Get To Know Our Instructors

Humberto Borges

Professor Humberto “Beto” Borges is a third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Romero “Jacaré” Cavalcanti (Alliance).

Professor Borges was born in Goiania, Goiás, Brazil and moved to the Atlanta, GA in 1998. There he began training with Jacaré, eventually becoming the first Brazilian awarded a Black belt under him in the US.

At first, Humberto focused on sports Jiu-Jitsu, competing for many years and going on to win silver and gold medals in notable tournaments, such as the Pan-Americans(2008-2009).

From there he spent two years training with UFC veteran Josh Koscheck and other competitors at the AKA team in Fresno, CA before returning to Georgia and, with Jacarés endorsement, opened his own academy in Marietta.

Here, Humberto turned his sights onto law enforcement and, in 2012, he began collaborating with the Cobb County Police Department to provide instruction on control tactics for their officers, as well as the Marietta SWAT Team.

Today, he is a POST certified instructor, having dedicated countless hours to training our first-responders on how to use non-lethal control tactics. His efforts have culminated in the Marietta Police Department making his training mandatory to all new recruits, with options for current officers, and shows promise of being further expanded throughout the state.

SGT. Ray Figueroa

Ray Figueroa (Sgt. Fig) is a Sergeant with the Marietta Police Department. He was born and raised in Camden, NJ and after graduating high school, Ray joined the U.S. Army and served for 3 years. Once completing his active-duty contract, he followed his calling of being a police officer. He joined the Marietta Police department in 2001 and has currently been serving the City of Marietta for 20+ years. During his career, his assignments have included Uniform Patrol, Handler/Trainer of the K-9 Unit, The Crime Interdiction Unit, Swat operator for 5 years, and Uniform Patrol Sergeant.

He currently holds the position of Training Sergeant where he is responsible for recruiting and training of all new hires with MPD. He works closely with the recruits to ensure they have the training and tools necessary to keep themselves safe and protect the community once they complete the academy.

Ray currently holds the rank of purple belt under Professor Humberto Borges. He has been training for 7+ years. Ray earned an associate degree in Criminal Justice. He is of Puerto Rican decent and speaks fluent Spanish. He is also a certified Georgia POST (Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training) instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and is a certified K-9 Handler/Instructor specializing in narcotics detection, explosive detection, tracking/trailing, and criminal apprehension. He is regularly called upon to assist in defensive tactics training at the regional police academies.