Like many kids, Fabio Caloi grew up loving martial art movie stars like JCVD, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan. He wanted to learn Kung Fu because as he put it, "I thought Kung Fu was the shit" and growing up Fabio tried Judo, Karate, and Kung Fu, but it wasn't until he was 14 that he tried the art he would fall in love with.
Fabio accompanied his older cousin to a gym that had a Muay Thai class and a Jiu Jitsu class running simultaneously. Fabio went to watch the Muay Thai class but found himself intrigued by what was going on in the Jiu Jitsu class and decided to give it a try. He returned the next day and when asked how he remembered his first class he said, "I went with a girl and she beat my ass".
Even though he got roughed up that first class Fabio found Jiu Jitsu really fun and began a journey that would take him to the podium at the biggest competitions in the world. Fabio excelled in the lower ranks and was promoted to Black Belt by Alliance Jiu Jitsu's legendary Fabio Gurgel. Throughout Fabio's career, he suffered some serious injuries, but rather than see them as setbacks Fabio says his injuries made him stronger. They forced him to adjust his game, not being able to rely on his "A-Game", opening opportunities for him to add other techniques to his all-around Jiu Jitsu game. His ability to overcome his injuries was on full display when in 2021 he competed in the IBJJF Worlds only 3 months after having hip surgery.
Fabio now instructs at Alliance Jiu Jitsu in San Paulo Brazil, has instructional videos on BJJ Fanatics, and loves seeing the personal growth of his students through the tools they develop in Jiu Jitsu.