The Home of World Champion Sergio Silva
Thanks for choosing our dojo for your personal development. We've been spreading the world of Jiu-Jitsu for over 35 years, developing 17+ black belts — from white belt all the way to black — right here in Alameda.
Professor Sergio Silva
5th Degree BJJ Black Belt • Judo Black Belt • World Champion
Professor Sergio Silva is the founder and head instructor of Team Silva Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Self-Defense in Alameda. With 37+ years of martial arts experience, he began Judo at age 2 before dedicating his life to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts. He is a 5th degree BJJ black belt, a black belt in Judo, and a Submission Wrestling World Champion.
Before martial arts, Professor Sergio played semi-professional soccer in Brazil, earning scholarships to private high school and college. He moved to the United States in 1999 to grow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and share the life-changing benefits of martial arts. A father of two raised in Alameda, he now teaches kids, teens and adults with a focus on confidence, discipline, respect, anti-bullying and real-world self-defense.
Team Silva Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu started in 1997 in Curitiba, southern Brazil. Professor Silva has trained deeply across Wrestling, Judo, Muay Thai, Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and moved to the United States in 1999 with a mission: to help others discover the world's most powerful martial art.
Cornering World-Class Fighters Since 1997
Professor Silva has coached MMA for professional athletes since 1997, working alongside and training with pro fighters and UFC champions including BJ Penn, Maurício “Shogun” Rua, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, Wanderlei Silva and Ralph Gracie, among many others.
He trained with the Gracie Academy from 1997 to 2003. In 2000–2001 he received his brown belt from Professor Ralph Gracie and was sent to Seattle to open a Gracie Academy.
Training Police & Military Since 1997
Professor Silva has trained police and military personnel since 1997. In Brazil, he was the lead instructor for the elite police special forces unit known as TIGRE in the south of the country, and delivered workshops and seminars for the Brazilian Army in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
In 1998 he also worked as a bodyguard for several celebrities in Brazil and provided special security services for major events in Curitiba. In the United States he has trained SWAT and FBI agents, worked in executive protection, and served as the lead instructor for a defensive tactics team from 2020 to 2024.