Samuel Braga

Samuel Braga is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Vinicius Magalhães (Draculino), a rank he achieved in 5 years, a very rare occasion in this sport/martial art. Widely regarded as one of the best light-featherweights of all time in BJJ, Braga is also widely referenced as the creator of the Berimbolo, one of the most famous and widely spread modern-day jiu-jitsu techniques.

Samuel Braga Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Samuel Cruz Braga

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: C. Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr >  Vinicius Magalhães > Samuel Braga

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2005 / 2008 / 2010*)
• 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2007 / 2016 Master 1)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2007 / 2009**)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2008)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2006 / 2011)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2002 purple, 2004 brown)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2001 blue, 2002 / 2003 purple, 2004 / 2005 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2007, 2016 Master 1)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2004 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Brazilian Teams Championship (2003 purple)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2003 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2001 blue)

* Closed bracket with team mate Pablo Silva.
** Samuel was stripped of his medal by the federation (check biography below).

Favorite Position/Technique: De La Riva Guard.

Weight Division: Peso Pluma (64kg/141lbs).

Team/Association: Gracie Barra

Samuel Braga Biography

Samuel Braga was born on July 31, 1986, in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

Braga started training martial arts through Tae Kwon Do when he was 7-years-of-age, following the sport vigorously for years, competing and earning his black belt when he was still a teenager.

During his later teenage years, Samuel quit Tae Kwon Do and had a short break from martial arts. In 2000, Braga intended on returning to TKD and signed a gym membership to follow through with his intentions. Fate would have it that this same gym also had Jiu-Jitsu classes, a martial art Samuel had heard about through watching UFC and other MMA shows. After checking out a class of BJJ Samuel decided to leave Tae Kwon Do aside and start doing Jiu-Jitsu instead.

His first few years in the lower belts at Gracie Barra Belo-Horizonte were filled with sporting success as Samuel ran through his competition, earning 5 Brazilian national titles in a row: blue belt division in 2001, twice in the purple belt division (2002 & 2003), and again twice in the brown belt division (2004 & 2005).

Braga was awarded his black belt by his master Draculino shortly after the Brazilian Nationals in 2005 still in time to compete at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championships that year, winning his first world title as a black belt.

In 2009 controversy struck Samuel Braga’s career. At the finals of the Mundial in a fight against Guilherme Mendes, Samuel was defeated and did not take Guilherme’ flamboyant celebrations lightly. He pushed Mendes being disqualified from the tournament (after the tournament finished) something unprecedented at the higher level of Jiu-Jitsu. He was stripped from his Silver Medal by IBJJF, the sport’s ruling body.

Samuel Braga at Mundial 2011