BJJ Fighter Database

Leonardo Dalla, commonly known as Leo Dalla, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Master Jorge Pereira, known as one of the top super-heavyweight competitors during the 1990’s. Dalla is also revered for his coaching prowess, having developed several black belts, including the well known Maryland grappler Lloyd Irvin.

Chris Holdsworth is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Marc Laimon. Regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the North American grappling circuit when he was “just” a purple belt, the former World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Champion (2007) moved on to become a successful mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, reaching the world’s top MMA promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after winning the famous The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) tournament – Team Rousey vs. Team Tate (2013). After a concussion suffered in practice Holdsworth was forced to step away from the cage prematurely, becoming one of the grappling coaches at the renowned Team Alpha Male academy.

Ítallo Vilardo is a jiu jitsu black belt under the illustrious Leonardo Castello Branco, well known in the grappling and mixed martial arts (MMA) circuits as one of the leading strength and conditioning experts in those fields. A former judo and jiu jitsu competitor who’s been around combat sports since the mid 1980s, Vilardo based his training methods on his own experiences as well as years of research, being behind the success of many important figures in contact sports.

Ruan de Oliveira is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Múzio de Angelis and Leandro Escobar. Ruan stood out in the lower belts of the sport, particularly during his brown belt campaign (2014/2015) for his success on the mat, as well as for his eye pleasing grappling style, with which he conquered important medals at the World Championship, Rio International Open as well as the UAEJJF Grand Slam Tour (Rio).

Brian Mahecha is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Jonatas Gurgel representing American Top Team in the sport’s international circuit. Brian is also an inspirational figure for many, being a cancer survivor who overcame the disease to became one of the top figures in jiu jitsu’s featherweight division, while also being one of his generation’s grappling style “standard-bearer” together with his twin brother Kevin Mahecha.

Kevin Mahecha is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Jonatas Gurgel, being widely regarded as one of the top lightweights of his generation. An American Top Team representative, Kevin and his twin brother Brian Mahecha (commonly known as the “Mahecha Bros”) embody the effectiveness of the new style of jiu jitsu, a style heavily supportive of the sport’s modern day techniques with which Kevin Mahecha beat big grappling names such as Tim Spriggs, Michael Liera Jr, Rodrigo Freitas and many others.

Pedro Araújo is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Vinícius “Draculino” Magalhães, being one of the top representatives of the Gracie Barra Academy in the heavyweight division. Pedro Araújo made a name for himself in this sport competing its the lower belt divisions, where he conquered over 40 IBJJF medals and 3 world titles.

Jonathan Satava is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under the legendary Marcelo Garcia, being part of the golden generation of grapplers produced inside Garcia’s Alliance New York academy. Regarded as one of the top prospects in the middle weight division due to his wins at the World (No-Gi) and Pan American Championships (Gi + No-Gi) in the lower belt divisions of the sport, Jonathan Satava solidified this claim in his 1st year competing as a black belt, with wins over established names of the grappling world.

Alec Baulding is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Romero Cavalcanti, being one of the most accomplished grapplers produced by the legendary Alliance Jiu Jitsu co-founder on American soil. Baulding earned the reputation of being one of the top grapplers of his generation in the lower belts of the sport, where he conquered a world title and 2 Pan American championships.

Henrique Gama Filho is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Francisco Albuquerque “Toco”, being also the son of the legendary Pedro Gama Filho, a historic figure for combat sports, particularly judo and jiu jitsu in Brazil. Henrique earned his space in the sport through his own hard work, being one of the top representatives of the ATT in Florida, USA.

Pedro Duarte is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante, as well as a former World Champion of the sport, known for his close connection with the development of Hilti, one of Scandinavia’s strongest grappling academies as well as his work for Palm Sports in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a company closely linked with the growth of the sport towards worldwide recognition.

Admilson Brites, commonly known as “Juquinha”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Royler Gracie, being one of Gracie Humaita’s most accomplished athletes during the 2000’s decade. Juquinha is also also revered for his work towards the development of jiu jitsu in Brasília (Brazil’s capital), as well as being recognized for his incredible family tree, and its close relationship to grappling.

Arnaldo Maidana is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Gilberto Gabas, being also one of the most exciting talents of his generation. Maidana made a name for himself in the brown belt division of the sport, conquering important medals in the World Championship (gi/no-gi) and Brazilian Nationals implementing an eye pleasing grappling style with which he submitted some of the sport’s hottest prospects such as Felipe Pena (3x) and Vitor Silverio (2x), a style that carried on to his black belt campaigns.

Jason Gagnon is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”, being also one of the top Canadian grapplers of his generation, having conquered important titles such as the American Nationals and the European Open in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s circuit (IBJJF).

Evandro Nunes is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Márcio Barão, being regarded as one of the most talented grapplers of his generation, both with and without the gi, having earned important medals in tournaments such as the World No-Gi Championship, Pan American Championship, Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, American Nationals and numerous others. Nunes is also known for his unique style of jiu jitsu never working for points and instead always committing to the submission against all his opponents.

Emyr Bussade, commonly known as “Shark” or “Tubarão”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Ricardo Libório, and a representative of American Top Team (ATT), having built one of the academy’s biggest affiliate gyms from where he developed talented athletes such as Tammi and Michael Musumeci, as well as Kevin and Brian Mahecha, to name a few. With a stellar career in the lower ranks of jiu jitsu, Emyr went on to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA) during the 2000’s decade, representing grappling in the cage to the highest standard, ending his career with an 82% submission ratio.

Faisal Al Kitbe is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Alex Paz and Maiky Reiter, being known as the first high level grappler to come from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Al Kitbe made a name for himself in the lower ranks of the sport, conquering a staggering 6 Abu Dhabi World Pro titles before breaking into the black belt division (2015).

Alex Paz, commonly known as Alex “Negão” is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante and Ricardo Libório, as well as a multiple-time …

Pirillo Roriz is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Ricardo Pinho, being one of the main representatives of the Gracie Barra academy in the state of Ceará – Brazil. Although an accomplished grappler of his own merrit, Pirillo Roriz is mostly known for his work as an instructor, having produced several talented jiu jitsu competitors such as world champion Yan “Pica-Pau” Lucas and Helio Mourão.

Paulo Sergio is a 6th degree black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) under Master Romero Cavalcanti, as well as an accomplished judo black …