Master Pedro Sauer is an 8th degree Gracie Jiu Jitsu Coral belt. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he began his martial arts journey at age five with boxing, eventually adding Judo and Tae Kwon Do to his repertoire.
At age fifteen, his friend Rickson Gracie invited him to train Jiu-Jitsu with his younger brother, Royler, who was nine years old at the time. The experience convinced Pedro that Jiu-Jitsu was the most effective of all the martial arts, and he began training the next day.
Pedro was a double major in Economics and Business Administration in college. After graduation, he worked in Brazil as a stockbroker for eleven years before deciding to move to the United States and pursue a career teaching jiu-jitsu. In 1990, he moved to California with the original wave of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors. He lived with Rickson Gracie and trained daily with the Gracie brothers—Rickson, Rorion, and Royce—their father, Helio Gracie, their cousin, Renzo Gracie, and the Machado Brothers, as well as many others. His technical mastery has made him one of the most respected figures in modern martial arts.
Technical Mastery
- 1985 — Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Helio and Rickson Gracie
- 1986 — Técnico de Jiu-Jitsu. A special certificate recognizing superior technical mastery, awarded to only a handful of students by Helio Gracie.
- 1990 — Certified Black Belt Instructor by Robson Gracie and the Federação de Jiu-Jitsu
- 1993 — 3rd Degree Black Belt from Rorion Gracie
- 1996 — Level 6 Instructor, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Rorion and Royce Gracie)
- 2000 — 5th Degree Black Belt under the Federação de Jiu-Jitsu
- Judo — Black Belt
Teaching Experience
When Pedro Sauer was promoted to black belt, he received a dual black belt: One from Helio Gracie and the other from Rickson Gracie representing the many years of private and personal instruction received directly from Rickson. Rickson Gracie also presented Pedro Sauer with his 8th degree Coral Belt and Helio Gracie’s blessing. Long recognized for the superior technical efficiency of his jiu-jitsu, he then began his career as an instructor in 1986 when asked to teach with an organization known in Brazil as Corpo/Quatro (Body of Four) where he taught and continued his training under renowned Jiu Jitsu instructors Alvaro Barreto (who is a red belt master under Helio Gracie) and Silvio Behring (his father, Flavio Behring, is also a red belt master under Helio Gracie, and his brother, Marcelo Behring, is a world-renowned Jiu-Jitsu champion).
After moving to Utah in December of 1990, he taught as one of only two non-Gracie black belts under the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy (run by Rorion and Royce Gracie). In October of 1996, he became an official representative Black Belt Instructor under the Rickson Gracie American Jiu-Jitsu Association.
In 2005, Pedro relocated to Northern Virginia. He opened One Spirit Martial Arts in 2006. The Pedro Sauer Association is now headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. He also has several affiliated schools across the country, and he visits them on a regular basis to give intensive instruction to the students and instructors. He is one of the most highly sought after instructors in the U.S. (of any martial discipline) and has presented hundreds of public seminars around the nation in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.
Military and Law Enforcement Agencies:
Pedro works extensively with military groups in Virginia, including the Marines and various groups from the Navy SEAL teams (including the snipers). He has also trained FBI and CIA agents in Texas. SWAT teams in Colorado and Utah. Also in Utah, Pedro has trained the police in Provo, Orem, DARE officers, the Sheriff’s department in Salt Lake City, POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) in SLC, and also the Orem Fire Department. Pedro’s skill, confidence, and fearlessness as a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner win him the respect of all that work with him. However, it is through his sincere personality, his passion for teaching, and his ability to transfer his skills to his students in an efficient and professional manner, that he has earned the loyalty of students across the nation, and has established himself as one of the premier military and law enforcement instructors in the U.S.
Get in touch
2750 Glenwood Dr #1, Boulder, CO 80304
