Antônio Schembri was born into an
Italian Brazilian family in
Rio de Janeiro. In his youth, Schembri worked in his family's street market, helping his Italian-born father selling duvets. He began training in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age five under Marcelo and Silvio Behring in the New Ipanema neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, before coming under the tutelage of Jorge Pereira at thirteen. As an 18 year old blue belt, Schembri moved to the
Gracie Barra Academy to study under
Carlos Gracie Jr. and
Renzo Gracie. After training at Gracie Barra for two years, he was promoted to black belt. Schembri began competing in
mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2001 after joining the
Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. In his debut match, he defeated
Luta Livre fighter
Johil de Oliveira at
Pride 14 on 27 May 2001. Around that time, Schembri left Gracie Barra and joined the
Chute Boxe Academy, where he became the gym's grappling coach while learning
striking from
Rafael Cordeiro. At
Pride 25 on 16 March 2003, Schembri scored the most significant victory of his career by defeating
Kazushi Sakuraba by technical knockout. Schembri's father committed suicide in 2004, leaving Nino devastated and affecting his ability to focus and train consistently. During this time period, his record suffered and he retired with a 5-5 MMA record in 2008. Schembri returned to competing in jiu-jitsu in 2010, stating in an interview to the Fightworks Podcast that he was finally recovered mentally from his father's death. He moved to the United States and opened a jiu-jitsu academy in
Lawndale, California. ==Mixed martial arts record==