Rodrigo was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. He started training in Judo when he was 5 years old and at 12 years old he started training in Jiu-Jitsu, with Grand master Carlson Gracie when he was promoted to the Black belt in 1996 . Rodrigo is current a 6th degree Black belt under IBJJF/USBJJF rules and regulations .
Rodrigo has competed in over 120 different Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and almost 500 competition matches , most under IBJJF and USBJJF federation.
Rodrigo was Brazilian champion five times, from 1991-1995 ,US National Champion , 4 times US Open Champion , 5 times pan American champion , Asian Champion and 2 times World Master Champion.
He is also a member of Carlson's elite team. The famous team that rule the sport in competition level for 2 decades in Brasil [80s/90s] .He has been raised with some of the top names of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu history .
Rodrigo is been teaching the art of JiuJitsu , since 1992 , teaching all over the world , and had BJJ Schools in Rio {Brasil] , Los Angeles [CA] , Hong Kong [China] and for the last 22 years in San diego ,CA.
" What i can say is that the enthusiasm that makes me to put the Gi on to train and teach for the last 4 decades , is to always to place my mindset as a student mode . I Genuinely believe that the beauty of BJJ is the continuous learning process , a journey that never ends , it is infinity . Mats are your classroom so be a student forever . My academy is a temple that brings positive energy for people lives .BJJ is a Lifestyle that makes our community a better place to live and we offer programs that builds in our members discipline ,respect , self- stem, right atitudes and thats the reason that we being in business , at the heart of pacific beach , for over 20 years . KEEP CALM and TRUST JIUJITSU !
· 5 Times Gold Medalist in Pan-American Tournaments (96/2003/2004/2016)[IBJJF]
· 3 times Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion (93/94/95)[CBJJF]
· Champion of US Open (96/97/98/99)[USBJJF]
· International USA Champion (98/99/00)[USFBJJ]
· Skirmish Grappling Champion Middle Weight and Absolute (98)
· 4 times Rio de Janeiro State Champion (92/93/95/00)[FJJERJ]]
· Medal Bronze in The Abudhabi World Tournament (98)[ADCC]
· 1st Place World Master Championship 2001 [IBJJF]
· Atlantico Sul Cup Champion (90/91/92/93/94)
· Bronze Medal Pan-American 2005 [IBJJF]
· Bronze Medal Pan-American 2006 [IBJJF]
· US NATIONAL CHAMPION 2008 [USBJJF]
· US NATIONAL NO GI CHAMPION 2008 [USBJJF]
· ASIAN OPEN MIDLLE WEIGTH CHAMPION 2013 [IBJJF]
· ASIAN OPEN OPEN WEIGTH CHAMPION 2013[IBJJF]
· Silver Medal WORLDS MASTERS 2015 [IBJJF]
· Silver Medal WORLDS MASTERS 2016 [IBJJF]
· GOLD MEDAL PAN AM 2016 [IBJJF]
· Gold Medal Pan-American 2017 [IBJJF]
· 2017 World Master Light Champion [IBJJF]
· 3rd Place Open Weight 2017 World Master [IBJJF]
· 5 x Champion PAN AM 96-2003-2004 -2016-2017
· Bronze Medal World master 2018 [Light]
· Silver Medal World master 2019 [Light]
· 2023 World Master GOLD Medal
Mike is a 4th-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, multiple-time U.S. National and Pan American Champion, 3x World Championship medalist, and the 2022 No-Gi World Silver Medalist.
André Gikovate was born and raised in Brazil and has been practicing Jiu-Jitsu since the early 1990s under Professor Rodrigo Medeiros. After a 20-year break from the sport, he resumed training in 2016 in San Diego. Over the past seven years, André has served as an assistant professor, and for the last two years, he has been the head professor for the G1 class.
In addition to his martial arts career, André hosts a podcast in Brazil, focusing primarily on children with special needs—especially those with autism and attention deficit disorders. He also holds a certification in motor training with a specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorder.