Carlos Andrés Robles Álvarez
“Blind Warrior”
Source: sanabulsports.comCarlos Alvarez lost his sight as a blue belt, kept training to black belt, and created Blind Warriors to teach jiu-jitsu to other blind people.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Sanabul, 'Fighter Series: Who is Carlos Alvarez?', blog post dated 6 March 2023.(opens in a new tab)
In a question-and-answer interview with Sanabul, he gave his full name as Carlos Andres Robles Alvarez.
Where in the source: Q&A section below the article, first question and answer (his name)
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He told Sanabul that he was born with congenital glaucoma, that his sight declined over time, and that by the March 2023 interview he had been completely blind for about eleven years.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on his disability — 'Around 11 years ago'
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He said he was badly bullied as a teenager, partly because glaucoma made his eyes look large, and wanted to learn to defend himself; because his eyesight was getting worse he did not feel comfortable in a striking art.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer to the question about the Mat Made video and the bullies
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He said a friend first showed him Brazilian jiu-jitsu in a room at his high school where students could practise martial arts, and that he later joined a school near his home, starting in April 2009.
Where in the source: Q&A, answers on when he started ('April of 2009') and on his first training
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He said he was not intimidated when he joined a jiu-jitsu school because he had already seen the art before losing his sight, and he named the armbar as his favourite submission.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on his thoughts before his first jiu-jitsu training
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He said jiu-jitsu helped him deal with the bullies: he still tried to avoid confrontation, but gained the confidence to face them when he had to.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on whether jiu-jitsu helped with the bullies
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He said his disadvantage as a blind grappler lies in the standing exchange, especially when he cannot start with grips, and in takedowns; once the match is on the ground and he has his grips, he said he feels no disadvantage.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on disadvantages when grappling — 'while standing'
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In March 2023 he described a typical day as teaching the 7 a.m. class at Gama Filho Martial Arts before training in Professor Henrique's 10 a.m. class, sometimes training again in the evening.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on what a regular day looks like — 'the 7am class'
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He calls himself the 'real Blind Warrior', explaining that he has faced many giants in competition and in life; Sanabul's article also refers to him as the Blind Warrior.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on BJJ in his day-to-day life — 'real Blind Warrior'; article text before the Q&A
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He said that when he is rolling he feels equal and does not feel like a blind person, and that jiu-jitsu gave him a purpose and a way to earn a living.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on how jiu-jitsu changed his life — 'I feel equal'
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In March 2023 he said he was teaching, training and competing, offered seminars, and sold his own Blind Warriors line of gis, rash guards and hoodies to help fund his competitions.
Where in the source: Q&A, final answer on what he is currently up to
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Sanabul's 2023 article described him as the first blind Hispanic BJJ black belt.
Where in the source: Opening sentence of the article
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He said one of the biggest lessons jiu-jitsu taught him is to stay calm in a bad position, breathe and look for a way out, and that he applies the same approach when life goes wrong.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on how BJJ translates to his day-to-day life
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Pasando Guardia, 'jiujitsero invidente hispano llega cinturón negro.', 6 October 2020.(opens in a new tab)
Pasando Guardia reported that he was already a blue belt, training in Ecuador with the Iturralde brothers, when congenital glaucoma gradually took his sight until he was completely blind.
Where in the source: First paragraph of the article — 'cinta azul en Ecuador'
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According to Pasando Guardia, losing his sight did not stop his training but pushed him further, and he began training four hours a day.
Where in the source: First paragraph — '4 horas diarias'
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He told Pasando Guardia that when he lost his sight, jiu-jitsu was the one thing he knew he would not lose, and that he then decided he wanted to make his living from it.
Where in the source: First quoted passage from him — 'no perdería'
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He explained that he follows an opponent by sound, such as the hips moving and the opponent scraping against the mat, and that he starts a match with one hand on the lapel and the other on the sleeve, from which he builds a mental picture of where everything is.
Where in the source: Second quoted passage, on his other senses — 'la solapa'
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On 6 October 2020 the jiu-jitsu news site Pasando Guardia reported his promotion to black belt, headlining the story as a blind Hispanic practitioner reaching black belt.
Where in the source: Headline, and the line introducing his post after the promotion
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In his own Facebook post, embedded in Pasando Guardia's October 2020 article, he wrote that after 11 years he had been promoted to black belt by his professor Leo Iturralde together with his two professors Henrique Gama Filho (spelled 'Enrique' in the post) and Mario Sperry.
Where in the source: Embedded Facebook post by Carlos Andres Alvarez, lower in the article — 'mi profesor Leo Iturralde'
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The article's opening photo caption shows him with his student and with professors Leo Iturralde and Henrique (Gama) Filho.
Where in the source: Photo caption under the byline — 'profesores Leo Iturralde'
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Pasando Guardia reported that he had graduated one of his students as an instructor in the Blind Warriors jiu-jitsu programme, a project that lets blind people train jiu-jitsu, and that Mario Sperry had joined forces with the project.
Where in the source: Paragraph after the second photo — 'Blind warriors jiujitsu'
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Pasando Guardia, 'EP. 76 con Carlos Alvarez. 1er cinturón negro de BJJ invidente hispano.', podcast episode page, 14 November 2022.(opens in a new tab)
He is originally from Ecuador.
Where in the source: Episode description, first paragraph — 'originario de Ecuador'
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BJJEE, 'The Story Of Carlos Alvarez – The First Blind Hispanic BJJ Black Belt', 29 September 2022 (quoting the Mat Made Show).(opens in a new tab)
BJJEE, quoting his appearance on the Mat Made Show, reported him saying that when he lived in his home country it was almost impossible for him as a blind person to go to college or get a job, and that jiu-jitsu was the only activity open to him there.
Where in the source: Second quoted block — 'live in my country'
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Uninvisible Pod, 'Episode 154: Carlos Alvarez – Blind Warrior of BJJ', 31 October 2023.(opens in a new tab)
The Uninvisible summary said in October 2023 that he taught jiu-jitsu to blind people at Gama Filho Martial Arts, an academy in Miami, and described this teaching as his Blind Warriors work, aimed at helping people with sight loss improve their quality of life and their confidence.
Where in the source: Overview, second half — 'to the blind community'
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The episode summary lists among his topics why jiu-jitsu suits people with sight loss: it has no striking and is a grappling art, in which, in his words, 'your hands become your eyes'.
Where in the source: Takeaway list, sixth item — 'your hands become your eyes'
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The episode summary refers to Ecuador as his home country and lists among his topics that disability care there is not widely available.
Where in the source: Takeaway list, seventh item — 'home country of Ecuador'
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BJJ Canarias, 'GRIPS&MICS #87 - Carlos Álvarez - La discapacidad no es excusa', YouTube, 18 April 2020.(opens in a new tab)
In April 2020 the Spanish podcast GRIPS&MICS by BJJ Canarias described him as a native of Ecuador and a brown belt, blind because of congenital glaucoma, who was still fighting and training and was encouraging other people with his disability to train through his Blind Warriors project in Miami.
Where in the source: YouTube video description, first paragraph — 'natural de Ecuador'
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BJJ Tripping Podcast, 'Episodio 4. Discapacidades y el jiu jitsu. Carlos Alvarez de invitado', Spotify, 17 April 2020.(opens in a new tab)
The BJJ Tripping Podcast episode of 17 April 2020 described him as a brown belt whom jiu-jitsu had helped overcome his disability and empowered to create his own project, Blind Warriors, where he teaches jiu-jitsu to blind people in Miami.
Where in the source: Episode description — 'crear su proyecto'
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Carlos Andres Alvarez (@blindwarriorbjj), Instagram profile, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
His Instagram profile, as read on 29 September 2026, describes him as completely blind, a black belt in jiu-jitsu, an active competitor and a BJJ instructor available for private classes and seminars.
Where in the source: Profile bio of @blindwarriorbjj — 'active competitor'
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Gama Filho Martial Arts, 'Meet Our Team', read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Henrique Gama Filho, a black belt under Francisco 'Toco' Albuquerque and son of Pedro Gama Filho, founded Gama Filho Martial Arts in Miami in 2019, after moving to the United States in 2015 as an American Top Team athlete.
Where in the source: Head coach biography, fifth paragraph — 'In 2019'
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Rebound Talks, 'BJJ Black Belt Carlos Alvarez | El Guerrero Ciego (EN ESPAÑOL)', YouTube, 11 March 2021.(opens in a new tab)
A March 2021 Spanish-language interview by Rebound Talks is titled with his nickname 'El Guerrero Ciego' and describes him as the leader of the Blind Warriors foundation, where he teaches other blind people to defend themselves through jiu-jitsu; the description calls him the first blind jiu-jitsu black belt in Latin America.
Where in the source: Video title and description — 'líder de la fundación'
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MegaTV, Facebook video about Carlos Andrés Álvarez, 14 October 2022.(opens in a new tab)
On 14 October 2022 the Spanish-language television channel MegaTV posted a video segment about him.
Where in the source: Video title and the post text below it, MegaTV page
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