meet our instructors
At the heart of our Jiu-Jitsu academy is a team of passionate and dedicated instructors whose mission is to share not only highly refined technique, but also the values and philosophy that make Jiu-Jitsu such a unique and life-changing martial art. Get to know the talented members of our team who make our academy a place of exceptional learning and growth.
Renan Cruz
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.
Main Achievements:
Haakon Hansen
Sandra Stojkova
Sandra Stojkova was born on March 1, 2000, in Bratislava, Slovakia. She never met her parents. After spending her first two years in an orphanage, Sandra was adopted by Christian missionaries from Michigan.
The events that followed over the next thirteen years are too painful to describe here. By the time Sandra found a safe home through the Pennsylvania foster care system at age fifteen, she had already endured more trauma than most people experience in a lifetime.
What Coach Sandra went through as a little girl would have broken most grown men. But it didn’t break her. Instead, it taught her a rare and profound empathy for others.
A born fighter, Sandra sought out martial arts as soon as she had the chance—first boxing, then Jiu-Jitsu. The mat became her sanctuary, training her sacrament. Through years of blood, sweat, and tears, the girl who once felt smaller than a grain of sand became a tiger.
Today, Sandra brings her kind heart and technical skill to every class, connecting with students of all ages. She’s living proof of the power of Jiu-Jitsu to heal, to strengthen, and to empower.