• Former Brazilian Wrestling National Team member, and Judo Junior National Team member

• BJJ Pan-American Championship medalist

• Former BJJ USA National champion

• Grapplers Quest’s 1st Super Fight competitor. Against former UFC Champion Matt Serra

• Former assistant instructor at Fairfax County PD Academy, DEA DT instructor, DHS DT instructor, and U.S. Secret Service DT instructor

Francisco Neto was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His training in the Martial Arts began at the early age of three with Judo under the guidance of Shigueto Yamasaki, Mario and Fernando Yamasaki’s uncle.

Neto started competing when he was only seven and began his start as an assistant instructor at 13. As a competitor, Neto won titles as State Champion, National Champion, South American Champion, North American Champion and many others, also placing 2nd and 3rd in dozens more. Neto was a member of the Brazilian National Team of Wrestling, Judo and JJIF Ju-Jutsu.

Neto began training in Jiu-Jitsu in 1991 under Fernando Yamasaki after getting exposed to the art by Shigueto Yamasaki Junior (Fernando and Mario’s cousin, former Judo Olympian). Had the pleasure to train under Marcelo Behring, but Fernando Yamasaki was the one really showing him what Jiu-Jitsu was, and took him under his wing and had Neto on the mat everyday, many days for multiple classes. Neto began assisting Fernando in private and group classes accelerating his learning in Jiu-Jitsu, moving him to the head of the line. When Mario asked Fernando for help sending an instructor to assist him with the academy Fernando knew Neto was the right one for the job.  Neto accept the position, but could only do so temporarily, as he had plans to go back to Brazil to attend university. Neto arrived in Washington D.C. in ’99 and only after a few short months Mario offered him a full-time position within the academy, and Neto accepted. After few months in the Washington D.C. area, Neto began teaching full-time at the Yamasaki Academy. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, he had the first “super fight” that Grapplers Quest ever had in the country against Renzo Gracie’s Matt Serra. He has also fought well-known opponents such as Nova Uniao’s B.J. Penn, Renzo Gracie’s Ricardo Almeida, Top Team’s Pablo Popovitch and Relson Gracie’s World Champion Steve Maxwell, finishing the match against Maxwell with a submission under 1 minute.

Neto was promoted to BJJ Black Belt by Fernando and Mario Yamasaki as a surprise the day before his participation at the 2001 IBJJF Pan-Ams. Fernando and Mario had him already set to compete as a Black Belt without his knowledge. Neto faced 4 seasoned Black Belts on his bracket, finishing it with a Bronze Medal.

Neto’s goal at the Yamasaki Academy is to pass on all that he has learned as a competitor and as a teacher to the students of the Yamasaki family!

Neto currently holds the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and 3rd Dan in Judo, the highest rank BJJ Black Belt under the Yamasaki Brothers.