Rodrigo Cavaca is one of the top fighters in the "Pesadissimo" jiu jitsu division, who became one of the main coaches of the Checkmat team, producing several high end athletes through his academy in Santos (Sao Paulo), competitors such asMarcus Almeida, Nivaldo Oliveira, Michelle Nicolini. In 2010 Cavaca had one of his best years as a competitor, winning the world title and the Brazilian national title, cementing his name as one of the great jiu jitsu fighters of his generation, this success was closely tied with Cavaca's advancements on the Straight Ankle Lock, a position he made popular in the sport after working with the American grappling coach Roli Delgado. On October 2013 however, coach Rodrigo Cavaca abandoned the Checkmat team to lead his own team, Zenith Jiu Jitsu alongside Robert Drysdale.