Coral belt Sérgio and his son, Daniel, after class at Rio de Janeiro police squad
Master Sérgio Ignacio began his career in Rio de Janeiro, at his father’s private security firm. His father was an honorable Air Force lieutenant and former boxer and mixed martial arts fighter in Belém, Pará.
Sérgio quickly learned that the streets presented unpredictable scenarios, with physical confrontations and high-risk incidents where success was never guaranteed. Therefore, he sought something more reliable than weapons and wiser than luck: knowledge.
Instructed by some of the most prepared and experienced instructors in all fields, Master Sérgio Ignacio became an encyclopedia of techniques, tactical and strategic defense knowledge, after decades of firsthand experiences that can now help people during complex police operations or in situations as commonplace as a night on the subway.
During course in Rio de Janeiro
The renowned police commissioner, now an active coral belt Jiu-Jitsu instructor in Florida, has experienced numerous high-risk situations, such as in 2016 when he nearly lost his life in an operation in the alleys of Vila Cruzeiro, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, after a grenade bounced and landed between his feet. He survived the shrapnel thanks to the teachings he had learned, combined with the composure he possessed under maximum pressure, a quality honed on the streets and on the mats.
“It wasn’t my time,” reflects the master, who has become a solid bridge between martial arts and public and private security. Looking back on his career, Sérgio Ignacio reflects:
“I am an experienced police officer, and if I have survived this far, it is thanks to the excellent instructors and training partners I have had since the 1980s. What I learned in active service, I make a point of passing on in BJJ Defense classes, a course for the benefit of martial arts instructors and teachers, public and private security agents, and people of all ages in civil society. A self-respecting instructor wants their students to be better than they were, and that’s how I always try to teach. As a friend says: I don’t save money, I’m going to save knowledge?”
Master Sérgio began Jiu-Jitsu in the early 1980s, brought by his friend Renzo Gracie, and was one of the first students of the renowned Gracie Barra team. He was Renzo’s training partner and accompanied him in several MMA fights in the United States and Japan.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the study of combat arts provided him with invaluable resources and technical details that saved him from countless close calls as a police officer. He went on to teach and shape the vision of thousands of good police officers in Rio de Janeiro.
Over the years, he also distinguished himself in the private security sector, participating in national and international events, providing security for celebrities, authorities, and the general public.
Just another day in the office for master Sérgio
It is this practical experience, tested in real-life situations, that he seeks to transmit through his teaching system called BJJ Defense in academies around the world, from police department mats to Jiu-Jitsu schools in Florida, Rio, and New York, across all flags and teams.
BJJ Defense instruction takes place in training sessions of a few hours or in segmented seminars divided into modules, depending on the demand of those interested. The courses have already served academies, public security forces, the private sector, Jiu-Jitsu instructors seeking specialization, and civil society in general, in schools such as Renzo Gracie Upper West Side, run by Professor Luca Atalla, and Ralph Gracie, run by Professor Regis Calixto.
* Check out scenes from one of the BJJ Defense courses in New York:
The Jiu-Jitsu master also explained how he adapted and condensed everything he experienced while actively practicing. After all, Sérgio Ignacio has accumulated specializations in various courses and training programs, and developed and implemented the most renowned tactical courses for civil police officers in Rio de Janeiro, such as the Special Tactical Operations Course (COTE) of the Special Resources Coordination of the Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro (CORE).
“The BJJ Defense system is a bridge between classic self-defense and the perceived needs of the contemporary world. Nothing that works is discarded in my courses, where I try to make as many connections as possible with real life. The philosophy of what I teach is to offer the maximum resources for professionals or citizens to avoid any confrontation. By distancing themselves from the problem, they will have a better chance of returning home safely. There can always be unforeseen events on the streets, the result can be unexpected, but training increases our chances of victory or survival,” analyzed the master, who also worked as private security for the Brazilian headquarters in five Olympic Games, in Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, London and Rio.
BJJ Defense shield
“There’s a well-known protocol in the US that teaches how to act in the face of imminent crises and attacks, whose motto is ‘if possible, avoid confrontation: Run or hide; if not possible, fight.’ What BJJ Defense instruction seeks to convey, in a practical and objective way, is how to use the Technique-Tactics-Strategy tripod to increase your chances of success in a difficult moment,” summarized Master Sérgio Ignacio.
For the police officer and instructor, the real dynamics of events will show us what is necessary and possible to do – sometimes even to have the opportunity to escape or hide, it may be inevitable to have to fight. After all, victims under threat need to find ways out and solutions in the blink of an eye, and for this to be done efficiently, experience and technical knowledge are necessary. Through training, students develop not only physical reaction capabilities, but also essential attributes such as reaction time, proper positioning, perception of the scenario, and the ability to make decisions under pressure.
As a purple belt, at first Gracie Barra school, in the 1980s.
Those who had the opportunity to study and learn from the master never tire of praising his teaching methods and system. Such is the case of police delegate and former Rio de Janeiro civil police secretary Marcus Vinícius:
“Sérgio Ignacio is one of the best civil police officers in the history of Rio de Janeiro. His rare ability to combine and multiply his operational, tactical, and technical knowledge made him a reference for me, as well as for thousands of police officers in Rio. I was fortunate to have him as a teacher at the police academy and had the pleasure of accompanying him on numerous street operations. I believe that some of his most valuable qualities, such as discipline, hierarchy, and calmness, he brings from a lifetime dedicated to the sport on the mats, as well as from training and police operations.”
Sérgio, Daniel and master Renzo Gracie in NY
Or as his friend Renzo Gracie, MMA champion, summarized: “The reason I became the champion I am was because I trained daily with him since my blue belt. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from this master.”
* For more information, contact BJJ Defense by email:
bjjdefense1@gmail.com.
* And follow master Sérgio Ignacio on Instagram, here.
≥≥≥≥ Below, check out some testimonials about Master Sergio Ignacio’s work:
* Renzo Gracie
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master
“Sérgio Ignacio is today one of the ten greatest experts in self-defense techniques on the planet, for a simple reason: his technical arsenal manages to be efficient inside a ring, an alley, or a moving car. The reason I became the champion I am was because I trained daily with him since blue belt. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from this master.”
* Victor César dos Santos
Federal Police Delegate and Secretary of Public Security for the State of Rio
“Sérgio Ignacio’s work in the area of training and capacity building was a turning point for the civil police, regarding the deployment and reorganization of special operations units. He participated in the creation of the Special Resources Coordination, CORE, and its subdivisions. His experience as a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, combined with the various courses he took around the world, helped public safety by promoting greater efficiency and effectiveness in the techniques used in operations. His teachings helped preserve the lives of generations of police officers and prevented countless incidents of collateral damage during operations in extremely high-risk areas in Rio.”
* Rodrigo Oliveira
Black belt, veteran police officer and one of the longest-serving coordinators of CORE in Rio
“As a police officer and instructor, Sérgio Ignacio is an exceptional master. Unconditional loyalty, rare technical ability, and a willingness to work rarely seen throughout my career. I remember with great pride the inauguration of CORE Jiu-Jitsu, an association at the headquarters of the Special Resources Coordination of the Rio police, an achievement of his, on an afternoon with the presence of the great master Robson Gracie. As a black belt, he always followed the philosophy ‘Anytime, in any weather, and anywhere’. I am very proud to have served alongside him.”
