Fabio Gurgel co-founded one of the most respected and winningest BJJ teams in the world. He has used his thirty-plus years of experience to change BJJ forever and has coached some of the greatest competitors the sport has ever seen. Fabio began doing this while Jiu Jitsu was still a relatively small sport. He has had the vision, dedication, and willingness to adapt and change along with the martial art and sport aspects of
Jiu Jitsu and now has academies and affiliates across the globe.
Fabio Gurgel began his Jiu Jitsu journey at the age of 13 and by the age of 19, in 1989 he was awarded his Black Belt by legendary coach Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti. This was a huge honor as it was the first Black Belt the now Master Jacare had ever awarded. During those teen years and into his early twenties, Fabio was a high-level competitor and as a brown belt had his own academy. After receiving his Black Belt, Jacare and Fabio along with Alexandre Paiva and Fernando Gurgel decided it was time their fighters stopped fighting and competing against each other, and Alliance Jiu Jitsu was formed.
Alliance became one of the best teams and had multiple world champions including, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, Demian Maia, and Leo Vieira. This was during the first incarnation of Alliance. In 2002 several of Alliance's Black Belts left to form their own team. The people leaving the team were upset about not being able to compete in a new organization, so they set out on their own. This was a huge setback for Alliance but one they would overcome.
The second incarnation of Alliance went on to be even more successful than the first and as a team, won 9 World Championships from 2008 to 2016. This team included the greats, Bernardo Faria, Gabby Garcia, Lucas Lepri, and Marcelo Garcia to name just a few.
The team success can be directly attributed to Fabio's coaching Alliance's success as a global force, with over 150 affiliated schools can be attributed to his business savvy. One that The General himself says was filled with many mistakes but ones that he was open-minded enough to learn from. Fabio now has dedicated himself to helping other academies and instructors build their own academies through his online platform.
From the time he was 15 years old, Fabi Gurgel knew he wanted to dedicate his life to
Jiu Jitsu. He has done just that, becoming an incredible competitor, a Black Belt by 19, a leader and businessman by 23 who now has affiliates around the world, and now as a Coral Belt. Fabio Gurgel is now a Master in the art of Jiu Jitsu and his contributions to Jiu Jitsu can not be understated.