Rafael Ferreira dos Santos
Instructor and ranked competitor representing Carlson Gracie MMA and Carlson Gracie North Lakeland - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Martial Arts Training, Gym for Kids, Health & Fitness Program.
Reported team or academy
Carlson Gracie Team
This source affiliation may refer to a wider team. A specific gym location has not been confirmed by this label alone.
No major titles recorded yet for this athlete.
Rafa Santos is the owner and head instructor of Carlson Gracie Rafa Santos Polk County and holds a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He began training in 1998 in Orlando under William Bittencourt and Ricardo De La Riva, earning his blue and purple belts with them before Bittencourt suffered a stroke and could no longer teach. Left without an instructor, he later met Beto Nunes, a black belt under Luis Carlos Manimal, and received his brown belt from Nunes and Manimal. Late in 2007 he reconnected with De La Riva, and in 2008 he was promoted to black belt by Beto Nunes and Ricardo De La Riva. He represents the De La Riva/Carlson Gracie Team through his teaching, and his longtime student Andrew Kinchen, who has trained under him since 2007, is co-owner and lead instructor at the Winter Haven location.