Vitor Ribeiro

Vitor Ribeiro was born on the 2nd of November, 1978 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a well known mixed martial arts fighter and holds a record of 18 wins, 1 by knockout and 11 by submission and 1 loss.

As a fourteen year old Brazilian boy, who wanted to impress his fellow students, he used to sit cross legged with his eyes closed. He was not a student of Meditation, though he used to pretend doing meditation. He was  Vitor Ribeiro -"Shaolin" as nicknamed by his fellow students learning Jiu-Jitsu. The Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro was shaping his body, mind and future at the age of 14 to become champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). The decision was made to be a fighter, when "Shaolin" lost a street fight and almost got killed by a guy trained in Luta. One month after that incident, a friend invited him to a school to learn BJJ and the rest is history.

Vitor has won BJJ championship 4 times, first as a purple belt in 1996, and then as a black belt in 1999, 2000 and 2001. He has won 3 Arnold classic in the USA in 2001, 2002 and 2003. He has also 9 no hold bear (NHB) fights and is ranked #1 fighter in the world in 155 lbs category. He has also competed in ADCC in 2001 and 2003.

His quest for achievement is unquenchable. He wants to win UFC belt - to mark himself as an undisputed fighter in the world in his weight category

Isn't it surprising that "Shaolin" never thought about being the big grand champion! After entering his first tournament and wining his first two fights, he realized his capability as a fighter. Though he lost his third fight to a yellow belt, he liked the excitement and adrenaline. The tiger had tasted the blood and was getting ready to hunt for more!

"What made you a BJJ Champion"? When asked this question, "Shaolin" replied, Training, Training & Training! Andre Pederneriras is his only teacher in BJJ. He founded Nova Uniao together with Wendell Alexander. Nova Uniao started winning many tournaments in Rio. It is a perfect blend of youth and adult fighters.

Vitor has a very dynamic style and always tries different things in a fight. He loves this game because it is new every time.  He is so much in love with BJJ, he plans to transfer his achievements to his children and wants them to be at black belt level by the time they turn 18. The passion and love that seems to be passing through genes and generations. A real Passionate Fighter.

Vitor is regarded as one of the finest lightweight fighters in mixed martial arts. He has had a lot of exposure since he has fought all over the world and in different organizations. Shoot Hawaii, Shooto Japan, Cage Rage in England, K-1 Hero's in Japan are some of the organizations that he was part of. He has also won the Cage Rage World lightweight championship as well as the Shooto Welterweight Title.