Alberto Crane

Alberto Crane was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and grew up in Germany and New York City.  He was always very interested in sports, especially wrestling and soccer.  Alberto also had a great passion for chess, which would later play a great role in his Jiu-Jitsu game.  After high school Alberto was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and his life changed forever.  He was intrigued by the sport and set a goal of becoming a Black Belt and a World Champion.

In 2001 he received his Black Belt in Brazil from Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes and Carlos Gracie Jr. but it did not come easy.  He sold all his possessions and moved to Brazil in 1998 and competed relentlessly. Running out of money soon after, he started living on his credit cards.  He traveled for hours by bus and foot to get to the academy but he knew that he had to do whatever it took to get to the top, including sometimes paddling a boat through a backed-up sewage filled lagoon to get to his apartment among many other adventures.  At the end it was worth the sacrifices, allowing Alberto to bring home a Bronze, Silver and finally the Gold Medal at the Black Belt level in 2002.

Recognizing the power of the Martial Art, he started his Academy in Santa Fe in 2000 and in Albuquerque in 2005 where he would build up his schools to well over 400 students.  The Academies gave him the chance to pass on his knowledge and the love for the sport to others and helped changed their lives.  As a Black Belt he was also ready to test his skills in MMA and after fighting in a few shows he was offered to fight for the King of the Cage Lightweight Title in his hometown. Alberto won the lightweight title, on live pay per view.

With two schools depending on him, Alberto could not be completely committed to MMA but continued to take fights, including one in Japan as well as doing some shows of his own in his hometown.  With the UFC lightwe ight division gone, he had no real motivation to continue fighting but with the division back into action in 2006, Alberto saw his chance to get back into MMA.  He was also inspired by jiu-jitsu fighters who won the Ultimate Fighter Show like Matt Serra, Travis Lutter, and Kenny Florian. With his competitive fire re-lit, Alberto has dedicated himself to becoming the best fighter he can be.