Celso “Celsinho” Venicius

Celso Venicius (often written as Vinicius, and also named Celsinho) was arguably the best jiu-jitsu lightweight competitor of the mid-2000s period. Promoted to black belt by the legendary Roberto “Gordo”, Venicius was originally a Gracie Barra academy representative, later becoming the head coach at the Ryan Gracie Academy in Sao Paulo after Gracie’s tragic death in 2007. Celso Venicius has also ventured into MMA in the 2010’s decade.

Celso Venicius Jiu Jitsu

Full Name: Celso Venícius Alves Pinho Júnior

Nickname: “Celsinho” means Little Celso.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlos Gracie Junior > Roberto Correa > Celso Venicius

Main Achievements (Black Belt):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2008/2006/2005)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2008)
• 1st Place IBJJF South American Championship (2009)
• 1st PlaceUltimate Absolute NYC 2 Champion (2011)
• 2nd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2011)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2007)

Favorite Position/Technique: Half Guard

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

Association/Team: Gordo JJ/Ryan Gracie JJ/ Gracie-Barra

Celso Venicius Biography

Celso Venicius was born on December 27, 1983, in Rio de Janeiro–Brazil. His interest in jiu-jitsu occurred after watching an MMA event on TV where he was amazed to see a BJJ practitioner’s style for the first time, admiring the way the grappler controlled the fight on the ground. He thought the ground game made it look more like it was all about technical ability rather than athleticism and so he decided to start looking for an academy to begin his training in jiu-jitsu, he found one in 1998.

Only two years later, Celsinho started making his mark in jiu-jitsu and being noticed by the media. This happened when he fought in the “Expert Adults Division” of a major grappling tournament being just 16 years old. Celso won his way to the final where he met another fighter that was already considered a prodigy Thiago Fernandes (RIP) from Nova União, the final lasted 20 minutes. The match ended as a draw and the organization awarded both fighters with the first prize.

As the years went by, Celso won more and more competitions solidifying himself as one of the hottest lightweight prospects in the world. In 2004 after he won the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships (Mundial) in the brown belt division, Celso Venicius received his black belt while standing on the podium from the hands of his long time master Roberto Correa.

Another big moment in Celso Venicius’s life came about in 2009 after the death of Ryan Gracie (jiu jitsu’s original “enfant terrible”). Ryan Gracie had one of the strongest teams in the São Paulo area (which combined had around 1000 students), with his passing these academies were left without a head coach. Celso Venicius was hired to take Ryan Gracie’s place. In fact, Mr Venicius said in an interview given to Tatame Magazine shortly after the takeover, that Ryan had contacted him previous to his death and asked him to join in as an assistant coach, which made the whole process easier.

At Ryan Gracie’s academy, Celso also started learning MMA. He began competing in smaller shows and his career as an MMA fighter started picking up some steam in 2011.