Murilo Santana

Main Achievements

• 1st Place — IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2013* Absolute Open Class Champion)
• 3x 1st Place — CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2007 / 2010 / 2012)
• 1st Place — CBJJE World Championship (2007* Absolute Open Class Champion)
• 1st Place — ADCC Brazilian São Paulo Trials (2011)
• 2nd Place — CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2010 Silver Medalist)
• 3x 3rd Place — IBJJF World Championship (2007 / 2008 / 2014 Bronze Medalist)
• 2x 3rd Place — IBJJF Pan American Championship (2016 / 2020* Bronze Medalist)

*Refers to Absolute (Open Weight) division podium finishes.

Overview

Murilo Silva Ferreira Santana, commonly known as Murilo Santana, is a highly accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and one of the most widely respected technical masterminds in modern grappling. Renowned for his uncompromising pressure-passing framework and fierce competitive drive during the 2000s and 2010s, he has since transitioned into one of the sport’s premier coaches. As the leader of New York City’s world-famous Unity Jiu-Jitsu academy, his hyper-cerebral and dedicated approach to training has produced multiple generations of elite international champions.

Early Life and Training Roots

Murilo Santana was born on April 13, 1983, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. He discovered Jiu-Jitsu as a teenager, immediately falling in love with the martial art’s deep strategic elements. He began his formal training under the tutelage of the Yamasaki brothers, learning primarily from Mario Yamasaki (who would later achieve global fame as one of the most prominent referees in UFC history).

Under the Yamasaki family’s guidance, Santana’s relentless work ethic and unique grid-style passing game quickly flourished. Displaying exceptional control and tactical execution, his continuous progression culminated in his formal promotion to the rank of black belt.

Evolution Under Marco Barbosa

When Mario Yamasaki permanently relocated to the United States to expand his professional mixed martial arts refereeing career, Santana required a new training environment in São Paulo. Given the tight professional and historical relationship between Yamasaki and master coach Marco Barbosa, Santana transitioned seamlessly into Barbosa’s academy room.

It was under the banner of Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu that Santana engineered his most dominant competitive years. He evolved into a highly feared fixture on the ultra-tough Brazilian national circuit, capturing multiple national titles and consistently matching up against the absolute best middleweight and heavyweight grapplers of his generation. His signature technical calling card became the Miragaia Guard Pass, a crushing pressure-passing structure that neutralized modern open guards.

Moving to New York and the Birth of Unity BJJ

In 2015, Santana made the pivotal decision to relocate permanently to the United States to embark on a new chapter as a full-time head coach. Settling in Manhattan, New York, he helped co-found Unity Jiu-Jitsu.

Under Santana’s intense, deeply cerebral, and notoriously rigorous training curriculum, Unity BJJ rapidly evolved into an international powerhouse. The academy became a major global hub, attracting elite elite-tier free agents and homegrown prodigies alike, routinely producing IBJJF World Champions across all belt divisions. Santana has earned an immortal reputation as a deeply devoted professor, famously spending endless hours on the mats dissecting specific physical variables and guiding his athletes with meticulous precision from the competitive corner.