# Roberto Jimenez

> 

## Overview

**Name:** Roberto Jimenez


## Bio

Roberto Jimenez was born on May 19, 2000, in Miami, Florida, United States of America, being the son of immigrants from Ecuador.

Roberto’s father, Raul “Gacho” Jimenez, was an avid Thai boxing practitioner who, by 2001, decided to start training in jiu-jitsu. His love for grappling led Gacho to enroll young Roberto in BJJ class when he was 4 years old.

By the time Roberto turned 10, the Jimenez family returned to the USA, and this time settled in Texas. Roberto knew little to no English at the time, having Spanish as his mother tongue, a “handicap” that made him the target of school bullies for some time. This problem would be surpassed by using jiu-jitsu to protect himself, as explained in a 2019 interview given by the Jimenezes to  FloGrappling  (video below).

Although an avid competitor from a very young age, Roberto did not win his first gold medal until his 13th birthday. This was a turning point in Jimenez’s life, as he had not thoroughly enjoyed competing up until that point. The taste of victory opened a new door in Roberto’s grappling career, as he started focusing more on training than he ever had until that point.

By the time Roberto was 15 years old, he was competing weekly in several divisions, going for the teen division – weight + absolute, gi + no-gi, while also doing the adult division, weight + absolute, gi + no-gi. Taking home as many as 8 medals per event. This age was also the time when Jimenez had his first big break into a mainstream BJJ audience, after competing in the ROYAL INVITATIONAL, a pro-tournament where the main stars of the colored belt divisions battled for a cash prize. Although the youngest athlete on the card, Roberto came out with the trophy, beating by submission many of the sport’s most promising stars. Names such as  Gabriel Sousa  (R1),  Thalison Soares  (R2), and  Gabriel Almeida  (R3).

From his first appearance at ROYAL, Roberto’s stock as a competitor skyrocketed. After repeated success across every colored belt competitive year, Roberto Jimenez was promoted to black belt by his father, Mr. Raul Jimenez.

---

**Last Updated:** March 21, 2026

**Data Source:** BJJ.Space (https://bjj.space/people/roberto-jimenez-26a356a3c281)