Antônio Marcos Santana, known to most simply as Marcos “Ratinho,” began his story in Brazil where grit and jiu-jitsu were part of the air he breathed. From a young age he was drawn to movement and the language of leverage and calm under pressure that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches. That early curiosity became routine training, then passion, and finally a life mission to teach and grow the sport. His Instagram bio today lists DXB LON RIO, a compact map of the continents his life now touches.
Growing up in Rio shaped Marcos in two ways. First, the mat was a refuge, a place where he could channel competitive fire into craft. Second, the community around him including coaches teammates and rivals taught humility and the value of small consistent improvements. Those early lessons would later fuel both his competitive run and his work as a coach and sports consultant.
Marcos’s career shifted when he left Brazil to coach and teach overseas. A notable chapter was his move to the UAE where he worked with high-level institutions including the UAE Armed Forces and the Presidential Guard teaching self-defence and jiu-jitsu techniques. That experience exposed him to leadership at scale and showed him how martial arts can change organizations not just individuals.
Another turning point came in Asia. While training and teaching Marcos connected with major figures in the combat world. He seized an opportunity to step into mixed martial arts under the ONE Championship umbrella where he made a successful debut by submission. That crossover from pure grappling to MMA demonstrated his adaptability and willingness to leave the comfort zone.
On paper Marcos’s accomplishments are impressive. He is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, an educator in leadership with a BBA and an MBA, and a multiple world champion in grappling. These titles reflect decades of disciplined training study and competition. They also translate into credibility when he teaches mentors or builds a business around sport.
But beyond trophies Marcos’s real achievement is his ability to translate elite athletic skill into influence. He has run academies worked alongside world-class names in the sport and helped shape programs where jiu-jitsu became part of national-level initiatives. That bridge between athlete and architect of systems is rare and valuable.
Success for Marcos did not come without cost. Like many who chase world titles his path included injuries long stretches away from family and the mental grind of always being on as competitor teacher and entrepreneur. One candid Instagram post references the loss of a brother early in life a personal wound that recalibrated what matters and deepened his empathy as a coach. Those tough moments forced him to find purpose beyond self and to make the mat a place of healing as much as competition.
Running a gym and scaling sports businesses also brought a different kind of struggle. Balancing training with management marketing and mentorship is a juggling act. Marcos has spoken about the mental challenges of building companies alongside training and how the strategic mindset from business school helped him think long term when short-term setbacks appeared.
What marks Marcos’s next chapter is multiplication. He is not only competing and coaching he is mentoring athletes consulting for organizations and building products and services tied to performance. His Instagram and profiles highlight gym projects e-commerce ventures and mentoring programs that aim to professionalize sport and help athletes transition into careers outside competition. This shift speaks to a modern athlete’s lifecycle: win teach build and leave infrastructure that outlives you.
Students and clients describe him as calm under pressure detail oriented in technique and honest in feedback. That mix of technical mastery plus emotional intelligence makes him a sought-after mentor in cities where sports and business intersect.
Today Marcos splits time between Dubai London and Rio. He is active on social channels posting training reels reflections on leadership and glimpses of life as a coach. He continues to compete in high-level grappling events and remains involved with established academies such as Roger Gracie Dubai where his influence helped expand program quality and community reach.
Beyond the mat Marcos is an author and a speaker roles that allow him to package lessons from sport into narratives and programs for broader audiences. His MBA in Leadership and business background help him translate athletic discipline into frameworks for teams executives and aspiring athletes.
If there is one consistent thread in Marcos’s public voice it is this jiu-jitsu is a training ground for life. He emphasizes rhythm over rage process over panic and learning over ego. Those values show in how he runs classes meticulous warmups attention to detail in technique and a focus on personal progress rather than public scoreboard glory.
His mentorship style is practical and compassionate. He pushes athletes to set realistic micro-goals to treat setbacks as data and to plan transitions that protect long-term wellbeing. This approach helps students win matches and build sustainable lives beyond sport.
Looking forward Marcos’s aims blend competition education and entrepreneurship. He wants to keep coaching while scaling his online offerings and mentorship programs. He also speaks about building stronger career pipelines for fighters and athletes pathways that turn medals into marketable skills like coaching leadership and business. By focusing on systems not only individuals he hopes to leave a legacy where jiu-jitsu enriches lives economically and emotionally.
There is also a personal side to his plans deeper engagement with community projects that use sport as a tool for youth development. For Marcos that is where the sport’s highest value is measured in transformed lives more than in trophies.
Marcos’s journey offers concrete lessons for anyone chasing mastery. First invest in fundamentals skills compound over years. Second diversify your identity so a loss does not break you education and business give athletes options. Third cultivate empathy and the ability to teach impact multiplies when you lift others. Finally accept that pain will come but use it to sharpen purpose.
His life shows that excellence is not a single fight or title. It is the quiet consistent work that produces both wins and meaning.
In an era of instant fame and flashy highlights Marcos “Ratinho” Santana reminds us of the slow craft of mastery. He has been a champion coach mentor and builder roles that together create a fuller more sustainable story than medals alone. His life is a lesson in resilience in turning grief into motivation and in using sport to build community and careers.