Silvio Duran
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New York, New York, United States
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About Us
Silvio Duran was born on May 03, 1989, in Santos, a coastal city in southern Brazil’s São Paulo state.
Duran’s interest in martial arts was a precocious one and by the age of 3, he had already started taking judo lessons. After judo Silvio was enlisted in karate, which he practiced for a few years before joining muay Thai (MT) as a 14-year-old.
Thai boxing was Silvio’s main extracurricular activity for 4 years, but as he reached his 18th birthday, he was convinced by two of his best friends (Caio Ramos e Rafael Cavaca) as well as his uncle (Ricardo Duran) to give jiu-jitsu a chance. At the time Silvio was studying at a local university while also working part-time and his schedule was not compatible with MT, for this reason, he decided to try BJJ. The connection with grappling was almost immediate, and soon he became addicted to this martial art/sport, practicing it as often as he could.
Rodrigo Cavaca was Silvio’s main instructor from the get-go, though Duran’s busy schedule did not allow him to train in the main class of the gym. Instead, most of the classes attended by Silvio at the start were led by then-assistant instructors Marcus Buchecha and Rafael Cavaca (Rodrigo’s brother), both purple belts back then.
Competition quickly became a big part of Silvio’s evolution in jiu-jitsu, an environment in which he excelled. As a blue belt Duran started being referenced as one of the hottest prospects in Brazil after conquering his first national title. His stock would only rise as a purple belt with important wins at the Brazilian Nationals again, this time with gi and nogi, adding to his list of accolades an important team trophy at the CBJJ Team Nationals. A tournament in which his team (Zenith) featured an all-star cast with names such as Silvio Duran, Renato Canuto, Fellipe Andrew, Piter Frank e Luan Frasson.
In 2015 Silvio moved to New York City – USA after an invitation made by Vitor Ribeiro. Ribeiro, also known as Shaolin, was in need of a training partner at his NYC gym and Duran fit the required profile. The relationship between Duran and Shaolin grew, as did Silvio’s jiu-jitsu while competing in the sport’s most competitive circuit (US). His experience and development would lead to Silvio’s black belt ceremony, led by Rodrigo Cavaca and Ribeiro in New York on November 21, 2016.
