Recently, Erika Zaba, a famous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor has been featured in an article in the New York Times, regarding her transition from being a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt to a US citizen. What many do not realize is that Zaba, who at one time was a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu purple belt, is actually an American citizen, which has made her one of the most well-known faces in the Jiu Jitsu world today. Her story is fascinating, and although I have seen many similar topics written on the GI (General Agreement on Techniques), I want to take it one step further, to share with you her Nationality, as an American.
According to the Jiu Jitsu Association, Zaba is a US citizen but was born in Brazil. She did receive a passport upon leaving Brazil, which indicates her citizenship, however other than that I don’t know anything else about her, other than that she is a trained professional in Jiu Jitsu. There is a chance that her ties to Gracie families helped in getting her this far, as her dad was an instructor at Gracie Barra in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
So, back to the original question, was Erika Zaba a Brazilian or a US citizen? Well, the answer is a bit complicated. In the article, the New York Times noted that Zaba received an MBA from the prestigious Taft Faculty of Business and Management at the Copacabana University of Rio de Janeiro. Although I can’t be sure about it, but I believe that she may have studied at the University of California at Santa Barbara, as that is where Gracie Barra is located.