Bio/Curriculum
Name: Alexandre Ribeiro
Nickname: Xande
Birth: January 20th 1981
Born: Manaus, Amazonas (Brazil)
Fighting out of: San Diego, CA
Team: University of Jiu-Jitsu/ Gracie Humaita
Alexandre Ribeiro started Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 10, way back in his hometown Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil. He started at the Monteiro Brothers school, and received his purple belt from the Academia Gracie (Royler Gracie).
At that academy he got the nickname XANDE.
Even from an early age, Xande has always been a accomplished fighter. Before Xande reached the age of 17 he had already won multiple state championships, while accumulating only 3 losses.
At the age of 18, Xande moved to Rio de Janeiro to join Law School, and still found the time to train and win 2 World Championships, 2 Pan Americans as well as regional tournaments. Xande achieved all this while still in the brown and purple belt status of his training.
But the real story began when Xande received his black belt from his brother and Master Saulo Ribeiro, in March of 2001.
In his first tournament as a black belt, Xande won the Absolute division at the Pan American Championships, and since then Xande has stayed in contention for the Absoulute Champion.
Next year, in 2002, Xande showed that his championship was not a fluke, and took 3rd place at the Absolute in the Worlds Championships losing to the champ by only 2 points. His brother Saulo placed second in his weight class.
In 2003 Xande was still off, but he had the chance to fight the World Submission Fighting Championships ADCC and got 4th place. But that was it for the year, due to injury that took him out of the Worlds BJJ.
2004 was a great year, Xande came back strong and won the Brazilian Nationals Division and Absolute World Cup of jiu-Jitsu. He had reached the long awaited World Championship. Xande won the Heavy Weight division and took 3rd in the Open, Xande was back.
In 2005 Xande won another Pan American Title and a World Cup Division and Absolute title. One week later Xande competed at the World Championships, taking 2nd in his Division. Xande also had a great performance at the ADCC, taking 3rd in his division and 4th in the Absolute.
2006 started with another Pan American Title, and another World Cup Title, but the best was yet to come. World Absolute Champion and Heavy Weight Champion, scoring 8 matches. And for that year, the dream was reached.
2007 came, and Xande started the year with a win at the ADCC Worlds. Xande was now the ADCC World Submission Fighting Champion for the first time. After that Xande competed in the World BJJ for the 3rd time he won World Heavy weight Title and took 3rd in the Open.
Also in the year 2007 another dream came true. Xande and his brother Saulo, founded the UNIVERSITY of JIU-JITSU, the modern temple of the samurais and for the people that really want to learn the GENTLE WAY, as a martial art, sport or simply a way of life.
Then 2008, World Absolute Jiu-Jitsu Champion….. for the 4th time Xande was World Heavy Weight Champion . But despite all of this, Xande always acted with humility and sportsmanship, never losing his love and passion for the art of jiu jitsu.
