Marcelo Pereira is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Wendell Alexander & Andre Pederneiras who was part of the revered Nova Uniao lightweight squad of the late 1990s and early 2000s, a time when he conquered an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World title as well as repeated Brazilian Nationals gold medals before relocating to the United States in 2006 where he started his academy, Marcelo Pereira Jiu-Jitsu.
Marcelo Pereira Jiu-Jitsu
Full Name: Marcelo da Silva Pereira
Nickname: “Marcelinho” is a Portuguese term that means “Little Marcelo”.
Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Andre Pederneiras > Marcelo Pereira
Main Achievements:
- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (1998)
- 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (1998 / 2000)
- 1st Place CBJJO Copa do Mundo (2002)
- 1st Place CBJJO American Gold Cup (2002)
- 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2000)
- 3rd Place CBJJO Copa do Mundo (2003)
Main Achievements (Masters):
- 1st Place IBJJF Masters World Championship (2012 / 2016)
- 2nd Place IBJJF Masters World Championship (2013)
Main Achievements (Colored Belt):
- 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (1997 brown)
- 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (1996 purple)
Favorite Position/Technique: N/A
Weight Division: Peso Galo (57,50 kg / 127.0 lbs)
Team/Association: Marcelo Pereira Jiu-Jitsu
Marcelo Pereira Biography
Marcelo Pereira was born on February 2, 1978 in Vila da Penha , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Pereira started practicing sports from a young age and competing in them also early on. The love for jiu-jitsu started by the influence of his brother-in-law, Mr. Jose Mergulhao – a black belt under Sebastiao Ricardo – who instilled in Marcelo an admiration for martial arts and took the young Carioca to his first class in 1985.
Very quickly into his jiu-jitsu experience, Marcelo Pereira started competing, playing in grappling and futsal in ex-aequo for several years up until he decided to pursue solely martial arts at the age of 16.
Marcelo’s first instructor was the legendary Nova Uniao co-founder, Wendell Alexander. Pereira’s talent led the young roosterweight to start competing at the team’s headquarters in the city centre as a purple belt where Andre Pederneiras became his instructor alongside Alexander.
With repeated success in the colored belt divisions, at the highest level, Pereira was promoted to black belt in 1998, only days before the sport’s major tournament, the World Championships. An event Pereira won.
In 2006 Marcelo moved to the United States, settling in Fort Myers, Florida before relocating to Naples, FL, two years later (2008), where he remained from then on, opening a successful jiu-jitsu academy.
After a successful career at the highest level of the sport, in 2016, 38-year-old Marcelo Pereira officially retired from competition.
