# Fernando Yamasaki

> Black Belt

## Overview

**Name:** Fernando Yamasaki

**Belt Rank:** Black Belt

**Date of Birth:** August 09, 1967 (age 59)


## Bio

A key figure in the intersection of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, and wrestling, Fernando Yamasaki was raised in a pioneering judo family in São Paulo before being drawn to Marcelo Behring’s ground game in the mid-1980s. Earning his first black belt under Behring in 1989, he later moved to the United States for judo and wrestling, only to return and be famously demoted to brown belt by Behring, who felt his jiu-jitsu had grown rusty. Yamasaki spent a year reclaiming his rank, and in 1991 helped Carlos Gracie Jr. and Nahum Rabay found the Federação Paulista de Jiu-Jitsu. His later involvement with the International Ju-Jutsu Federation briefly earned him the label of “traitor” from the same men, a quarrel that was quickly resolved.
## Specialties

- Guard Passing
## Lineage

- Rickson Gracie
- Marcelo Behring (Black Belt)

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**Last Updated:** September 24, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/fernando-yamasaki)