Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristiano Ribeiro.
Hi Cristiano, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Cristiano Ribeiro I’m 44 years old born in Manaus Amazonas/Brazil, married, and I started martial arts at the age of 6 with my brothers I come from a middle-class family in which sports at that time were not a professional focus the years passed and I discovered Jiu Jitsu at the age of 14, a sport that I immediately identified with.
I continued practicing sports for a few years and at 19 years old, after being promoted to a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, I decided that I would live that sport as my profession and career. Many years passed after winning some national titles, a world championship, and medaling in other world tournaments, I started to think about the North American market, this is a dream present in my life for more than 15 years when I decided to move to America.
Arriving in Chicago on February 20, 2015, I started teaching classes in a city called Freeport – IL, where I stayed only 4 months, being hired by another school in Hockford-IL, where I stayed for another 3 years and suffered a drop in business due to some procedures immigrants, as my former boss did not want to renew my work visa and thus forced me to return to my country where I did not accept this decision and remained illegal for some time.
I suffered threats to denounce ICE, but I never gave up on continuing here and hoping that here in America I would have much more to gain than lose, I prepared one of my instructors to take my place and in March 2019, I moved to MA-WI where I opened my first school with school partners called Gracie Barra. In October 2021, I received a new fantastic job proposal where everything would be incredible I moved to UT on December 27, 2021, I left my son leading the old team with my WI partners, and I started my journey here showing all my talent as coach and athlete and we started to build a great legacy of champions, but not everything was rosy.
Unfortunately, I was tricked and sued for no reason other than being used by my former partners who made me go to hell I lost my place of work, I lost my house, I was late with my daughter’s alimony, cars, insurance, cards I almost went into a depression where my wife helped me mentally and physically not to give up… It was where my wife and I decided to take what little we had left and the knowledge we had together with friends who helped us to realize the beginning of a great dream with the first CRISTIANO RIBEIRO school BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU.
Two months of hard work went by and they only achieved success leading a gym with only 4 students, we quickly multiplied the legacy of the school with more than 60 students in just over forty days. It is not a “BIG” school or a “BEAUTIFUL” school, but a philosophy of respect, brotherhood, loyalty, and above all character. In 2022, my dear wife and I created an apparel and sublimation brand where that thought of becoming big brands in the future called JB “Just Basic” I founded this name of Jiu-Jitsu also where we serve jiu-jitsu clients for sublimation, with that we also ended up creating even more of an affinity with the jiu-jitsu community by working for these sweet people.
“Nothing resists work, keep fighting even if others fight against you, your legacy and your knowledge belong only to you” (Cristiano Ribeiro).
“Be humble – Sometimes I may not learn, but I wonder if they improved what I did” (Master Helio Gracie).
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have already worked in Brazil in other areas, I graduated in Physical Education (Physical Education) I am known as a martial arts teacher in many states and countries for my career time and skill in the sport.
I am proud of who I am and who I have become and where I am coming from… I believe that what sets me apart is my charisma and the way of leadership that I take with my classes and with my students because they become part of me. my friends and even family.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I could never leave here to say about this wonderful couple in my life my wife who was Dr. Jacob Egbert and his wife Amelia Egbert, the two of them were always my students the two years I moved to Utah and they became great friends when they also believe in my potential helping me to restructure and never stop teaching JiuJitsu, they welcomed me into their home after I lost my lease and they helped me get back to teaching, I went back to teaching at their basement out of motivation and persistence. Believing that it wouldn’t end anyway, I couldn’t stop teaching.
My cousin Michel Ribeiro who came to my school from Brazil knowing the current conditions I found myself in that I still couldn’t do much for him besides welcoming him with open doors in wanting to help me run my first school.
Another that I couldn’t leave out of all this was my friend and student Jorge Monterey from Watertown Wisconsin, owner of the Defcom school … much more than a cooperator, he was a great supporter of the beginning of the CRBJJ …
Contact Info:
- Website: www.crbjjusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristianorcbjj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091748532316
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristiano-ribeiro-64aba827a/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cristianoribeiro9358
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crbjj-school-draper
Image Credits
Marianna Ribeiro, Jacob Egbert, Amelia Egbert, and Michel Ribeiro
