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Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
Portrait unavailable. General BJJ illustration; not a likeness of this person.Illustration: The BJJ Story

Davide Berardi

Davide Berardi’s work in Sanremo spans beginner classes, open seminars and collaborative training camps.

Biography

After a mixed martial arts bout, Davide Berardi lacked local Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools, recalling sacrifices to train with Nice’s Cristian Rodrigues. In 2015, Luca Castellino brought him to Imperia’s Quartiere Latino with two free trial weeks. Earlier reporting shows learning moving in the other direction, too. In May 2010, Indomita Sanremo’s athletes thanked their Brazilian teacher from Nice for training them every Friday. Berardi finished second in the reported under-66kg champion-class grappling event, a submission-based competition. In 2016, Daruma founder Berardi described an open Sanremo seminar as a chance for newcomers to train alongside visiting practitioners; provincial courses also welcomed improvers. In 2018, everyone was welcome. One person drawn into grappling was his lifelong friend Marco Gavino. In a December 2017 recollection, Gavino described Berardi inviting him to try the sport in Sanremo roughly a decade earlier. After moving to Tuscany, Gavino kept training. Work on the coast formed another part of his life. A 2019 portrait described a lifeguard since 2000, running beaches since 2004. After losing one site in 2014, he secured another and rebuilt gradually under height restrictions. Daruma’s name evoked getting up again. His wife, Elisa Borri, handled the bar and till while he cooked; some summer evenings brought a training mat to Daruma Beach. Daruma’s February 2020 report showed how the timetable accommodated different stages and interests: lunchtime classes, a course specifically for white-belt beginners, and an evening for striking alongside mixed martial arts. Berardi was competing too, taking a reported black-belt under-76kg bronze at the Torino Jiu Jitsu Challenge while preparing students for events at home and abroad. In May 2022, another Daruma communiqué described summer options in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling and MMA. Students could add focused physical preparation through coach Moises’s functional training. Berardi expressed pride in their Italian-championship performances. That exchange extended beyond regular classes. Tribe Imperia and Daruma Sanremo ran the first BJJ Spring Break in April 2024: two days across the two towns, with Berardi, Gianpaolo Casamichiela and Flavio Santiago rotating seminars and sparring sessions. Practitioners from several countries trained together and prepared for the Italian championships. The organizers wanted another edition. His coaching also fitted into a wider team around MMA fighter Giacomo Michelis. A November 2024 report placed Berardi in charge of grappling through Daruma Sanremo, working with Kombat Team Alassio striking coaches Alessandro De Blasi and Simone Ruiu. He joined Michelis’s corner in Rome; the account described their match plan as a collective effort. After Daruma placed fourth overall at Torino’s Jiu Jitsu Challenge in February 2026, Berardi spoke about the achievement from a small club’s perspective. Leading the Sanremo squad, he was proud they could compete with better-known European teams.

Sources for this profile

  • RiminiBeach, May 2010.(opens in a new tab)

    • A May 2010 report placed Berardi with Indomita Sanremo and described the athletes thanking Cristiano Rodrigues, their Brazilian teacher from Nice, who travelled to train them each Friday. Berardi took second in the reported under-66kg champion-class grappling event.

      Where in the source: Teacher thanks and final.

      Accessed:

  • La Stampa, September 2015.(opens in a new tab)

    • Berardi recalled lacking local schools and the sacrifices of travelling to Nice's Cristian Rodrigues after an MMA bout. Luca Castellino then brought him to Quartiere Latino in Imperia, offering two free trial weeks.

      Where in the source: Sacrifici.

      Accessed:

  • La Stampa, February 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • Daruma founder Berardi presented Nice-based Christian Rodrigues's 2016 Sanremo seminar as an opportunity for newcomers and visiting practitioners. His open seminars and provincial courses served beginners and improvers.

      Where in the source: Open seminar and courses.

      Accessed:

  • Prima la Riviera, December 2017.(opens in a new tab)

    • In December 2017, Marco Gavino recalled discovering grappling in Sanremo about a decade earlier through his lifelong friend Berardi’s invitation to try. Gavino subsequently continued training after moving to Tuscany.

      Where in the source: Gavino recollection.

      Accessed:

  • Vezzaro.(opens in a new tab)

    • New academy invitation; January 2018 anti-bullying classes, ages 9–13.

      Where in the source: End.

      Accessed:

  • Il Secolo XIX, August 2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • Il Secolo XIX’s 2019 portrait identified Berardi as a Sanremo beach operator and BJJ practitioner whose summer evenings sometimes brought a tatami to Daruma Beach. A lifeguard since 2000 and beach entrepreneur since 2004, he recalled losing one site in 2014 before securing another that year. He described Daruma’s name as a symbol of repeatedly getting up and the gradual, height-constrained rebuilding of the beach facilities. He ran the beach with his wife Elisa Borri, working in the kitchen while she handled the bar and till.

      Where in the source: Work and Daruma name.

      Accessed:

  • SanremoNews, February 2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • A February 2020 Daruma report described lunchtime classes, a dedicated course for white-belt beginners and an evening striking day alongside MMA. Berardi also competed at the Torino Jiu Jitsu Challenge, taking reported black-belt under-76kg bronze, while preparing students for forthcoming domestic and overseas events.

      Where in the source: Courses and Berardi result.

      Accessed:

  • SanremoNews, May 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • A May 2022 Daruma communiqué described summer BJJ, grappling and MMA classes, with the option of targeted physical preparation through coach Moises’s functional training. Berardi expressed pride in his students’ Italian-championship performances.

      Where in the source: Summer courses.

      Accessed:

  • La Voce di Imperia, April 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • In April 2024, Tribe Imperia and Daruma Sanremo organized the first two-day BJJ Spring Break across their towns. Berardi, Gianpaolo Casamichiela and Flavio Santiago rotated seminars and sparring sessions. The camp brought practitioners from several countries together for learning and Italian-championship preparation; organizers intended another edition.

      Where in the source: Teaching and camp purpose.

      Accessed:

  • SanremoNews, November 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • A November 2024 report described Berardi coaching Giacomo Michelis’s grappling with Daruma Sanremo, alongside Kombat Team Alassio’s striking coaches Alessandro De Blasi and Simone Ruiu. He joined Michelis’s corner in Rome; the report presented the match plan as their combined work.

      Where in the source: Coaching collaboration.

      Accessed:

  • SanremoNews, February 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • After Daruma’s fourth overall team placing at Torino’s February 2026 Jiu Jitsu Challenge, Berardi expressed pride that a small club could compete with better-known European teams. The report named him as the Sanremo squad’s leader.

      Where in the source: Small-club perspective.

      Accessed:

Lineage

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Open lineage