Paulo Caruso is a judo black belt and a former student of Osvaldo Alves in Brazilian jiu jitsu, from whom he earned the rank of coral belt. Widely regarded as one of the top athletes in the sport during the 1980's, Caruso is also known for his work as a coach, developing the ground games of Olympic judo athletes such as Flávio Canto (who earned his jiu jitsu black belt under Master Paulo) and Rafaela Silva.