BJJ Fighter Database

Fernando Yamasaki is a jiu jitsu black belt under Marcelo Behring, as well as a judo black belt and former freestyle/greco roman wrestler with Brazilian National Squad competitive pedigree. Yamasaki is also known for having earned his black belt on two separate occasions, after his instructor demoted him to brown belt.

Philippe Balmant, often referenced as “Philzinho” is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Marcelo Garcia and a well known instructor at Alliance Jiu Jitsu New York (MGA). As an instructor Philippe Balmant is often praised for his half guard game and his approach to the the sport, particularly in regards to longevity training methodology.

Diego Ramalho, often referenced as Diego “Sem Noção” is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under José Olímpio (also known as Zé Radiola), being also a big reference inside the ZR Team.

Christian Uflacker is a jiu jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Junior as well as one of the main representatives of the Gracie Barra academy in the 2000’s era. Xaropinho is also an accomplished grappling coach, directing his students from his Chicago (IL) based gym the Uflacker Academy.

Jessica Flowers (formerly Jessica Oliveira) is a jiu jitsu black belt under Henrique Machado – founder of the A.S.L.E. academy (Gracie Barra Amazonas), being also one of the top female athletes in the medium-heavyweight division.

Chris Moriarty is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under the legendary Romero Jacare, and one of the top competitive representatives of the Alliance Academy during the 2000’s decade in the United States of America. Moriarty later became a well respected instructor inside the grappling community.

Serena Gabrielli is an Italian grappler and a black belt in jiu jitsu under Andrea Verdemare, being also one of Europe’s most accomplished female athletes, a reputation conquered through her important wins in both the International IBJJF World Championship and the European Open.

Pedro Mello is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Alexandre de Souza, and one of the most accomplished athletes to emerge from the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. A highly accomplished medium-heavyweight competitor, Pedro Mello excelled also as a grappling instructor, having helped produce high level athletes such as Rafael Mansur, Gabriela Franzoni, Jan Buatim to name a few.

Juan Lopes is a jiu jitsu black belt and the head coach of Prime Team – a grappling association in Duque de Caxias – Rio de Janeiro. A successful competitor in both the adult and master divisions of our sport’s tournament circuit, Lopes’ many victories inside the mats earned him a placement on BJJ Heroes’ 2016 End of Year Ranking of jiu jitsu’s top athletes.

Cláudio Joanino is a jiu jitsu black belt under Wendell Alexander, being also one of the historic figures of the Nova União team. An status he conquered through his Macaé based academy, from which he produced some of NU’s top athletes.

Andre Maracaba is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Regis Lebre and the head coach of Power MMA, a small team from Arizona – USA from which Maracaba produced several International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation World, Pan American and US National champions and medallists.

Inacio Neto is a jiu jitsu black belt under Flávio Almeida, being also one of the top Gracie Barra representatives in the sport. As a competitor Inacio Neto has numerous medals in International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) tournaments.

Vicente Júnior is a jiu jitsu black belt under Ricardo De La Riva and co-founder of the BJJ Conquest grappling academy in Maryland – USA. Vicente Júnior is also one of the most active competitors in the Master’s division, having conquered IBJJF Pan American titles in both gi and no-gi as well as a world no-gi title.

Helton José Junior is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Cícero Costha and a member of the famous Projeto Social Lutando Pelo Bem (PSLPB) academy, whom Helton represents in the top events in this sport.

Gabriel Marangoni is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Rafael Marangoni and a co-founder of the Marangoni Academy, one of the most successful grappling gyms in the state of São Paulo – Brazil. Gabriel is also one of the top featherweight competitors of his generation.

Sebastian Brosche is a Swedish born yoga enthusiast and a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Eduardo Rios, being also one of the top grappling competitors of his generation in the European jiu jitsu circuit. Brosche is well known for his website (Yoga for BJJ), a pioneering platform used by thousands of BJJ practitioners, which advocates yoga and its benefits for grapplers by displaying a series of programs specifically designed to help these practitioners.

Jose Carlos is a jiu jitsu black belt under Jair Lourenço and a member of the Kimura / Nova União (K/NU) academy, being the team’s settler in Scandinavia. From his K/NU gym in Gjøvik, Norway Jose Carlos developed some of the top European grappling competitors, including big names in the world IBJJF circuit such as Espen Mathiesen and Tommy Langaker.

Sergio Ardila-Ibarra is a former freestyle wrestler and jiu jitsu black belt who specialises in the no-gi facet of the sport. Born in Colombia, Ardila-Ibarra managed to achieve important titles in both wrestling and jiu jitsu by becoming an All American collegiate athlete and an IBJJF No-Gi World Champion while working full time as a lawyer.

Faustino Neto, commonly as Master Pina is a jiu jitsu black belt under Osvaldo Alves as well as the founder and head coach of the famous grappling academy Clube Pina de Jiu Jitsu. An academy from which Faustino Neto developed numerous high level athletes, including Bibiano Fernandes, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Rodrigo Pinheiro and Carlos Holanda to name a few.

Caio Almeida is a jiu jitsu black belt under Gabriel Vella, and a former student of illustrious coaches such as Rubens Charles (Cobrinha) and ‘Mestre Dan’, known also as the co-founder of the Almeida Jiu Jitsu academy.