Decorated BJJ black belt Marcos Tinoco is now officially a United States citizen.
The two-time black belt Euros and No-Gi Pans champion is originally from the Rio de Janeiro state of Brazil, but came over to the U.S. for the first time as a purple belt to compete at Pans. Afterward, he got a coaching job that allowed him to stay in the country, and he eventually decided to pursue a path to citizenship.
Now, Tinoco has shared on social media that the process is complete, and he’s now a citizen of the U.S. of A.
“Today is a very special day for me and my family. Today I became a US citizen! There are a lot of special people that helped me on this journey and If they see this post – I hope they know how much I am thankful for them forever.
I didn’t know how far my dreams would take me when I first arrived in the US. I was a young man with a lot of desire to win in life but I didn’t know how far I could go but I always followed my heart. I made a lot of mistakes, learned a lot of lessons and met a lot of amazing people that I can call my family. I thank God for everything in my life.
I want to especially thank my Beautiful wife @hanafisher_art for always supporting me and being by my side since the beginning. I couldn’t have done this without you.
I am so happy to receive this honor today. Thank you God for blessing me today. I will represent this Flag with much Honor because you allowed me amen.“
Tinoco is one of many athletes who have found a path to U.S. citizenship through their jiu-jitsu careers. Three-time ADCC champion Hannette Staack and ADCC champion Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes also became U.S. citizens over the past year or so.
