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Jorge Britto Lima Filho

Rio-born black belt under Saulo Ribeiro, teaching in Toronto since 2008 and a co-founder of the Jiu-Jitsu For Life Team.

Biography

Jorge Britto is from Rio de Janeiro and teaches in Toronto. His current academy, Etobicoke BJJ, lists him as its founder and head instructor, and as head instructor of the Jiu-Jitsu For Life Team — the association he co-founded in 2016, which the same page says now takes in more than thirty affiliated clubs in Canada, Brazil, the United States and Europe. A results database puts his birth on 13 December 1979, which fits the age of 34 he gave in May 2014. He came to the sport at thirteen, at a small gym that Fernando Silva ran, a Carlson Gracie black belt known as Nutri-baby. He stayed until he was sixteen and then moved to Gracie Tijuca. Digitsu's infobox lists his black belt under Saulo Ribeiro with the year 2005; it gives his division as meio pesado, 88.30 kg. The move north came in 2008, when his own teacher Saulo Ribeiro asked him to teach full time at Toronto BJJ, one of the schools affiliated to him; Etobicoke BJJ dates his arrival in Canada to the same year. Toronto BJJ had more than 500 members by 2014, all of them training at one address, and its instructor page carries Britto as head instructor of the club and Josh Rapport as a second-degree black belt and its director. Rapport was among the people Britto thanked by name in 2014, alongside his teachers. His grade is one thing the sources do not settle. In May 2014 he described himself as a third-degree black belt out of Gracie Tijuca, naming Royler Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro and Viny Aieta as the men he had learned from. The two academy pages that state a degree today disagree: Toronto BJJ has him at fourth, Etobicoke BJJ at fifth. Neither page dates the text it prints. The honours are listed twice, and both times by him or by his own school. In 2014 he gave two IBJJF No-Gi world titles in the masters division, the 2010 ADCC European title and five Rio state championships. Etobicoke BJJ's list repeats all of those and adds entries that none of the other sources here carry: a 2015 World Masters title, a shared Pan Masters title from 2009, a Brazilian national medal, a professional MMA career that no source here dates, and a CCF lightweight title. Toronto BJJ's page uses wording of its own again, a world no-gi masters absolute title and an ADCC European qualifier win. A results database holds five recorded matches for him, and he lost all five — but that table is not a career record, and it should not be read as one. None of the five rows come from the masters divisions, which is where the titles were won. What the table does show is who he was matched against. André Galvão accounts for three of the five rows: armbars at the 2005 Worlds and the 2006 Brazilian Nationals, then a kimura at the 2017 Worlds. The other two are a points loss to Lucas Barbosa at the 2016 Worlds and an armbar loss to Murilo Santana at the 2011 ADCC World Championship. The oldest of those rows falls in the same year the database gives for his black belt. His university degree is in physical education, and Etobicoke BJJ puts that at the centre of how he runs a room: keeping people safe, moving them correctly, and building over the long term. Asked in 2014 to define the Ribeiro style, he called it traditional and modern teaching brought together, and said competition mattered without being its main focus. The academy he ran then worked from a set of values he called the "5 Blades" — attitude, discipline, family, honour, loyalty and respect — which he wanted students applying in everyday life. The list his current academy prints has five entries: attitude, discipline, family, honour, respect. Loyalty is not among them. He was asked about loyalty directly. Treat a student as a commodity or as a client, he said, and the student will read the academy and the professor the same way, as a business and a service — and no loyalty comes out of that. What he and his instructors did, as he put it, was pass on what they had learned on the mats and keep Helio Gracie's philosophy and legacy alive; beyond that he claimed nothing unusual for the school, only hard work and an open mind. He thought Brazilians were the more competitive group as a whole, recreational students included, and that American and Canadian practitioners were arriving at the same mindset through their Brazilian instructors. MMA, he said in 2014, was still somewhere ahead of him; his students came first. Etobicoke BJJ traces his line as Helio Gracie to Royler Gracie to Saulo Ribeiro to Britto, and dates its own work with athletes to 2008 — the year he landed in Canada.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Eastern Europe (bjjee.com), intervju: «Toronto BJJ’s Jorge Britto: ‘Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Is The Perfect Combination Of The Traditional & The Modern Teachings Of Jiu-Jitu’», 30.05.2014. Førstepersonssvar.(opens in a new tab)

    • In the May 2014 interview he states that he was 34 years old.

      Where in the source: My name is Jorge Britto, I’m 34 years old

      Accessed:

    • In May 2014 he gave his own grade as a third-degree black belt under Gracie Tijuca, crediting three teachers: Royler Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro and Viny Aieta.

      Where in the source: a Black Belt 3rd Degree under Gracie Tijuca (Royler Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro and Viny Aieta).

      Accessed:

    • He states that he is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and that he represents Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu in Canada, teaching in Toronto.

      Where in the source: I am from Rio De Janeiro Brazil. I am a Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu representative in Canada teaching and training in Toronto.

      Accessed:

    • His own 2014 listing gives five Rio state championships, the 2010 ADCC European title and two IBJJF No-Gi world titles at masters level.

      Where in the source: Two times World IBJJF NoGi Champion Master’s Division. 2010 ADCC European Champion and 5X Rio state Champion.

      Accessed:

    • He began training at thirteen at a small gym run by the Carlson Gracie black belt Fernando Silva, known as "Nutri-baby", and stayed until he was sixteen, when he moved on to Gracie Tijuca.

      Where in the source: Started when I was 13 years old, in a small gym run by a Carlson Gracie Black belt, Fernando Silva (Nutri-baby). I continued there till I was 16 years old, where I then started training at Gracie Tijuca.

      Accessed:

    • He says that his own master Saulo Ribeiro invited him in 2008 to teach full time at one of his affiliated schools, Toronto BJJ.

      Where in the source: In 2008 my master Saulo Ribeiro invited me to teach full time at one of his affiliated schools in Toronto BJJ.

      Accessed:

    • In 2014 he put Toronto BJJ's membership at over 500, with all students at a single location.

      Where in the source: At Toronto BJJ we currently have over 500 members, all students come to one location.

      Accessed:

    • He describes the value set he calls the "5 Blades" — Attitude, Discipline, Family, Honor, Loyalty and Respect — and says students should be able to apply those values in everyday life.

      Where in the source: We focus on our teachings and values of the “5 Blades” Attitude, Discipline, Family, Honor, Loyalty and Respect. We emphasize these so that students can apply these values to their everyday life.

      Accessed:

    • He defines Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu as a combination of traditional and modern teaching, and says competition matters but is not the main point.

      Where in the source: I feel Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu is the perfect combination of the Traditional and the Modern teachings of Jiu-Jitu. Competition is a very important aspect of jiu-jitsu, but not it’s key focus.

      Accessed:

    • On loyalty he says that a student treated as a commodity or a client will come to see the academy and professor in the same terms, and that loyalty then does not arise.

      Where in the source: if you treat each student as a commodity or just a client the student will also view the academy and professor as only a business and service. Leaving out the connection to the gym and instructor only results in no sense of loyalty felt by the student.

      Accessed:

    • He says that what he and his staff do is share their experience on the mats and keep Master Helio's philosophy and legacy alive, and that beyond that he simply works hard and tries to move forward with an open mind.

      Where in the source: We share our experience on the mats and endeavor to share and keep the philosophy and legacy of Master Helio alive. I don’t feel that we do anything different, all I do is work very hard and progress. Always trying to progress with an open mind. Following the guidance of Master Saulo.

      Accessed:

    • He thinks Brazilians are generally more competitive, recreational students included, but that American and Canadian practitioners take on the same outlook through the influence of their Brazilian instructors.

      Where in the source: I guess Brazilians are overall more competitive, you can see this trait not just in the competitors but in the recreational students as well. I see the American and Canadian practitioners achieving the same mindset because of their Brazilian instructors influence, passing the Brazilian mindset to their students.

      Accessed:

    • In 2014 he said MMA still lay ahead of him, but that his students were his priority at the time.

      Where in the source: For sure MMA is still in the future, but right now my focus is on my students in Jiu-Jitsu to help guide them in reaching their goals and aspirations.

      Accessed:

    • Among those he thanks are his teachers Saulo Ribeiro, Viny Aieta and Royler Gracie, along with Joshua Rapport.

      Where in the source: Saulo Ribeiro, Viny Aieta, Royler Gracie. A shout out to Kings Kimonos for their outstanding support. Joshua Rapport for his support and belief in myself and my projects.

      Accessed:

  • Toronto BJJ (torontobjj.com), instruktørsida (innholdet udatert, bunntekst © 2026; lest 20.09.2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Toronto BJJ's instructor page lists him as head instructor of the academy, with a black belt of the fourth degree (printed "4rd Degree"), the title of World No-Gi Masters Absolute champion, and an ADCC European Qualifier championship.

      Where in the source: Jorge Britto BJJ Black Belt 4rd Degree Head Instructor of Toronto BJJ World No-GI Masters Absolute champion ADCC European Qualifier Champion

      Accessed:

    • Josh Rapport is listed on the same page as director of Toronto BJJ and a black belt of the second degree.

      Where in the source: Josh Rapport BJJ Black Belt 2nd Degree Director of Toronto BJJ

      Accessed:

  • Etobicoke BJJ Martial Arts Academy (etobicoke-bjj.com), akademiets forside, instruktør-, merittliste- og lineage-seksjonen (bunntekst © 2026; lest 20.09.2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • His current academy lists him as a fifth-degree black belt under Saulo Ribeiro, head instructor for Jiu-Jitsu For Life, and head instructor and founder of Etobicoke BJJ.

      Where in the source: 5th Degree Black Belt Under Saulo Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu For Life Head Instructor Jorge Britto Head Instructor & Founder

      Accessed:

    • The academy states that he was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a teenager.

      Where in the source: Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jorge Britto began his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey as a teenager.

      Accessed:

    • He holds a university degree in physical education, and the academy ties it directly to his teaching: emphasis on safety, correct movement and long-term development.

      Where in the source: Jorge holds a university degree in Physical Education, which strongly influences his teaching approach. His classes emphasize safety, proper movement and long-term development, making Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu accessible to beginners while still providing depth and progression for experienced students.

      Accessed:

    • The academy states that he moved to Canada in 2008 and began teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Toronto.

      Where in the source: In 2008, Jorge moved to Canada and began teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Toronto, contributing to the growth of the local community through structured instruction and a strong focus on fundamentals.

      Accessed:

    • He co-founded the Jiu-Jitsu For Life Team in 2016, an association that the academy says now counts more than 30 affiliated clubs across Canada, Brazil, the USA and Europe.

      Where in the source: In 2016, he co-founded the Jiu-Jitsu For Life Team, an association that now includes more than 30 affiliated academies across Canada, Brazil, the USA and Europe.

      Accessed:

    • The academy's honours list gives a 2015 World Masters title, an ADCC European title, two No-Gi world titles, a shared Pan Masters title in 2009, five Rio state titles, a Brazilian national medal, a CCF lightweight title and a professional MMA career.

      Where in the source: 2015 World Masters Champion ADCC European Champion 2x NoGi World Champion 2009 Pan Masters Co-Champion 5x Rio State Champion Brazilian National Medalist Pro MMA Fighter CCF Lightweight Champion

      Accessed:

    • The academy today gives five core values: Attitude, Discipline, Family, Honour and Respect.

      Where in the source: Our academy is guided by five core values: Attitude, Discipline, Family, Honour and Respect.

      Accessed:

    • The academy's lineage display traces the line Helio Gracie › Royler Gracie › Saulo Ribeiro › Jorge Britto.

      Where in the source: Helio Gracie Founder of BJJ → Royler Gracie 4x World Champion → Saulo Ribeiro 5x World Champion → Jorge Britto Head Instructor

      Accessed:

    • In its footer the academy states that it has been building athletes since 2008, and that its teaching descends directly from Helio Gracie.

      Where in the source: Direct lineage from Helio Gracie. Building confident, disciplined martial artists since 2008.

      Accessed:

  • Digitsu (digitsu.com), «Jorge Britto BJJ Record, Stats & Bio» — kun infoboks og kamptabell (udatert; lest 20.09.2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • The infobox gives a date of birth of 13 December 1979.

      Where in the source: Born: December 13, 1979

      Accessed:

    • Digitsu's infobox labels Britto a black belt under Saulo Ribeiro in 2005 and gives his weight class as Meio Pesado, 88.30 kg.

      Where in the source: Black Belt Under: Saulo Ribeiro (2005) Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda › Carlos Gracie › Helio Gracie › Royler Gracie › Saulo Ribeiro › Jorge Britto View in the tree → Weight Class: Meio Pesado (88,30 kg / 195.0 lbs)

      Accessed:

    • The fight table holds five recorded bouts and no wins. The three most recent are losses: by kimura to André Galvão in the 2017 IBJJF World Championship, on points to Lucas Barbosa in the 2016 IBJJF World Championship, and by armbar to Murilo Santana in the 2011 ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: André Galvão L Kimura 2017 IBJJF World Championship Medium Heavyweight 2017 Jun 1 Lucas Barbosa L Points 2016 IBJJF World Championship Medium Heavyweight 2016 Jun 2 Murilo Santana L Armbar 2011 ADCC World Championship -77kgs 2011 Sep 24

      Accessed:

    • The two oldest rows in the table are also losses: by armbar to André Galvão in the 2006 Brazilian National Championship, and by armbar to the same opponent in the 2005 IBJJF World Championship, the year he received the black belt.

      Where in the source: André Galvão L Armbar 2006 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship Middleweight 2006 May 3 André Galvão L Armbar 2005 IBJJF World Championship Middleweight 2005 May 29

      Accessed:

  • Toronto BJJ, Jorge Britto instructor page (undated text; footer © 2026; read 7 October 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Toronto BJJ's individual Jorge Britto page identifies Hélio Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro and Royler Gracie among his teachers; it does not say any of them awarded his black belt or exclude other teachers.

      Where in the source: Jorge’s teachers have included the legendary: Helio Gracie (founder of the art), Saulo Ribeiro, and Royler Gracie.

      Accessed:

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage