Diego Santana Do Espírito Santo
Martial arts had always been a big part of Diego’s life. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, he started training in 2003 at the age of 14 in Muay Thai. In 2006 when Diego was 17, he was invited by a friend to do a trial Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class and he fell in love with the sport and the lifestyle, leaving Muay Thai to start his Jiu Jitsu journey.In 2008, Diego began his training under Luciano Nucci “Casquinha”, founder of the gym “Alliance Mooca” and accomplished black belt under Ryan Gracie. It was at this time that he dedicated himself fully to the BJJ lifestyle.
Since then, Diego has stuck with his lineage and roots, competing and medaling in the South American Championships, winning international competitions such as American Nationals Championship, Pan American Championships, and many national International Opens through the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).
In 2019, Diego received his black belt from Casquinha and has since won gold at all IBJJF Championships in the state of Texas, a winning streak in which he has dubbed “Texas Golden”, and has competed in televised and streamed events like KASAI Grappling (1-1) and Fight 2 Win (4-2), both in Gi and No-Gi.
Diego holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of São Paulo, one of the most accredited universities in South America. On the weekends, you’ll find him exercising outdoors or barbecuing with friends and family.
He is a dog lover and also a proud father to his son Leo. While we have different programs and coaches at Underground Jiu Jitsu, Diego is our head coach and builds all of our curriculums.
Achievements and Titles:
– IBJJF 2021 World Master Bronze Medalist – Black Belt
– IBJJF 2021 International Master Silver Medalist – Black Belt
– IBJJF Pan American Champion – Brown Belt
– IBJJF American Nationals Double Gold(Weight and Open Class) – Brown Belt
– 2x IBJJF South American Championship Medalist – Purple Belt and Brown Belt
– IBJJF 2021 Oklahoma Open Double Gold Champion(Weight and Open Class) – Black Belt
– 3x IBJJF Dallas Open Champion – Black Belt and Brown Belt(Weight and Open Class)
– IBJJF Austin Open Champion – Black Belt
– IBJJF Houston Open Champion – Black Belt
– IBJJF San Antonio Open Champion – Black Belt
– IBJJF New Orleans Open Champion – Black Belt
– IBJJF Sao Paulo Open Champion – Brown Belt
– 2x IBJJF Curitiba Open Champion – Purple Belt and Brown Belt
– UAEJJF Brasilia Pro International Champion – Brown Belt
– UAEJJF South America Continental Bronze Medalist – Brown Belt
– IBJJF Sao Paulo BJJ PRO Bronze Medalist – Brown Belt
– IBJJF Rio BJJ PRO Bronze Medalist – Brown Belt
– IBJJF Sao Paulo Open Bronze Medalist – Purple Belt
– ACBJJ Berkut South American Bronze Medalist – Brown Belt