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Raul Jimenez

Ecuadorian black belt Raul Jimenez carried a multi-instructor lineage into coaching Roberto Jimenez and building academies from Las Vegas to Guayaquil.

Last updated: 10 September 2026

Biography

Raul Francisco Jimenez Trivino is an Ecuadorian black belt whose story connects two journeys: his own education under several instructors and the coaching path he built for his son Roberto. Born in Guayaquil in 1976, Jimenez began jiu-jitsu with Roberto Bitar. BJJ Heroes describes a colored-belt path through several instructors before Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti promoted him to black belt in 2014. Official IBJJF results mark stages along that path. Jimenez won the Master 1 purple-belt super-heavy division at the 2009 Pan Championship while representing Gracie Barra. At the 2010 Pan Championship, he placed second in the same division under Team Gacho BJJ. The 2011 Dallas Open listed him first at purple-belt super-heavy and third in the open class for Team Gacho. A separate 2011 Pan No-Gi result recorded him at brown belt, with first place in the open class and second at super-heavy for Gold Team Fighters USA. The two 2011 pages do not establish which event came first or when his promotion occurred. BJJ Heroes also credits Jimenez with masters titles at the 2015 World No-Gi and Pan championships, the 2017 European Championship, and the 2018 World Master Championship. Those later achievements come from that single biographical source in this account. Competition is only part of the story. BJJ Heroes identifies Raul as Roberto Jimenez's father and the teacher who put him into jiu-jitsu as a young child before later promoting him to black belt. Roberto's own account in a 2015 interview makes the teaching more concrete: he said his father kept pushing his training, taught him humility, and framed each tournament as one page to finish before turning to the next. The lesson was not to make one result the whole story. The academy names around Jimenez show how that work extended beyond one student. Team Gacho was already attached to his official competition entries in 2010 and 2011. BJJ Heroes says he later built an Alliance academy in Las Vegas, created the Studio 76 brand, and established its headquarters in Guayaquil after returning to Ecuador in January 2022. His path leads from several instructors to a student of his own, and from the tournament record to an academy based in the city where he was born.

Sources for this profile

BJJ Heroes, Raul Jimenez, current public biography.(opens in a new tab)
- BJJ Heroes identifies Raul Francisco Jimenez Trivino, known as Gacho, as an Ecuadorian jiu-jitsu black belt under Romero Jacare Cavalcanti.
  Where in the source: Opening summary, full-name row and lineage table
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
- BJJ Heroes says Jimenez was born on 14 March 1976 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
  Where in the source: Biography — opening birth sentence
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
- The biography identifies Roberto Bitar as Jimenez's first jiu-jitsu instructor, describes later coloured belts from several instructors and says Romero Cavalcanti promoted him to black belt in 2014.
  Where in the source: Biography — start and belt-progression paragraphs
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
- BJJ Heroes lists Jimenez as a successful masters competitor, including a 2015 IBJJF World No-Gi title, a 2015 Pan title, a 2017 European title and a 2018 World Master title.
  Where in the source: Main Achievements table
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
- BJJ Heroes says Jimenez built an Alliance academy in Las Vegas, later created the Studio 76 brand and established its headquarters in Guayaquil after returning to Ecuador in January 2022.
  Where in the source: Biography — final three paragraphs
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
BJJ Heroes, Roberto Jimenez, current public biography.(opens in a new tab)
- BJJ Heroes identifies Raul Jimenez as Roberto Jimenez's father and black-belt instructor, says he put Roberto into jiu-jitsu as a young child and later promoted him to black belt.
  Where in the source: Opening summary, lineage table, biography opening and final paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
Deneatra Terry, Young & Gifted: Roberto Jimenez, BJJ Legends Magazine, 23 August 2015.(opens in a new tab)
- In a 2015 interview, fifteen-year-old Roberto Jimenez says his father started him in jiu-jitsu, continued to push his training, taught him humility and framed each tournament as one page to turn before the next.
  Where in the source: Interview answers on starting, role models, attitude and tournament perspective
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
GRIPS&MICS #48, Raul Gacho Jimenez — dedicacion y trabajo duro, BJJ Canarias, 7 November 2019.(opens in a new tab)
- The 2019 GRIPS&MICS episode description presents Jimenez as Ecuadorian, a black belt under Romero Cavalcanti, head of Alliance Las Vegas and Roberto Jimenez's father and teacher.
  Where in the source: Episode description
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2009, official results.(opens in a new tab)
- The official 2009 Pan results list Raul Jimenez first in the Master 1 purple-belt super-heavy division for Gracie Barra.
  Where in the source: Master 1 / Purple / Male / Super Heavy results
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010, official results.(opens in a new tab)
- The official 2010 Pan results list Jimenez second in the Master 1 purple-belt super-heavy division representing Team Gacho BJJ.
  Where in the source: Master 1 / Purple / Male / Super Heavy results
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Dallas International Open IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2011, official results.(opens in a new tab)
- The official 2011 Dallas Open results list Jimenez first in the Master 1 purple-belt super-heavy division for Team Gacho and third in the open class.
  Where in the source: Master 1 / Purple / Male / Super Heavy and Open Class results
  Accessed: 2026-09-09
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Championship 2011, official results.(opens in a new tab)
- The official 2011 Pan No-Gi results list Jimenez first in the Master 1 brown-belt open class and second at super-heavy for Gold Team Fighters USA.
  Where in the source: Master 1 / Brown / Male / Super Heavy and Open Class results
  Accessed: 2026-09-09

Lineage

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Students1

Roberto Francisco Jimenez Source: en.wikipedia.org