Known for his explosive style of jiu-jitsu and his strong personality off the mats, Erberth Santos divides opinions in the jiu-jitsu world.

The No. 1-ranked black belt of the Abu Dhabi World Pro 2015-2016 season and Ryan Gracie team member has conquered plenty of medals and titles (including a gold at the 2016 World Pro and a silver medal in the absolute division at the 2016 IBJJF Worlds). With wins over top names such as Bernardo Faria, Felipe Pena and Jackson Sousa, he's seen an increase in his visibility--people know the name "Erberth Santos," and nobody will deny his position as one of the most dangerous black belts in the world.

But do a growing number of fans have Erberth on their minds because of his jiu-jitsu, or the controversial image he's carried since he was a purple belt?

What is the real story behind the most talked-about bad boy of the jiu-jitsu world?
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Humble Beginnings: Santos's Early Days in Jiu-Jitsu

Santos was born in Brazil's northern state of Maranhao, but moved to Roraima early in life. There, his sister introduced him to jiu-jitsu. She used to date Fabiano "Jacarezinho," an MMA Fighter who competed in Jungle Fight. Whenever she went to see her boyfriend at the gym, the young Erberth went with her. There, teacher Pedro Freitas invited him to train.

He initially said the sport was for sissies, but Santos eventually borrowed a kimono and got on the mat. He accidentally took the gi jacket home with him from the gym, but when he returned it, the teacher allowed him to keep it. Since then, he hasn't stopped training.

After training with Roraima Top Team for a while, Erberth and his family moved to Manaus, a city in the Amazon. There he started to train harder. He fought under the banner of Clube Pina, and was near-invincible in the junior's division. In 2011, he got his big break--after competing in Rio de Janeiro and being invited to join the Marcio Rodrigues team, Erberth heard about the Abu Dhabi World Pro trials that promised a prize of eight thousand dollars. The 17-year-old blue belt signed up for the competition and won, but he didn't receive the money as planned.

"When I saw the eight thousand dollar award, I had no doubts. The thing is that the award wasn't in cash, but to cover the costs of traveling to compete in Abu Dhabi. But it was then that I realized that my future was in jiu-jitsu. I worked as a waiter and fought on the weekends. My life changed after that tournament."
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The Beginnings Of The Bad Boy Image

As a purple belt, Erberth was considered one of the best in his weight class. He defeated opponents from many famous teams, and with this success came a number of labels he's found it hard to leave behind. "No good", "disrespectful", "cocky", "full of himself" are all adjectives commonly used to refer to the athlete. Erberth believes that it all started in a match against Max Gimenes of GF Team in Abu Dhabi. Max's foot was hurt, and Erberth attacked it. A victory against teammate Victor Honorio added fuel to the fire.

The lack of support from the crowd -- he has few friends -- also contributed to the negative image that follows him. His reserved nature may also have led to this description. Erberth considers himself an introvert, and he doesn't talk much during tournaments to maximize his focus. He can appear unpleasant and unwilling to make new friends, and this was one of the reasons for his rejection by the public. He says that the haters don't bother him, and the shouts from the crowd only spice up the fight. But the problem goes further.

A healthy rivalry is one thing, but when people curse, swear and try to diminish the athlete, it gets complicated. It's not the easiest thing in the world. I'm only 22 years old, and it's hard to understand some of the insults.

"The opinions are divided on social media. I receive a lot of support in private messages, but a lot of open criticism," says Erberth. "I try to do my work well. I'm inspired by people like Gabi Garcia, that also gets a lot of both criticism and support. I'm very focused, and people mistake my concentration for cockiness."

I have left everything behind in search of my dreams, and it's not going to be easy to put me down. I am misunderstood. People criticize and curse me, but I'll reach my goals.

Santos faced criticism for his antics during his match against Felipe 'Preguica' Pena, where he made a thumbs-down sign in face of Pena's attacks.

"Nowadays the athletes are really good, but they're psychologically weak," says Santos. "I use that in my favor. Suppose someone has a really good submission. If he attacks me with it, I'll play around so that he thinks that the submission doesn't work on me. It may hurt a lot, but I'll pretend it isn't, and he'll let go. Jiu-jitsu is a game of chess, the smartest one wins."


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Switching Teams: The 'Creonte' Stigma

Erberth has represented seven teams, something that has seen him get stuck with the tag of 'creonte' (traitor). He started in Roraima Top Team (today known as Pedrão Freitas JJ), then fought for Clube Pina, BTT (Manaus), Marcio Rodrigues, Guigo Jiu-Jitsu, Lloyd Irvin, and today he fights under the Ryan Gracie banner, training at the Almeida Jiu-Jitsu academy in Sao Paulo. Stories circulate about some of departures being 'problematic'. Erberth won't talk about them.

After starting to make a name for himself as a purple belt, Erberth left Marcio Rodrigues team in Rio to move to Sao Paulo. Invited by Otavio Nalati he trained under the tutelage of Luiz Guilherme, known as 'Guigo', himself a former world champion. Santos says that there were more opportunities in Sao Paulo to find tournaments with cash prizes, something hard to come by in Rio de Janeiro.

After receiving the brown belt from Guigo, his coach put Erberth's name forward to Lloyd Irvin, who was looking for a new brown belt to his team. The teams got along well and 'shared' the young athlete. In the USA, he would fight as Team Lloyd Irvin -- in Brazil, he was Guigo. While in the U.S., Erberth won double gold at the World and Pan championships, taking first place in both the absolute division and his weight class.

Santos returned to Brazil after the semester training in Maryland with Irvin and Guigo awarded him with the black belt. Erberth says that because he was heavier and was training at a "different rhythm" to his partners, he didn't feel comfortable at Guigo's academy any longer and that that was the reason he started training with Almeida's team. Erberth is one of those professionals who looks for the best opportunities for them and their careers, something that goes beyond the teams themselves. He says he's in search of something bigger.

Thrown to the Lions And Taking Gold In The Black Belt Division

After years of dedication to jiu-jitsu it was time for him join the sport's elite ranks. Everything changes in the black belt division, and it was no different for him. He would now face all the fighters he used to see in the jiu-jitsu magazines and websites. His first step was to test his aggressive game against the biggest names of the sport at the 2015 European championship. There, he faced Andre Galvao and was losing 12-2 before being submitted. He says it was the biggest lesson he had as a black belt.

In my career, nobody had ever scored 12 points before submitting me. It was a shock, a tough welcome to the black belt division.

"It was really good for me. My cardio was really good, and although I knew it would be different as a black belt, I really didn't take it seriously in the beginning. The defeat was a good way of bringing me back down to earth and motivating me to train, but this time to become a black belt competitor. I'm still aggressive, but I know that in the hardest fights, I'll go in to win, not just to try to submit my opponents at any cost."

The defeat in the open class of the European championship gave him the motivation he needed to conquer his weight division and to come back with a vengeance in 2016.

He got his revenge over Galvao by beating him at the 2016 Abu Dhabi World Pro, and Erberth later defeated Felipe Pena in the finals to become the heavyweight champion.


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Fighting For A Dream

In the end, all roads lead to the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, held every year in California. Every athlete that competes in jiu-jitsu dreams of etching their names alongside the best of all time by winning the tournament as a black belt. But is a gold at Worlds among Erberth's desires? Of course, and a recent incident only affirmed that desire.

At the 2016 Brazilian Championships Erberth was submitted in the semifinal of his weight class by Alex 'Biloca' Aparecido. His defeat was celebrated by the crowd, but Erberth later came back to win the open weight class by defeating Rodrigo Cavaca, a former world champion. His victory wasn't celebrated.

Erberth reveals what Cavaca said to him after the match: "He called me over, gave me a hug and said: 'They are booing you because they know that you are the new champion, and they are going to have to swallow it. I wanted to defeat you, but without any ill will. I wanted to defeat you because you are the athlete of the moment.' That really touched me, and now -- more than ever -- I refuse to give up on my dream."


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The Next Challenge: Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix

His next large-scale challenge will be Copa Podio, on July 9 in Argentina. The fierce competitor will be among a pack of tough guys vying for the title of Middleweight Grand Prix champion, a position held by Leandro Lo. Erberth has left no doubt about who his target will be in the tournament.

However, Santos's participation was thrown into doubt after an auto accident on an interstate highway in Brazil that saw his car flip over five times. He posted pictures of the crumpled, mangled car on his Facebook page. How he walked away from it unscathed defies belief.

"I'm fine, despite the severity of the accident," says Santos. "I didn't suffer any injuries that will both me, I'm recovering slowly. I'm on my diet, and I need to lose a little bit of weight to compete. But everything's cool for now."

Erberth Santos will compete in the Copa Podio 2016 Middleweight Grand Prix on July 9. Watch it exclusively here on FloGrappling.