João Faria

Born on July 23, 1980, in São Paulo, Brazil, João Faria began his martial arts journey at the age of eight with Judo — a discipline in which he would eventually earn a black belt. That early training forged a grappling foundation defined by balance, timing, and body control, principles that would later shape his entire approach to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

When Faria first turned his attention to BJJ, the art had a limited presence in São Paulo. The region had yet to develop a thriving scene, though that would change as the Behring family and Ryan Gracie later moved to the state and helped cultivate its growth. In 1992, encouraged by a friend, Faria joined his first BJJ gym and began training under Marcelo Behring. When Marcelo Behring relocated from São Paulo, Faria continued his development under Jorge Costa, a black belt from the Behring lineage who carried the same technical tradition forward.

Following a brief period away from the sport, Faria returned to the mats and began training under Flavio Behring — a relationship that would prove to be the most defining of his BJJ career.

Flavio Behring served as Faria's primary mentor across every rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grading him from the start of their relationship all the way through to the black belt. That unbroken continuity deepened their coach-student bond and placed Faria firmly within one of the most historically significant lineages in the art. In October 2002, Faria received his black belt from Flavio Behring, completing a journey that had begun a decade earlier on the mats of São Paulo.

The Behring lineage traces back through some of the sport's most respected figures, representing one of the foundational pillars of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Combined with his Judo black belt, Faria's dual credentials in two distinct grappling disciplines established a technical breadth that would distinguish both his competitive performances and his coaching career in the years ahead.

In 2006, João Faria relocated to the United States after receiving a coaching offer from a gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. After approximately one year in Las Vegas, he moved to San Diego, California, where he achieved a landmark milestone for Gracie Humaita as an organization: the opening of the first Gracie Humaita franchise outside of Brazil.

That achievement marked a pivotal step in the international expansion of the Gracie Humaita brand, bringing its lineage and teaching methodology to a new audience in the United States. Rooted in the principles instilled during his years under Flavio Behring, Faria built his San Diego academy around the same technical tradition he had spent over a decade absorbing — continuing to represent the Gracie Humaita standard while developing the next generation of grapplers in his adopted home country.

Building a Reputation on the American Circuit

João Faria established himself as a no-gi specialist, with his most prominent results coming in no-gi and submission grappling formats. Competing in the Middleweight division at 82kg/181lbs, he brought a submission-focused, technically well-rounded game that reflected his dual background in Judo and BJJ — blending explosive takedown instincts with refined ground-based control.

His competitive momentum on the American circuit began in 2007 with a victory at the Aggro Submission Grappling Championship, followed by a win at the US Open in 2008. Those results established Faria as a credible force in domestic competition and set the stage for his most accomplished stretch on the mats.

Peak Competitive Years

In 2009, Faria reached the podium at both the American National No-Gi Championship, earning silver, and the American National Championship, where he added a bronze. Those performances proved to be a prelude to his finest competitive year. In 2010, Faria claimed a double gold at the World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the Master category — winning both the weight division and the absolute title — a result that firmly cemented his standing among the leading no-gi grapplers of his generation. That same year, he also captured the Pan American Championship in the Master division, capping a remarkable competitive run that demonstrated the full range of his grappling abilities.