Luciano Nucci “Casquinha”

Luciano Nucci, commonly known as “Casquinha” is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Ryan Gracie and one of the most well-known producers of high-level talent in the sport (disambiguation: for Master César “Casquinha” click here). A key member of the Ryan Gracie team, in São Paulo, Brazil, during the 2000s decade, Nucci later became a part of the Alliance Academy coaching team during the following 2010s and 2020s, when he developed some of the biggest names in the multiple time World Champion team from his affiliate in Mooca, SP. Names such as Dimitrius Souza, Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro, André Góis, Emilly Alves Vasconcelos, to name a few.

Luciano Nucci Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Luciano Nunes Nucci

Nickname: “Casquinha” is an endearing way of saying “casca”, a word that has numerous meanings in Portuguese, though in Luciano’s case, it is a synonym of the word “peeling”, as in, peeling off the skin. The name started back when Nucci was an avid surfer in the region of Ubatuba, due to how easily his skin peeled when exposed to the sun. His friends commented on that fact and it became a joke/nickname among comrades.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Ryan Gracie > Luciano Nucci

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals Masters (2009 / 2013** / 2014)
• 1st Place IBJJF International Masters & Seniors (2011)
• 2nd Place IBJJF International Masters & Seniors (2003 / 2008 / 2010)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals Masters (2005 / 2006 / 2016)
• 3rd Place IBJJF International Masters & Seniors (2004)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals Masters (2006* / 2011 / 2014*)

Main Achievements (Colored Belt):

• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (1999 purple, 2000 brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position: Omoplata

Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Alliance Mooca

Luciano Nucci Biography

Luciano Nucci was born in São Paulo, on March 11, 1972, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Growing up Casquinha was in tune with surfing and other sporting activities similar to those of many Brazilian youngsters of his time. It was only in 1990 that Nucci gained an interest in martial arts, starting with the striking art of capoeira.

The interest in jiu-jitsu took place in 1993 while spending his vacations in Guarda do Embaú, a beach town located in the southern Brazil state of Santa Catarina. After learning a bit of grappling there, Casquinha returned to São Paulo set on continuing his training in this combat style. He trained, in SP, for a short while in a judo/BJJ gym, but soon started searching for the best available academy in his area. One of Nucci’s close friends, Rodrigo de Boni, recommended the Gracie Academy, a team led by Ryan Gracie, where de Boni also practiced the gentle art.

Training at the Gracie Academy, Luciano Nucci went from white to black belt, earning his blue belt in under 2 years (1995), his purple belt the year after (1996), brown in 1999, and finally his black belt by the end of 2000.

Once Luciano became an instructor, his natural ability for coaching shined through almost immediately, with many of his students being successful on the competition scene, both in BJJ and in mixed martial arts. As such, when Nucci decided to exit from the Ryan Gracie Academy, in 2007, the break made the headlines of the local grappling media. A departure that took place a few months prior to Ryan’s tragic death.

After leaving the RGA, Luciano joined Fábio Gurgel‘s Alliance Academy, where he became one of the more valued members of this international affiliation, and a fundamental part of the team’s success in winning several major team events in the sport, including the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s World Championships.