Instructor
Sensei Paulo Fernando
Head Instructor
Sensei Paulo Fernando has been training in martial arts since 1974 and is the only person in the world to achieve the rank of 7th degree (Shichidan) coral belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu concurrently.
Sensei Paulo began training Judo at merely 4 years of age under the tutelage of Shigueto Yamasaki, a protégé of Riuzo Ogawa, the founder of Judo in Brazil. By 1988 he was a blackbelt in Judo and his prowess was so renowned in Brazil that he received a collegiate scholarship for Judo to the prestigious Paulista University in Sao Paulo. There he graduated with a degree in international business and a stellar collegiate Judo record. Sensei Paulo has won thirty-four gold medals at various Judo championships including the Brazilian Nationals, The California State Championship, and the Pan American Masters Judo Championship.
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In 1986, two years prior to obtaining his blackbelt in Judo, Paulo began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Master Otavio de Almeida Jr.
Receiving his jiu-jitsu blackbelt in 1991, Sensei Paulo was the BJJ State Champion of Sao Paulo for 6 years, and successfully competed in the prestigious 2nd and 4th Pan American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and the 1997 World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
In August of 1997, Paulo Fernando migrated from Brazil to San Diego to teach Judo and Jiu Jitsu before he had learned more than two words of English. In time he not only learned the language and culture, he also achieved the American Dream.
In San Diego, Sensei Paulo built one of the largest martial arts academies in the United States. SDBJJ Academy & Mixed Martial Arts boasted over 850 students ranging in age from 3 to 82. As one of the pioneers of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in America Sensei Paulo, along with the 4 other Brazilians who originally came to America to teach Jiu Jitsu, is responsible for the sport’s rapid growth throughout the last 3 decades.
In October of 2023, Sensei Paulo sold his branded academy so that he could focus less on the business and more on what he truly loves, teaching. Sensei Paulo along with his wife Katia, son, Thomas, and daughter, Luana – all of whom have been training since they were small children – have built 7N7 BJJ and Judo Academy to give students a more personal and family-oriented learning experience.
View Sensei Paulo's CertificatesSensei Paulo’s Lineage
