Renato Tavares

From OTMWiki

Renato Tavares was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1968. He started training in BJJ at the age of 6 years old with Geni Rebello now 80 years old. Geni Rebello is one of the best masters in Brazil and he is a black belt from Carlos e Helio Gracie. Geni Rebello has made many students State, Pan-American and World Champions around the world.

Renato Tavares is a world renowned authority in the area of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Grappling Enhancement and is one of the best coaches in grappling activity. His thirst for knowledge has made Renato a technician par excellence. Tavares has been training for about 32 years and competing for more than 28 years.

At ten years old he was instructor, helping his Master Geni Rebello and his son Cirilo Rebello teach new students.

In the last ten years he has made big changes in many cities and states that he visited through his high level of instruction. In Parana, a state in the south of Brazil, he took Jiu Jitsu to the next step, he made bjj level be recognized in the bjj community, in just three years Curitiba made the firsts world champions, and he.

After training under Geni, Tavares moved to Rio and trained with Carlson Gracie Sr. for over 10 years.

Translation:

Declaration
To whom it may concern, I declare
that Renato Sampaio Tavares Filho
is a black belt who graduated with me
and he is able to teach Jiu-Jitsu classes
anywhere in the world.

Carlson Gracie
Rio de Janeiro, July 1997

In 2002, his student Jeff Davis invited Renato to move to the USA. Renato started teaching in Kentucky where he taught for about 1 year. In 2003, Renato moved to Florida to train with the American Top Team, recognized today as one of the best MMA teams in the world. Renato has been teaching BJJ and Grappling to students from a wide variety of backgrounds including FBI Agents, Military, Police Officers and Athletes.

In 2004, Renato started his own association. He now has schools established in Wichita and Kansas City (Kansas), Norman and Tulsa (Oklahoma) and Fort Knox and Louisville (Kentucky). Renato is looking forward to building a big association.

Renato began competing in tournaments at age eight. He has competed in over 100 different tournaments and almost 400 competition matches. Winning most of them. He has titles like International Champion, Pan American Champion, many States Championships, and in many tournaments he was considered the best technical athlete of the whole tournaments.

In 2001 he took 1st place in the State, Brazilian, Pan American and International Championships, and his always ready to test himself in new combat. He has pure Jiu Jitsu in his body. Precise, technical, versatile, and always looking to employ techniques and surprises against his opponents.

Renato has trained with some of the best fighters of BJJ and MMA history including:

   * Murillo Bustamante
   * Ricardo Liborio
   * Ze Mario Sperry
   * Rodrigo Medeiros
   * Marcus Aurelio
   * Dela Riva
   * Carlson Gracie Jr
   * Marcelo Alonso
   * Bolao
   * Clovis
   * Crezio Chaves
   * Marcel Ferreira
   * Parrupinha
   * and other great fighters.

Now Renato is working hard on his new project of making BJJ more popular in Florida. He has opened a company to run tournaments, and he has prepared for the next years a ranking, to move the BJJ and grappling hit the next level.

Renato's Students

2nd Degree Black Belt

   * Junior Santos 

1st Degree Black Belt

   * Fabrício "Bicudo" Medeiros
   * Hemerson Navarro
   

Black Belt

   * Alex "Badá" Andrade
   * Rui Pedro
   * Jadyson Costa
   * Fioravante Neto
   * Jason Keaton
   

Brown Belt

   * Scott Hewitt
   * John Castillo
   * Ethan Day
   * Todd Lawrence
   * Piet Wilhelm