Professor Thiago Mendes, head instructor at Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu San Antonio, was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Introduced to martial arts by his father, he began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2002 under the Gama Filho team and earned his black belt in 2014. Afterward, he spent three years in Dubai training the United Arab Emirates Army in BJJ before moving to the U.S. Now a proud American citizen, Professor Thiago is a third-degree black belt under the Carlson Gracie lineage and leads his academy with a focus on discipline, respect, and authentic jiu-jitsu.