# Roberto Traven

> Black Belt | Brazil

## Overview

**Name:** Roberto Traven

**Belt Rank:** Black Belt

**Nationality:** Brazil

**Gender:** Male

**Weight:** 99 kg


## Bio

Roberto Traven was born in on the 16th of September 1968 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Though he was a sporty person growing up, it took him 16 years to find Jiu Jitsu, but straight away he picked up tuition with one of the most highly decorated coaches of all time, Romero Cavalcanti AKA “Jacaré”. His natural ability for BJJ was clear from the get-go and the fact that he was obstinate made a recipe for a good fighter. Training 3 times per day alongside other historical figures such as  Fabio Gurgel ,  Leo Vieira ,  Jamelão  and many others, Traven managed to reach the grade of black belt within 4 years, an almost record breaking time frame in BJJ.

Traven started coaching at the “Academia Strike”, and soon pulled out one of his students, Muzio de Angelis, to help him with the classes. The team grew strong, but the venue ended closing in 1997. Roberto Traven did not give up and he re-opened his academy, this time making his former student, Muzio,  his associate naming the team “Academia Muzio & Traven”.

Having started his MMA career in the United States in 1996 (UFC 11), Roberto Traven started seeing more and more of US territory as the years went by. Understanding that America had a great potential for jiu-jitsu, Roberto decided to leave the “Muzio & Traven” partnership a few years after he began it, and moved for good to the US.

Though his once promising MMA career died down after the turn of the millennium, due to a series of losses, Traven’s career as a BJJ instructor blossomed with several students, having also graduated some of the American students with the grade of black belt.
## Achievements

- ADCC Champion (1999 absolute);
- 2x World Champion (1999, 1998);
- Brazilian National Champion (1995);
- 3x Brazilian Teams National Champion (1995, 1996, 1999);
- 2x Pan American Champion (2006 senior, 2010 senior II);
## Lineage

- Rolls Gracie
- Romero Cavalcanti (Black Belt)

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**Last Updated:** September 08, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/roberto-traven)