Pedro Marinho

Pedro Marinho is one of the main representatives of the Gracie-Barra Academy in jiu-jitsu’s professional circuit, who worked extensively with coaches Ulpiano Malachias, Felipe Pena (Preguiça), and Reinaldo Fernandes. Marinho first made waves in the sport as a purple belt, a time when he beat several top-ranked black belts while competing and winning professional no-gi events such as Elite Grappling and Jitz King.

Pedro Marinho Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Pedro Fillipe Serra Marinho

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Junior >  Ulpiano Malachias > Pedro Marinho

Main Achievements (IBJJF / AJP):

• Who’s #1 Champion – 205 lbs (2022)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2021**)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals (2021)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2021)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2022)

Main Achievements (Pro-Circuit):

• 1st Place Jitz King Tournament (2020)
• 1st Place Elite Grappling 3 (2019)
• 3rd Place 3CG Kumite I GP (2020)
• 3rd Place 3CG Kumite III GP (2020)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2018 purple, 2019 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2019* brown)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018 purple)
• 1st place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2015 blue, 2017**/2018** purple)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2019 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2017/2018* purple)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Guillotine

Weight Division: Meio Pesado (88,45 kg / 195.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Gracie Barra

Pedro Marinho Biography

Pedro Marinho was born on October 09, 1996, in Angra dos Reis, a famous municipality located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

An extremely active child while growing up, Marinho went through an array of sports while growing up. From more traditional activities such as soccer, skating, and surfing, to martial arts and combat sports.

A fascination for mixed martial arts (MMA) led Pedro to martial arts, with his first combat-sport experience being capoeira, a relationship that started when the Buzios native was only 7 years old. From capoeira, Pedro went on to practice Thai boxing and Western boxing during his teenage years, finding jiu-jitsu shortly after his 17th birthday.

Master Reinaldo Fernandes of the Brazilian Top Team (BTT) started Marinho on his jiu-jitsu path, guiding the talented prospect for nearly 4 years. In 2017 Pedro heard of a new project set by Felipe Pena named FP Golden Team. The idea behind FPGT was to select a few of the most talented emerging athletes in Brazil and give them a full scholarship at Pena’s training center in Belo Horizonte (BH), Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The FP Golden Team selection process followed a series of steps, including a 2-day internship in BH where Marinho had to face other scholarship candidates. In the end, out of over 1000 applicants, Pedro stood out and joined the program with the full support of Master Fernandes.

Felipe Pena and the FP Team were also linked with the Gracie Barra team franchise, and it was through this GB network that Pedro Marinho met Ulpiano Malachias, one of the “Red Shield” team’s top instructors. Ulpiano appreciated Marinho’s work and invited him to come and train at his gym in Houston, Texas, USA. Seeking more exposure for his booming career, Marinho joined Ulpiano in November 2018, later earning his brown belt from both Pena and Malachias.

On March 13, 2021, Pedro Marinho was promoted to black belt by coach Ulpiano Malachias.

Traditionally BJJ Heroes has only accounted for black belt records as they signify an athlete’s entry into our sport’s elite ranks, the professional division. Pedro, however, is a special case in our sport as he’s been competing in the pro-grappling circuit since his purple-belt days, beating some of the sport’s top-ranked athletes. This left BJJ Heroes with a delicate predicament of defining when to start accounting for the young prodigy’s match records, as these wins should be noted for the importance they had on Marinho’s career.

To capture Marinho’s full progress in our sport, we have decided to include his matches in the pro circuit, prior to his black belt. Readers should keep in mind he was still a brown and purple belt throughout his 2019 and 2020 campaigns. Marinho’s last match as a brown belt in the pro-circuit was a win over Matheus Luna, at Fight 2 Win (F2W) 163, in April 2021.