Nelson Monteiro Email & Phone Number

Encinitas, California

The Gracie Barra School of Encinitas was founded in Feb 2007. Our school is the result of the efforts of Master Nelson Monteiro, a 5th Degree Black Belt and Prof. Rafael Ramos, a 2nd Degree Black Belt both under Master Carlos Gracie Jr.We offer world-class level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instruction for individuals, families, and Law Enforcement officials of North San Diego County and is a reference for fitness, character development, self-defense, martial art, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training for the communities of Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Cardiff and La Costa.

Rio De Janeiro Area, Brazil

Opened a state of the art health and fitness club in downtown Rio de Janiero. We employed 22 full-time employees that provided quality instruction and spinning classes, free weights, aerobics, capoeira and yoga.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

In 1995, a new student arrived at my academy in San Diego. This new student would soon have a profound effect on the future of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The new arrival was Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nayan, a prince of the United Arab Emirates. Bin, as his friends would call him, became a dedicated private student of mine and after raining for 8 months, the prince invited me to come to the UAE to become his private Jiu-Jitsu instructor. While training the prince and other enthusiasts in the UAE, I helped to form the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC), which would evolve into the most prestigious grappling tournament in the world, the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships. During this four-year period, I had the good fortune to train many champions in Vale-Tudo, MMA, and sport Jiu-Jitsu.

Greater San Diego Area

After receiving my black belt and graduating from college, I moved to San Diego in 1990 and began teaching Jiu-Jitsu out of my garage in Encinitas. After steady growth in enrollment, we moved to a larger space in Del Mar, where the academy continued to prosper. After the 1993 debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experienced a meteoric rise in popularity. The world had now witnessed the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the unassuming Royce Gracie used leverage and technique to defeat his larger and stronger opponents. People from all walks of life began to search for qualified instructors. As a result, the academy experienced even greater growth.