Leonardo Ferreira

Leonardo Silveira Ferreira, commonly known as Leo Ferreira, is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Mario Reis who is regarded as one of the top heavyweight competitors of his generation. This reputation spawned from his colored belt career when Ferreira conquered 3 world titles (blue & brown) with the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and other important trophies. This good form was translated to his black belt career (pro-division) immediately as Leo Ferreira went on to beat some of the top-ranked athletes in the world in his rookie year (2024), names like Luis Cantareira, Leonardo Lara, Vinicius Liberati, to name a few.

Leonardo Ferreira Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Leonardo Silveira Ferreira

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Alvaro Barreto > Sylvio Behring > Mario Reis > Leonardo Ferreira

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF South American Championship (2024**)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2021 blue, 2024** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Sul Americano Championship (2020 blue)
• 1st Place AJP Abi Dhabi World Pro (2021 blue)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2021 blue)
• 1st Place Purple Games GP (2022 purple)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2024 brown)

Main Achievements (Juvenile):

• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018* blue)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018 blue)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: De La X Guard, Back Attacks From Top

Weight Division: Peso Pesado (94kg/207lbs)

Team/Association: Alliance

Leo Ferreira Biography

Leonardo Ferreira was born on January 18, 2001, in Tramandai, a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

A sporty kid from a very young age, Leo’s first competitive sport was surfing, which he competed in during his childhood.

Martial arts appeared in Ferreira’s life through the influence of his older brother, Tiago, who practiced jiu-jitsu and convinced Leonardo to join him when he was 10, more precisely in June 2010.

Starting under the guidance of coach Thomas Seade, who ran an affiliate gym of Mario Reis’ Alliance Academy, Leo Ferreira went through the kids’ belts, all the way to blue belt. As Ferreira’s talent for grappling started shining through in the competitive arena at the juvenile level, his tutelage was handed to the team’s main coach, Mario Reis.

With the help of Coach Reis and his world-class workgroup, Leo Ferreira became one of the hottest prospects in the sport, earning many medals in the international circuit. He would earn his black belt in May 2024, after his double gold performance at the World Championship’s brown belt division.