Nazareno 'El Tigre' Malegarie was born on 16 May 1986 in Arrecifes, Argentina, and grew up in Buenos Aires, where he began judo at age four and became a national judo champion in 1999 and 2000. After his family moved to Brazil in 2001 he transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, winning the IBJJF World Championship at blue belt in both 2003 and 2004. He received his black belt on 16 December 2008 under the Ataque Duplo team and remained a fixture on the IBJJF and Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro circuits. In parallel he pursued mixed martial arts from 2007 onward, competing for the UFC, Bellator, Pancrase and the PFL, and is noted for a grappling victory over four-time BJJ World Champion and UFC fighter Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns.