James Puopolo is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Rafael Lovato Junior who trained extensively with the Ribeiro Brothers (Alexandre and Saulo) and is widely regarded as one of the top North American submission grapplers of his generation. While competing in jiu-jitsu's international level circuit, Puopolo earned medals in important events such as the ADCC Trials, International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World and Pan Championships.