Gilson Nunes

Gilson Nunes Neto, commonly known as “Nenem”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Ronaldo “Raspinha” Cruz and Paulo Ivano, being also one of the top featherweight athletes of his generation. Competing for teams such as Evolution and Checkmat, Nunes earned his reputation in the grappling circuit through wins over big names such as Joao Miyao, Osvaldo Moizinho, Isaque Paiva and Isaac Doederlein – to name a few.

Gilson Nunes Jiu Jitsu

Full Name: Gilson Nunes de Oliveira Neto

Nickname: Gilson is often referenced as “Nenem” which stands for Baby in Brazilian jargon. The name started being used when Nunes began his jiu jitsu training at the age of 12. He was a child but always wanted to spar with the adults, who jokingly called him Nenem.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Roberto Traven > Carlos David > Ronaldo Cruz > Gilson Nunes

Main Achievements:

• IBJJF Sao Paulo Pro Champion (2016)
• IBJJF Manaus International Open Champion (2015)
• IBJJF Atlanta Winter International Open Champion (2017)
• IBJJF Miami Fall International Open Champion (2016)
• IBJJF Charlotte International Open Champion (2016)
• IBJJF Mexico City International Open Champion (2017)
• IBJJF Mexico City International No-Gi Open Champion (2017)
• CBLP Champion (2016)
• IBJJF World No-Gi 2nd Place (2018)
• IBJJF Sao Paulo Pro 2nd Place (2016)
• IBJJF Rio International Open 2nd Place (2015)
• IBJJF Pans Championship 3rd Place (2018)
• IBJJF New York Pro Championship 3rd Place (2016)

Favorite Position/Technique: Armbar

Weight Division: Peso Pena (70,00 kg / 154.5 lbs)

Team/Association: Checkmat

Gilson Nunes Biography

Gilson Nunes was born on April 20, 1990 in Fortaleza – capital city of the north Brazilian state of Ceará.

As a 12 year old Gilson and his friends were drawn to the local martial arts club in the Bairro Parquelândia neighbourhood. There they met coach Paulo Ivano (also known as Maninho), who initiated the group in jiu jitsu.

Gilson participated in his first competition after one week of training, with his talent shining through instantly. Nunes won his division that weekend which boosted his interest in the sport and its tournament outlet.

While developing his BJJ skills Gilson also added mixed martial arts (MMA) sparring as well as boxing and muay Thai training, eyeing a career in cage fighting. He entered the ring on 4 occasions, but soon understood how hard it was to reconcile both MMA and training with the gi. He chose to end his MMA career with a 3-1-0 record to pursue his true love – jiu jitsu.

With coach Paulo Ivano giving more focus to the MMA component of grappling, Gilson started spending more time with Ronaldo Cruz – who taught jiu jitsu under the same team banner (Evolution JJ) as Ivano. Cruz’ classes were more gi orientated, and naturally Nunes shifted his training to coach Ronaldo “Raspinha”, particularly as a brown belt. When the time came to promote Gilson to black belt, both Ronaldo and Paulo tied the belt around Nunes’ waist (March 2010).

As a brown belt Gilson started earning a living through jiu jitsu. He would later move to the United States where he settled, opening an affiliate of Checkmat JJ in Gulf Breeze – Florida.

Gilson Nunes vs Osvaldo Moizinho

Gilson Nunes vs James Nival