Renan Cruz is a black belt and IBJJF World Champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, representing the R1NG/MCBJJ teams on the global competition circuit. Renan is widely recognized as one of the top grapplers of his generation, a reputation earned through his accomplishments in the colored belt divisions, where he collected major medals in both the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour. His achievements include gold medals at the Pan-American Championship and the Abu Dhabi World Pro as a brown belt.
Renan is also the son of jiu-jitsu legend and former two-time IBJJF Absolute World Champion Márcio Cruz, also known as “Pé de Pano.”
Renan Cruz was born on September 30, 1997, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in the Merck complex in the parish of Jacarepaguá.
Although he didn’t spend his formative years living with his father – Márcio Cruz, who resided abroad – being the son of jiu-jitsu royalty meant that Renan was introduced to the sport at an early age. He began training under coach Serginho at a local GFTeam school while still a child. Despite his natural talent, grappling didn’t interest him much in those early years, and he often skipped classes, eventually quitting altogether at age 13.
At age 18, Renan moved to the United States to live with his father, where he reconnected with grappling. His maturity, combined with his father’s structured training methodology, helped him take the sport more seriously during this second phase. Within a year of living in the U.S., Renan committed fully to jiu-jitsu.
After achieving strong results in the three major IBJJF circuit events, Renan progressed through the belts, receiving his black belt in December 2021 from his father, Márcio Cruz.
