Right after No-Gi Worlds, me and Angelica spent two incredible – and very intense – weeks in Brazil.
We were welcomed in São Paulo by our great friends Claudio (Atos Mogi) and my longtime friend and former sponsor, Márcio from Posto do Açaí.
I’ve known Márcio since 2003. He’s one of my best friends, an incredible entrepreneur, and one of the most generous hearts I know.
He literally stopped everything he was doing to pick us up at the airport… and then insisted we use his car for the entire trip. That’s true love!
Márcio has helped us so much throughout our lives, and seeing him doing amazing today makes me so happy and thankful.
From there we drove to São José dos Campos – the city where I first started training Jiu-Jitsu. I went there to visit another amazing friend, Alexandro from Vinac Consórcios.
He sponsored me when I was a white belt… yes, a white belt with a sponsor!
He believed in me before medals, before fame, before world titles. We spent the afternoon talking about life, business, growth, and God’s blessings. He even wanted to give us a car for the trip – but we were already using Márcio’s. That’s how generous these guys are!
After that visit, I stopped by my brother Carlos’ academy.
He has a great school, teaches daily, and is doing really well. We talked about life, family, and business – it was great brother time.
Then we continued our journey to one of my favorite places in the world: Maresias – the town where I was born.
Before arriving, we visited my mom and some of my sisters (yes… I have 6 siblings!)
My mom is doing great. We laughed, shared memories from my childhood, and enjoyed being together.
I also visited my sister’s new nail studio. She’s doing so well that she has a two-month waiting list just to get your nails done!
After some beautiful sunny days in Maresias, we went to visit my dad. This was a very important moment for me. He recently overcame cancer, and seeing him healthy, strong and smiling touched my heart deeply.
From there we headed to Ubatuba – Angelica’s hometown and truly one of the most beautiful beach regions in the world.
Paradise.
While there, something amazing happened…
A good friend invited me to fly to Rio de Janeiro by helicopter to visit my professor, the legend Fernando Tererê. So yes – he picked me up in Ubatuba, and we flew to Rio.
While there, I had the honor of receiving my 5th degree on my black belt.
This was not just another stripe. It was spiritual and full of meaning.
Receiving it inside Tererê’s social project in the Cantagalo Favela – where he has been changing lives since the 90’s – made it even more powerful. I talked to the kids, shared knowledge, hugged my Professor and thanked God for that moment. I teared up during the ceremony. It meant a lot to me.
After that, we flew back to Ubatuba. A 6+ hour car trip turned into 45 minutes by helicopter. Huge thank you to our friend Edu Monteiro for this unforgettable blessing.
One of the most emotional parts of the trip happened shortly after. I visited my first professor, Luiz Carlos Dagmar “Careca” – the man who taught me from my first day up to purple belt.
Sadly, he is battling Alzheimer’s. He didn’t fully remember me, although I could see in his eyes that he somehow knew I was important to him. We talked for about two hours, spent time together at the beach, and it was beautiful and painful at the same time.
This man is one of the reasons I became who I am in Jiu-Jitsu.
He was the one who first took me to train with Tererê and told me: “If you want to become better, you need to train with him.” I will never forget that. I will always honor him.
As if that wasn’t enough surprises, I randomly met another great friend I hadn’t seen in 20 years – Godoy – on a hidden beach in Ubatuba called Praia do Alto. What are the chances? God always surprises us.
This trip was full of blessings. Time with family and old friends. Healing moments. Gratitude. Reflection. Rest. And a lot of love.
Me and Angelica just arrived back in San Diego and we’re ready to ROCK!
We’re ready to start 2026 in full power mode.
I’m excited for what God has prepared ahead and ready to work hard.
Let’s goooo!!!
OSS,
Andre
