Cassio Werneck

Werneck began training in martial arts at 11 years old, practicing Capoeira for 4 years. He switched to grappling in 1991, moving to a Judo club where he was coached by sensei Miura. Cassio was exposed to more of the self-defence aspect of  jiu-jitsu through Professor Sardella, a member of the Federal Police. In 1993, Werneck's focus turned to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.^[3]

Werneck fought in the Southern California Pro-Am Invitational 2003, where he beat Jeff Newton in the opening round before losing to Rener Gracie in the quarter-final. The match with Gracie drew attention due to a controversial finish, where Werneck claimed that he did not tap.^[4]

Werneck competed at the IBJJF Master World Championship on September 2, 2023, where he won the master 4 middleweight division.^[5]

Athletes such as Randy Couture, Frank Mir, Dan Henderson and Urijah Faber have also trained under Cassio at his Sacramento location.^[3]

Cassio has conducted seminars in the Middle East as well as in the U.S. and Brazil.^[6]