Cleber Luciano is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Royler and Rolker Gracie as well as a judo black belt with experience in mixed martial arts (MMA). A pioneering jiu-jitsu coach in Huntington Beach, California, where he arrived in the mid 1990s, Luciano made a name for himself as one of the most relevant competitors of his generation through his performances in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) international circuit, in which Cleber earned Pans, World NoGi as well as World Masters gold medals.
Cleber Luciano Jiu-Jitsu
Full Name: Cleber Luciano Costa
Nickname: N/A
Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royler Gracie / Rolker Gracie > Cleber Luciano
Main Achievements:
- Fight 2 Win 145 lbs Champion (2018)
- 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2009 / 2013 Masters)
- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2008 / 2013 / 2018 Masters)
- 1st Place IBJJF Masters & Seniors International Open (2006)
- 2nd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2003* / 2012 Masters)
- 2nd Place IBJJF Masters World Championship (2019)
- 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2012)
- 3rd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (1996 / 2000 Adult, 2011 / 2014 / 2015 / 2018 Masters)
- 3rd Place IBJJF Masters World Championship (2012)
* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute
Favorite Position/Technique: Pressure Passing
Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)
Team/Association: Cleber BJJ
Cleber Luciano Biography
Cleber Luciano was born on December 15, 1973, in Brazil.
The martial arts world was introduced to Cleber when he was 6 years old, staring with judo – a sport he played for 10 years. At the age of 8, Luciano added jiu-jitsu to his weekly training schedule, with his first steps in the gentle art being taken under the watchful eye of Royler Gracie at the Gracie Family’s Academy in Rio de Janeiro.
An avid competitor from early on in his combat sports career, Luciano went through many judo and jiu-jitsu tournaments, earning his judo black belt first, while in his teens, and later earning the rank also in jiu-jitsu, a promotion ceremony led by Royler and Rolker – his long-time coaches, in 1993, just before Cleber’s 20th birthday.
In September 1995 Cleber competed in a no-holds-barred (early form of mixed martial arts) event named Duelo de Titãs (DDT) in Rio de Janeiro. The show was televised in 3 different countries – Brazil, Japan as well as the US, and Luciano’s performance on the canvas that day raised the interest of a few martial arts enthusiasts in the Northern Hemisphere. Shortly after the DDT Luciano received a job offer in the United States, coaching at a California gym.
Luciano arrived in the United States in late 1995/early 1996 and started coaching on the West Coast, settling in Huntington Beach. There he become one of the martial arts references of this well known Californian destination.
While living in the United States, Cleber continued to compete extensively in a broad range of combat rulesets, between gi jiu-jitsu, grappling and MMA, even well past his 40-year-old mark.
Cleber Luciano vs Chris Hauater