Pedro Elias

Pedro Elias, also known as Chupeta, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Augusto Ferrari who is one of the main representatives of the New School Brotherhood in this sport/martial art competitive circuit. Elias’s reputation as one of the top heavyweights of his generation started being built while competing in the lower belt divisions of BJJ, a time when Pedro conquered important titles such as the United Arab Emirates Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s (UAEJJF) Grand Slams in Rio de Janeiro and London, as well as the Abu Dhabi World Pro.

Pedro Elias Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Pedro Henrique de Lima Elias

Nickname: Elias is often referenced as “Chupeta”, a word that is the equivalent to “baby pacifier” in Portuguese, and the nickname was awarded when Pedro was a kid. While talking to his friends “Chupeta” came out in conversation. Elias tried to say the word but it came out funny/odd sounding. He made another attempt at the word and the same thing happened, and for this reason, his friends started poking fun at him. The fact that he became embarrassed only added fuel to his friends teasing and Chupeta ended up being associated with Pedro Elias from then onwards.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Marcelo Behring > Waldomiro Perez > Roberto Godoi > Marco Barbosa > Augusto Ferrari > Pedro Elias

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Belo Horizonte Spring Open (2018**)
• 1st Place IBJJF Brasilia Open (2018**)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam RJ (2018 brown)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam LD (2018 brown)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2016* purple)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2015 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF São Paulo BJJ Pro (2017 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF Rio de Janeiro BJJ Pro (2018 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF São Paulo Open (2016** purple)
• 1st Place ROYAL Invitational HW (2018)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2017 purple)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018** brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2018** brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF South American Open (2016 purple)
• 3rd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2016/2017 purple)

* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Peso Pesado (94,30 kg / 208.0 lbs)

Team/Association: New School Brotherhood

Pedro Elias Biography

Pedro Elias was born on April 24, 1995, in São Paulo, Brazil, moving to the small town of Palmital at the age of 10, a borough located on the border of São Paulo and Paraná (state).

As a child, Elias was a victim of bullying, and it was because of this unfortunate pressure that Pedro decided to start training martial arts, for self-defense, joining judo at the age of 14. Unfortunately for Pedro, judo didn’t come easily to him and his early competition record was sub-par. Disenchanted with the sport, Pedro looked for a different combat style, then finding out about Adriano Carvalho and his jiu-jitsu team, joining on November 23, 2010.

Carvalho’s team had a good reputation at the time, particularly since the Miyao Brothers (Paulo and João) broke out onto mainstream jiu-jitsu, both spawning from Adriano’s gym. Pedro Elias felt at home in BJJ, training diligently and earning his blue belt from Adriano, going on to allocate all his efforts on becoming a successful grappler after 3 years of training, a time when he moved to São Paulo to train full-time with Cicero Costha.

At Cicero’s Pedro trained with the heavier weights class (2 pm schedule), a session led by Leandro Lo at the time, and it was Lo who awarded Elias his brown and purple belts. When Leandro split from the Costha academy on September 2015, taking the heavier weights roster with him, Elias exited with the group – given that these were Pedro’s main training partners. The new team was labeled: New School Brotherhood (NSB).

Once Leandro Lo stepped back from his leadership role at NSB during late 2018, much of Elias’ training was led by Augusto Ferrari, and it was Ferrari who promoted Pedro to black belt, a ceremony that took place on November 27 that year.

Pedro Elias vs João Soares