About Elizandro Beda
A Lifetime of Jiu-Jitsu
Elizandro “Eli” Beda is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, competitor, instructor, and co-founder of Beda Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. For more than three decades, Jiu-Jitsu has been a constant in his life, from growing up and training in Brazil to building an academy and community in Folsom.
Where it All Began
Eli began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 13 in Brazil. What started as a young athlete learning the art became a lifelong pursuit that would eventually shape nearly every part of his life.
Over the decades that followed, Eli trained and competed extensively, earning his black belt in 2007 and continuing his training under Leonardo Vieira, co-founder of Checkmat. Competition became an important part of that journey, giving Eli the opportunity to test his Jiu-Jitsu at the highest levels in Brazil and internationally.
Those years helped shape both the Jiu-Jitsu Eli practices and the way he teaches today.
Competition Highlights
2005
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt Champion
2006
Vice Paulista Jiu-Jitsu Champion
2009
2nd Place
US Open Black Belt Adult Division
2010
1st Place
US Open Black Belt Adult Division
2012
3rd Place
World No-Gi Adult Black Belt
2012
3rd Place
World No-Gi Open Class Black Belt
Journey to Folsom
In June 2009, Eli came to the United States to compete in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Southern California. While there, a teammate told him about a gym in Folsom looking for a Brazilian black belt to teach. Eli knew almost nothing about Folsom, but the name sounded familiar.
Folsom Prison. Johnny Cash.
He decided to see where the opportunity might lead. With $200 in his pocket and little English, Eli made his way to Folsom, California and began teaching at an MMA gym on Natoma Street. It was there that he met Brandy, his future wife.
What began as a trip for a competition became the beginning of an entirely new life.
The American Dream
Two years after Eli arrived in the United States, he and Brandy opened Beda Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy on November 11, 2011.
Folsom became home. Eli became a husband, a father, a business owner, a property owner, and a United States citizen, all while continuing to teach the Jiu-Jitsu that first brought him here. Brandy describes his journey simply as “The American Dream.”
That story is represented by the mural outside the academy, connecting Eli’s beginnings in Brazil, his unlikely connection to Johnny Cash and Folsom, and the life he and Brandy have built here.
“Without dreams, losses become unbearable, the stones of the path become mountains, and the failures become fatal blows. But if you have big dreams, your mistakes will produce growth. It is challenge that generates opportunities and fears that give courage.”
More Than Technique
After decades of training, competing, and building a life around Jiu-Jitsu, Eli understands that the lessons learned on the mat extend far beyond technique. His approach to teaching reflects the experiences, challenges, and people who have shaped his own journey.
He expects students to train hard while remaining humble enough to learn. Experienced students have a responsibility to help newer students improve. Training partners should challenge one another without allowing ego to get in the way, and respect for the people who share their knowledge and their bodies on the mat is fundamental to training.
For Eli, Jiu-Jitsu is a lifelong practice built through discipline, respect, loyalty, and continuous improvement.
What Students Say
"After nearly twenty-five years in Jiu-Jitsu, and now as a third-degree black belt, I can say this plainly: he changed how I see the art, and how I train it. Eli doesn’t just teach techniques. He teaches the structure underneath them—the timing, the theory, the history. That kind of knowledge is rare. What he does with it is rarer: he can take a hobbyist who just wants to train, or someone chasing a world title, and meet them where they actually are."
Come Train With Eli
Whether you’re stepping onto the mat for the first time or continuing your Jiu-Jitsu journey, Eli welcomes the opportunity to share what he’s learned and help you develop your own skills.
Come experience a class, meet Eli, and see what training at Beda is all about.
