In September, David Said, Field Leader of Jiu-Jitsu, will officially celebrate one year with SportsLife Leadership. His ministry experience, however, goes back to 2003 when he first parlayed his dual athletic and training career into the early workings of significance as a sports leader—all of which continues today.

“I have the opportunity every time that I go compete, coach, or minister to see God moving through the connections we make with people,” Said conveyed. “But I think God has much more. And I’m not talking about numbers.”

“We want to see God’s Kingdom come. We want to see people getting saved, being born again, and lives changed.” – David Said

According to Steven Jude, Field Director of Sports Operation for SportsLife, Said uniquely exemplifies what it looks like to be a follower of Christ within the world of sports ministry.“

When I think about David Said, I think back to King David and the Psalms,” Jude said. “He is a man after God’s own heart. He wants what God wants. He wants to be fully in God’s will and fully following God no matter what he’s doing. That gives David the focus, the drive, and the passion that you see in him today.”

Said admittedly hasn’t always had that same passion. It’s all part of an unpredictable story that started in 1983 when he was born to unmarried parents in Fortaleza, a large city in northeast Brazil. During a regional spiritual revival, his mother was born again while three months pregnant with Said. She would go on to become a missionary for the Assemblies of God.

Said began jiu-jitsu training at 12. By 16, he had earned his green belt and was assisting his coach with younger students—but it was on Mother’s Day that year when everything changed spiritually.

“God really smashed me and caught my heart again.” – David Said

“Many tears dropped and my heart was broken and that’s when I went forward and asked for prayer with the pastor and truly repented from my sins,” Said explained.

Two years later, his mother moved to Athens, Greece, to care for her mother. Said chose to go with her—his “first big leap of faith” after recommitting his life to Christ. He arrived as a blue belt, trained through a stint at the American College of Greece and mandatory Army service, and earned his purple belt. But with limited competition and development, he nearly quit the sport altogether.

In 2003, a famous Brazilian soccer player named Giovanni Oliveira encouraged Said to start his own gym. He didn’t act on it immediately, but two weeks later he began teaching part-time at a judo gym and quickly grew his student base.

“That was the beginning of the journey for me,” Said explained. “That put me in a position of being one of the pioneers of the sport, which was a blessing because it was the platform that God used to give me a voice in the community.”

Said spent years building jiu-jitsu in Greece—teaching nights, competing internationally, taking college classes, and helping organize what would become Greece’s official jiu-jitsu federation. But he still didn’t have a gym of his own. In 2016, a 40-day trip to Brazil changed that. On his final day in Fortaleza, he felt God speak clearly during a church service: “Just like I was with my servant Moses, I will be with you. You’re going to tear down and you’re going to build up.”

Said returned to Greece and opened Rock Sports Club (based on Psalm 18) with the help of his father-in-law, paying back the investment within three years. In 2024, connections with SportsLife staff Dan Britton, Carl Perry, and Steven Jude led to a camp in Athens and joint ministry at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Las Vegas. A year later, Said officially joined SportsLife Leadership and has since ministered at tournaments in Las Vegas, Lisbon, and Barcelona.

“Those are the events where we really get to evangelize,” Said explained.

“We equip coaches doing ministry through our SportsLife resources and let people know we’re available to disciple and encourage them on their walk.” – David Said

Husband to Maria for 15 years and father to Yasmin (13), Joseph (11), and Natalia (7), Said still competes in the Masters Division while coaching and ministering. Every match, he prays: “Jesus, it’s for your glory. Let me shine Your light, Lord Jesus.”

Jude sees no ceiling on what Said can accomplish.

“David has the capability and the ability to take his ministry as far and as wide as God wants him to,” he said. “A God-sized dream is always bigger than what we envision. And that’s how I feel about David Said.”