Carneiro Hosts Female Self-Defense Seminar
search
SportsCommunity

Carneiro Hosts Female Self-Defense Seminar

Prompted by the attacks by Hamas in 2023, former UFC fighter Roan Carneiro hosted an informative program teaching women the art of self-defense.

Since he has retired from the UFC, Roan Carneiro (right) has established himself as a fixture in the Atlanta community by teaching hundreds of residents the art of self-defense // Photo Credit: Roan Carneiro
Since he has retired from the UFC, Roan Carneiro (right) has established himself as a fixture in the Atlanta community by teaching hundreds of residents the art of self-defense // Photo Credit: Roan Carneiro

On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, retired UFC fighter Roan “Jucao” Carneiro was getting ready for his sixth trip to Israel.

The one-time top-ranked middleweight UFC contender and current head coach at American Top Team Atlanta had grown enamored of Israel ever since November 2016 when he visited to watch one of his martial arts students compete in a tournament. Since then, Carneiro, who also operates martial arts academies in Sandy Springs and Alpharetta, had returned nearly every year to hold Brazilian jiu jitsu seminars, reconnect with friends, and explore popular touristy spots. But as the horrific events unfolded on that early autumn Saturday morning, it became quite apparent he wasn’t going back to Israel anytime soon.

Remaining stateside, however, didn’t deter Carneiro from supporting Israel during one of its darkest hours. Already heavily invested in the Greater Atlanta community through years of teaching self-defense techniques to hundreds – if not thousands – of local students and holding regular workshops with police departments in Norcross, Lawrenceville, and East Point that train law enforcement to use jiu jitsu in lieu of “excessive force,” Carneiro wanted to leverage his martial arts acumen and decorated professional career toward empowering a Jewish community that was becoming frighteningly more and more vulnerable. A prime opportunity to do so surfaced when his good friend, who happens to have a background in Muay Thai fighting, asked him about setting up a self-defense seminar specifically geared toward enlightening Jewish women.

“After the episode with Hamas attacking Israel, all over the world, the Jewish people became a target,” said Carneiro, when speaking with the AJT last week.
Without hesitation, Carneiro opened the doors of his Alpharetta gym to nearly 40 Jewish women so that he and his training partner, Rodrigo Artilheiro, who has also visited Israel on multiple occasions, could conduct a two-hour seminar focused on self-defense strategies.

“For me, it was a great pleasure to come and teach the Jewish community, especially females,” said Carneiro, whose martial arts career can be traced back to his adolescent days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where coincidentally he first became acquainted with members of the Jewish community by helping with his grandmother’s catering company when it hosted events at the local synagogue.
But for Carneiro, who opened his first gym in Atlanta 18 years ago this June, — while he was still fighting professionally — this inaugural self-defense seminar didn’t just stem from his strong ties to Seltzer and the Jewish community. His investment in the welfare of Jewish women across Atlanta is also fueled by his burning desire to somehow give back to Israel, a land that had provided him with such immeasurable joy in recent years.

“After the first time, it became a habit to go there [Israel] every year when I had a chance,” explained Carneiro. “I love it. People have always been very hospitable with me. They treated me very well. Always when I went there, I had a blast.

“I can’t wait [to go back to Israel]. I pray daily for this war to stop. As soon as things start to get calm, I definitely will be back. It’s on my plans to come back this year.”

While he surely misses taking in the majestic sights of Old Jerusalem and the stunning beaches of Tel Aviv, which bear some resemblance to the shoreline of his hometown, it was those marathon jiu-jitsu training sessions, during which he embodied the same uncompromising discipline and mental fortitude that propelled him to knocking off world-class opponents in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand during his glory years.

“Every session I was there with them it was five to six hours per day,” he proudly shared. “It was not time to play around. It was very intense.”

When he takes a moment to reflect on his illustrious UFC career, during the pinnacle of which he was one of the most feared middleweight fighters on the planet, Carneiro offers a freshly unique perspective.

“What I miss is the commitment for the training,” admitted Carneiro, whose last time in the cage was in New Zealand in 2019. “Other than that, not really much. Back then when I started, it was because I loved martial arts, not because I wanted to be famous or make money. It was all about my pride.

“It’s totally against my principles. I grew up with the martial arts habits where you had to respect your opponent, people around you, and always be a good example for the young ones. I feel nowadays people don’t do that anymore. I always try to help the community. Make society more protective – that’s my mantra, that’s my goal.”

As for his noble work enlightening Jewish women, Carneiro sees last year’s session in Alpharetta as not just a one-time opportunity, but rather, the first of many programs.

“It was great,” the 46-year-old former UFC fighter exclaimed. “I’m still going to do another one, probably soon.”

Added Seltzer, “in a time when the Jewish community feels scared, afraid, and lonely there is nothing more comforting than someone outside our community wanting to help and support us. Roan “Jucao” Carneiro is that person. With his background as a UFC veteran, black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, I look at him almost like a superhero protecting us and teaching us. We are so thankful for him and his advocacy.”

read more:
comments