Marcelo Coppa

- 23 YEARS TEACHING BJJ and 20 YEARS REFEREEING BJJ COMPETITIONS;

- BLACK BELT 5th Degree from Lotus Club BJJ (19 years Black Belt);

- HEAD REFEREE of UNITED KINGDOM BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU ASSOCIATION since 2013;

- PHYSICAL EDUCATION & SPORTS DEGREE (2010) and SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY POST DEGREE (2019);

- 4 years teaching in ABU DHABI ( AL AIN City) in ZAYED MILITARY COLLEGE and some of MILITARY BASES around UNITED ARAB EMIRATES;

“Make Brazilian Jiu Jitsu an oracle for our lives. Like one song says: "...raise your hands to heaven and be thank full if one day you find a love, a place, to dream, so that the pain can always show something good..."

Born in Sao Paulo City in Brazil on June 8, 1980, lived until 28 years old in the central region of the economic capital of South America with his parents who still reside in the same place. Left home and travelled round the world passing through more than 25 countries over 20 years, working
with BJJ teaching, refereeing, competing, running tournaments, making educational and military projects, promoting and helping to develop Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

He started BJJ in 1998 at Lotus Club Academy and instantly fell in love with the sport, the competitions, the principals, values and benefits the martial art gave him, like the life quality, change of habits and how it could help rebuild a new and better personality, principles beyond self-knowledge along with the opportunity to express his human potential with the help of "soft art" (meaning the word jiu-jitsu in Japanese).

The experience on the mats (training, competing and teaching) made him decide to leave Public Relations University in 2003 and a long path of studies in Technical High School, studying Social Communication before completing a Degree of Physical Education with specialisations in the field of sports, fitness, educational, psychology and oriental therapy, this helped him to improve his jiu-jitsu classes from the physiological to pedagogical part, both Degrees were funded by 80% athlete scholarship in UniSantanna University in Sao Paulo.

Black Belt since 2005 from Lotus Club BJJ (Sao Paulo - Brazil), in September 2008 he moved to Italy to teach and to make his Italian citizenship from his Italian Grandfather, in January 2009 he accepted an offer to teach and referee in Arizona USA until July 2009, after spending time in Arizona he went back to Brazil to finish his P.E. Degree and finished in 2010. In August 2010 he went back to Italy (Palermo) for 7 months teaching, and in 2011 he was hired for fight representing Italian national team of Ne Waza BJJ in the Olympic committee federation. In August 2012 he moved cities to Taranto settled permanently in Europe, teaching in various cities around Italy, competing, coaching for the national Italian team, refereeing and promoting championships around Italy, Germany, UK, Portugal, France, Israel, Netherlands, Russia, UAE and Switzerland. In one of the UK tournaments he met his wife Clarissa Coppa in October 2012 and after that they decided to live together in London in August 2013. In September 2014 they accepted a good Job offer to live, train, referee and teach in Al Ain - UAE (Marcelo working with GHQ, UAEJJF and in a Military College and Clarissa in the schools BJJ project), On the 7th March 2016 Sienna Luiza Coppa was born, made with a lot a love for sure from this wonderful marriage in Al Ain City. In November 2017, the Coppa family left UAE with the BJJ mission accomplished there, and moved for good in Clevedon UK
to continue their BJJ work in his association (Coppa BJJ Brazil, UK, Germany and Italy) and with his 5 Black Belts Teachers within these countries.

He is also head referee in UKBJJ Association training referee’s and running courses. Now his main focus is to establish his BJJ Dojo in UK, since January 2018.

He won several championships, to include World Titles in (Abu Dhabi) 2016, (Brazil) 2013, (Vienna) 2012 and (Cali) 2011, Armed Forces UAE tournament 2015, Brazilian Nationals 2013, 2008 and 2007, Europeans (Lisbon) 2012, (Hanau) 2011 and (Modena) 2010, Pan-American 2009 and 2007,
some international cups in Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Argentina, University Brazilian Federation (he awarded a athlete scholarship in 2001 and after became a University Athlete Coach in 2006) 2010, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001, and many others tournaments in your home city (Sao Paulo)
competing since white belt (1998).

His referee career started since he was brown belt (2003) working in Sao Paulo state federation, in 2005 he became an international referee for the CBJJE (Brazilian federation), IBJJF (International Federation) in 2011 and UAEJJF (UAE International) in 2013. Since 2013 he has been a head referee
for the UKBJJA, teaching and promoting referee courses around UK.

Always aiming his efforts to develop and pass this "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle" seeking to help the evolution of the sport as retribution for what martial art did for him so others can practice and receive the same benefits, believing that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a huge force of social transformation.

His mission is to work with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a great tool to increase our body consciousness with functional movements (adapting from the ground
fight techniques to use everyday), develop our body expression (calm to not react, think and choose a better answer under pressure) and a therapy activity (where we can learn about self knowledge, discover new aims to improve ourselves, trying and adapt ways to archive that goals with physical activity and having fun), stimulating, promoting and sharping the best of ourselves