Ricardo Soranco

Ricardo Soranço de Andrade Cruz, commonly known as Ricardo Soranço is a jiu-jitsu black belt produced by the legendary grappling academy of Brazilian Top Team (BTT) – Juiz de Fora, under the guidance of Ricardo Marques, who gained recognition as one of the top athletes in the sport’s Masters Division while challenging the highly competitive Brazil circuit, where he conquered numerous medals.

Ricardo Soranço Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Ricardo Soranço de Andrade Cruz

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Sérgio Bolão > Ricardo Marques > Ricardo Soranço

Main Achievements (Master):

1st Place IBJJF South Brazilian Championship NOGI (2023)
1st Place IBJJF Rio Fall Open (2022/2024)
1st Place IBJJF Rio Fall Open NOGI (2022)
2nd Place IBJJF South Brazilian Championship NOGI (2022)
2nd Place IBJJF Rio Summer Open (2022 / 2023)
3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2022)
3rd Place IBJJF Masters South American Championship (2022)
3rd Place IBJJF South Brazilian Championship (2022 / 2023)
3rd Place IBJJF Rio Summer Open (2024)
3rd Place IBJJF Rio Winter Open (2023)
3rd Place AJP Grand Slam, MIA (2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

1st Place IBJJF Sao Paulo Open NOGI (2019 brown)
1st Place IBJJF Rio Fall Open NOGI (2017 brown)
2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2016 / 2019 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Sao Paulo Open (2019 brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro (2018* brown)
2nd Place IBJJF Sao Paulo Open NOGI (2019 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF South Brazilian Championship (2016 brown)
3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2018 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro (2018 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF South American Championship (2019 brown)
3rd Place IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro (2014 purple, 2019 brown)
3rd Place AJP Brazil National Pro (2018 brown)

Favorite Position/Technique: Half-Guard

Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)

Team/Association: BTT

Ricardo Soranço Biography

Ricardo Soranço was born on January 27, 1992, in Juiz de Fora, a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where he grew up.

As a child, Ricardo was a sports addict, with football (soccer) being his favorite. He played football for some time, and even competed at a regional level in a striker and goal-keeper position, but lacked the talent in that particular field to reach a higher plane.

With the love for sports came an interest in martial arts. Soranço started with Capoeira at age 7 and later practiced Taekwondo (12) but did not embrace either sport for long. After those unsuccessful attempts, it took 6 years for Ricardo to return to combat sports, an event that happened thanks to a good friend (Shermann) who was interested in jiu-jitsu and convinced Soranço to join him in a trial class. History had it that Shermann would break his toe quite badly on his first day, and it was Ricardo who became most impressed with grappling. He joined the team that same day.

Ricardo Soranço started his jiu-jitsu career with a coach by the name of “Barney” where he trained up until his brown belt. During his time with Barney, there were times when Soranço trained at the legendary BTT Academy in Juiz de Fora, under the guidance of Ricardo Marques, for logistic reasons and because it was the same gym that developed two of his favorite BJJ athletes, Bernardo Faria & Leonardo Saggioro. Later, in 2018, a more permanent move to coach Marques’ gym took place as Ricardo sought to pursue a professional route to his jiu-jitsu career. It was there, at BTT Juiz de Fora that Ricardo Soranço was promoted to black belt on January 2021.