Sebastian Rodriguez

Sebastian Rodriguez is a professional grappler from Costa Rica and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Santana who represents the Unity Jiu-Jitsu team in the sport’s global circuit. Rodriguez first made waves in jiu-jitsu after his winning performances as a colored belt in important tournaments of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), namely in the Pan Championships (Gi & No-Gi), American Nationals (Gi & No-Gi), Brazilian Nationals (No-Gi) and European Open (No-Gi).

Sebastian Rodriguez Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Sebastian Rodriguez Williams

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Marcelo Behring > Mario Yamasaki > Murilo Santana > Sebastian Rodriguez

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2022)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2022)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2023)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2021 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open NOGI (2019 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2021 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals (2021* brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2021* brown)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2019 purple)
• 1st Place ACB World Championship (2019 purple)
• 2nd Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2019 purple, 2021 brown)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2019* purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2019 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championships NOGI (2018 purple, 2019 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open NOGI (2019* purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF American Nationals (2021 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2021 brown)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2018 purple)

* Absolute
** Weight And Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Well-rounded

Weight Division: Meio Pesado (88,30 kg / 195.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Unity JJ

Sebastian Rodriguez Biography

Sebastian Rodriguez was born on September 2, 1995, in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

Very connected with sports from an early age, Sebastian was embedded into gym culture as a toddler by accompanying his father to the local boxing gym where his dad trained. Rodriguez’s contact with boxing led him to box himself while also picking up karate classes at the age of 6, earning a brown belt as a 12-year-old.

Although very fond of combat sports, soccer (football) was the first activity he played at a high level, representing Deportivo Saprissa, one of Costa Rica’s top clubs, during his mid-teens.

Martial arts returned to Sebastian’s life as a regular activity at the age of 17 after a friend invited him to try a class in January 2013. Rodriguez immediately fell in love with jiu-jitsu, becoming a regular student of instructor André Oliveira from then on.

Competition quickly became an integral part of Sebastian’s jiu-jitsu life, earning him many medals at the local circuit. In 2016, Rodriguez had a taste of the highest level of grappling, at the IBJJF World Championships. A loss in the early rounds of the tournament that year helped him realize he needed to seek a more professional team if he was to become a serious challenger to the top of the grappling ladder.

After his 2016 epiphany, Sebastian started looking for a pro team in the United States where he could train, sending a few messages to coaches who provided full scholarships and lodging such as Lloyd Irvin and Clark Gracie. His requests were, at the time, unsuccessful, but Rodriguez did not give up. He then decided to spend some time training in New York, where he could take shelter at a friend’s house, who lived in the Big Apple.

Initially, Sebastian’s intention was to train at a few different gyms in the NYC area, but after 1 training session at Unity Jiu-Jitsu, and witnessing how hard the athletes trained and the level of talent present on the mats, he immediately felt Murilo Santana‘s crew was the perfect training environment for him and joined the squad.

Sebastian arrived at Unity Jiu-Jitsu as a purple belt, earning his brown and black belt ranks from coach Murilo Santana. The latter in a ceremony that took place on May 23, 2021.