Although I was born in Sao Jose dos Campos (country side of Sao Paulo), I moved to Rio de Janeiro at a young age, growing up in the South Zone of the city, namely in the Urca neighborhood, a place where Murilo Bustamante opened his first academy in the late 1980’s (at Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro). In 1989 I was invited by a few close friends to attend one of Bustamante’s classes, after which I immediately fell in love with the martial art going on to spend all my spare time at the gym (7 days per week). My dedication was rewarded 4 months later when I was Murilo's first student to win a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, namely Copa Carioca, as a yellow belt. In 1990 I was awarded my blue belt and I became teacher assistant for the kids classes. As a black belt, I partnered with Bustamante opening a gym in the Rio neighborhood of Leblon. It was through this gym that I would link to the evolution of jiu jitsu in Scandinavia. In 1999 a few Swedish athletes visited the Duarte/Bustamante academy, these same people interviewed Murilo for a seminar the following year, but as Bustamante followed a busy schedule promoting his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, I was asked to replace him. The Swedish Academy visited by me at the time was at the early stages of what later became known as Hilti, today one of the top grappling organizations in Northern Europe. It has been an honor to be closely involved in their growth and success in Sweden, Finland and Germany, visiting the academy many times from 2000 onwards. In 2013, one of the managers of Palm Sports (the organization behind the management of jiu jitsu in the UAE) invited me for an interview, which later led me to joining the Palm Sports (PS) team. PS is one of the most influential companies in combat sports in the world. Their unique work towards improving the future of jiu jitsu has been of great relevance to the grappling community. I am fortunate enough to still be an active competitor (3rd place at IBJJF Europeans 2020) and to travel around the world helping to develop BJJ. Keep rolling, ossss