# Elan Santiago

> Black Belt

## Overview

**Name:** Elan Santiago

**Belt Rank:** Black Belt


## Bio

A key figure in the post-breakup diaspora of the Carlson Gracie lineage, Elan Santiago began training at the famed Copacabana academy in 1993 under Kiko Veloso, Marcelo Alonso, and Marcelo Saporito. Earning his black belt from Mauro Chueng in 2002/2003, he later trained with Murilo Bustamante and the Brazilian Top Team before joining forces with Fernando Tererê at the powerhouse TT squad in São Paulo. After Tererê’s 2004 arrest, Santiago moved to Alliance under Alexandre Paiva and helped lead a campaign for Tererê’s rehabilitation. A brief 2005 stint in South Korea preceded his return to Rio, where he managed the jiu-jitsu sector of the Beija-Flor social project in Nilópolis.
## Lineage

- Sergio Bolão (Coral Belt)
- Mauro Chueng (Black Belt)

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**Last Updated:** September 08, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/elan-santiago)