the São Paulo Futebol Clube (SPFC) under Luiz Catalano Calleja. Judo was no casual hobby — Glodzinski demonstrated exceptional talent by winning the National Qualifiers for the Judo Nationals at just 11 years of age, an achievement that signaled the competitive drive defining his entire athletic career.

A motorcycle accident disrupted his judo trajectory, dampening his enthusiasm for the sport. Rather than stepping away from physical activity, he channeled his energy into skateboarding, kickboxing, and kyokushinkai — pursuits reflecting the restless, adventurous spirit common among his generation in São Paulo. The pivotal turn came in 1994 when he attended a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class under coach Eduardo Leitão at Cia Paulista. The experience was immediately transformative. Glodzinski committed fully to grappling from that point forward, setting aside his other pursuits in favor of the discipline that would become the cornerstone of his life.

Just one year after discovering BJJ, Glodzinski faced perhaps the most serious test of his resolve. In 1995, a second motorcycle accident left him with long-lasting physical damage — an injury that would have ended the athletic ambitions of many. Instead, he returned to the mats, embodying a resilience that would become central to both his identity and his coaching philosophy.

A Decade of Deliberate Progress

His progression through the Cia Paulista belt system was deliberate and hard-earned. He received his purple belt in 1999, followed by his brown belt in 2002, and ultimately his black belt in early 2005 — a journey spanning more than a decade from his first class. At the brown belt level, his competitive credentials were already evident: in 2002, he claimed the University Circuit Championship under FUPE, demonstrating that his technical development kept pace with his perseverance. His black belt was awarded by Max Trombini, continuing the proud Cia Paulista lineage that traces back through some of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's most influential figures.

The narrative of Glodzinski reaching black belt after two serious motorcycle accidents — the second of which caused permanent physical effects — became a defining thread of his career and directly informed his approach to teaching. His ability to contextualize struggle for students carries an authenticity that few coaches can claim.

After earning his black belt, Glodzinski relocated from Brazil to the United States, quickly embedding himself within elite martial arts environments on both the West Coast and in Hawaii. He served as a coach at Rigan Machado's gym in California, gaining experience within one of the most respected BJJ academies in the country and expanding his technical horizons alongside a direct black belt under the Gracie family tree.

A Path Through Elite MMA Circles

His coaching journey then took him to Hawaii, where he contributed his grappling expertise to the team surrounding BJ Penn — one of the most celebrated figures in mixed martial arts history. He subsequently joined the coaching staff of Urijah Faber in Sacramento, California, aligning himself with a prominent MMA organization at the center of the Northern California fight scene.

These roles represented a sustained period of refinement in which Glodzinski honed his ability to translate high-level BJJ into effective coaching across multiple combat sports contexts. Armed with those experiences, he founded Team Andre Cia Paulista in Sacramento, California, establishing a permanent Cia Paulista presence in Northern California. The academy became the primary vehicle through which he has developed competitors and practitioners at all levels.

Glodzinski's competition record at the masters level stands as one of the more consistent in American BJJ over the span of a decade. His first major title on American soil came at the US Open in 2007, where he claimed gold in the master category — an early statement of competitive intent after establishing himself in the coaching world.

A Sustained Record of High-Level Performances

In 2008, he earned a silver medal at the World No-Gi Championship in the master category, placing him among the best no-gi competitors of his division in the world and confirming that his game translated effectively beyond the gi. He built on that foundation in subsequent years, winning the San Francisco Open in 2013 in the master 2 division and capturing the American Nationals No-Gi title in 2012 — one of the most significant verified achievements of his competitive career. That same year, he added All Stars titles, a series he would win again in 2014, demonstrating that his performances were not isolated peaks but part of a sustained competitive output.

In 2015, competing in the master 2 category, he added both the Santa Cruz BJJ Pro IBJJF title and the American Cup to his record, reinforcing his standing as one of the most active and decorated masters competitors within the Cia Paulista system in the United States. Glodzinski also holds a 3rd place finish at the World No-Gi Championship in the master 2 division, a result consistent with his competitive timeline at that level, though the precise year of that bronze medal has yet to be officially confirmed in available records. Before his move to the United States, he had established himself as a four-time São Paulo State Champion under FESP, laying the competitive foundation that carried over seamlessly into his American career.

Glodzinski's relationship with Brazilian jiu-jitsu extends well beyond the roles of athlete and coach. He has established himself as one of the top referees in the sport, a distinction that places him at major tournaments in an authoritative capacity and affords him a unique vantage point on the evolution of competitive BJJ. His officiating work reflects a depth of knowledge and a commitment to the sport's integrity that complements everything he contributes on and off the mat.

The combination of competitor, head coach, and high-level referee is rare in any martial art — and speaks directly to the breadth of Glodzinski's engagement with BJJ as a discipline. His presence at major events in an officiating capacity extends the reach of Cia Paulista and reinforces the team's reputation within the American BJJ community. For the practitioners he coaches at Team Andre Cia Paulista in Sacramento, his multi-dimensional involvement in the sport serves as a model of what sustained, wholehearted commitment to Brazilian jiu-jitsu can produce over the course of a lifetime on the mats.