# Tony Passos

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## Overview

**Name:** Tony Passos

**Date of Birth:** February 14, 1980 (age 46)


## Bio

A black belt under Moacir “Boca” and De La Riva, Tony Passos bridges the lineage of traditional Rio jiu-jitsu with the modern Atos system. Born in Recife in 1980, he started training in 1998 with Boca, earning his black belt in 2007 at his own academy in Sterling, Virginia—a school he opened after originally moving to the U.S. to study English. Finding himself isolated from high-level training partners, Passos connected with André Galvão in 2010 through a seminar, and by the end of 2011 formally joined the Atos family. His game is rooted in the creativity and mechanical leverage he first appreciated as a college student shedding a sedentary lifestyle.

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**Last Updated:** September 24, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/tony-passos)