# Renato Tavares

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## Overview

**Name:** Renato Tavares

**Date of Birth:** January 20, 1968 (age 58)


## Bio

A doctor’s recommendation to improve childhood breathing difficulties set Renato Tavares on a path that began under Geni Rebello and Elias Martins at Academia Serrana in Teresopolis, where he compiled a remarkable 18 wins in 23 blue-belt tournaments. Moving to Rio de Janeiro at purple, he joined Carlson Gracie’s camp, earning his brown and black belts under Carlson himself in 1995 while learning from Sergio “Bolao” Souza, Marcelo Alonso, and Carlson Gracie Junior. A 2002 invitation to teach in Kentucky led him to compete in World Extreme Fighting 12, but his father’s death forced a temporary return to Brazil. Back in the US by 2003, he trained at American Top Team with Ricardo Liborio, Marcelo, and Conan Silveira while building the Renato Tavares Association, a network of over 15 academies that has produced multiple black belts, and he maintained his competitive edge by winning 13 of 16 events in 2009.

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**Last Updated:** September 24, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/renato-tavares)