Marcello Salazar Bergo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 27, 1981 to Silvia Helena Mousinho, of Portuguese ancestry and Victor Salazar Bergo, of Italian ancestry.
After conquering various national and international titles in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and over 300 submission grappling and wrestling matches to his credit, Marcello made the decision to undertake and compete in MMA.