Jacaré is an 8th-degree red and white belt in BJJ. Born in 1952, he began his BJJ training at 11 years old. Living in the same neighborhood as the Gracies, at the age of 16 he joined the famous Gracie School in Copacabana. He was in the same BJJ class as Carlos Gracie Jr., Crolin Gracie, Fabio Santos, Mauricio Gomes, the Machados, Rickson Gracie, and many others.
After competing extensively from 1972 to 1985 and working as an assistant instructor at the Gracie School, Jacaré opened his first school in Ipanema, Brazil. He soon became one of the most respected instructors in Brazil, going on to create and coach the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Team. Jacaré attended school in New York in the ’70s and came to love the United States. He moved to the U.S. with his family permanently in 1995 and opened his first American school in Miami.
He later moved to Atlanta in 1996 and established a successful school, developing a team with competitors who have won championships around the world.
Romero “Jacaré” Cavalcanti is one of the founders of Alliance Jiu Jitsu and serves as our Grandmaster. Although he retired from day-to-day teaching in 2018, he continues to visit the academy several times each year to lead seminars and special workshops.