Omar Salum had his first contact with Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) in September 1993 through two friends, Luis Neto and Kleber Gadelha, both of them BJJ blue belts at Monteiro Academy.

Those friends used to promote competition in their backyard as a “challenge”. Omar barely a teenager, had his first Jiujitsu exposure against a 12 year old boy. Stuck-up Salum expected an easy win, but the young boy all of sudden submitted Omar. Angry, he asked for another match. One more time, he was taken by the same position (Real neck choke). That was one of the most important days in Omar’s life, especially when he figured out that boy was an Orange belt BJJ. From that day, Salum decided to dedicate his life to learn and practice this special martial art.

Omar showed he was a real competitor all of sudden. His first competition at a state championship, he was in the white and blue division. He won six matches by submission. That achievement granted Salum the blue belt after only two months of training.

His path for blue and purple belts were successful and Omar got many titles in important tournaments at state and national levels. In 1996, as a blue belt, Omar went to his first world dispute. He was so sure he could have taken gold, but got third place. That was the moment in his life when he saw he needed more dedication. Then, he decided to move to Rio de Janeiro to take classes with Royler Gracie at Gracie Humaita.

Under Royler, Omar’s career got better and better taking the highest level by winning both the 1997 Pan-Ams and World Championship as purple belt. Because of those achievements, Omar was awarded with his brown belt. After that, Salum went to university to become a lawyer in the future. This was the reason why he only chose a few competitions to join in, such as Pan-American and Jiu-Jitsu Worlds.

The black belt was given by Royler Gracie in 1998 after Salum’s second World Title. After Omar became a black belt, he earned two more World Championships, 1999 and 2000, roster division. He held the record for winning two consecutive championships for ten years. In 2001, Omar Salum suffered a serious knee injury and could not compete, although, he was projected to win another record in World Championship.

Omar went back to tournaments in 2005, in Masters division. He competed inside and out of his country where he kept his bright path. Today, Omar has more than 250 medals. During these 23 years, he created nearly 250 new black belts around the world, while building the champions legacy wherever he goes. In Brazil and France, Omar’s students represent “Omar Salum Brazilian Jiujitsu” and carry pride with every podium win.