About Us
Felipe Costa was born on September 17, 1978, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Interested in martial arts for self-defense as a child, Felipe joined a jiu-jitsu club in 1991, an academy he represented from white to black belt, albeit, being coached by several different instructors over the years, at this same location. During his progression in the sport, Costa had Rodrigo Comprido as one of his mentors and it was Mr. “Comprido” who promoted Felipe to black belt in 2002.
Felipe’s competitive success, after earning his black belt, came as a surprise to many grappling outlets, particularly once Costa conquered his first world title in 2003. This due to Felipe’s past performances, having never placed on a podium of a major competition prior to receiving his black belt. Felipe had competed before in the lower belt divisions but had never won a major tournament (Mundials, Pan American, Europeans, etc).
Another important landmark in Felipe’s popularity in the sport was the athlete’s first documentary. There he told the story of his steps into becoming World Championship, his underdog story got him many followers and people who admire his unusual steps to reach number one. In 2010 Felipe launched a series of online episodes called “Felipe 30+” in which he gave fans another eye on his path to the World Championships (the Mundial) after a serious injury. The episodes showed a bit of how Felipe programmed his recovery while showing a little of his private life – all these episodes were (and are still) available on YouTube.
