Joao is originally born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He started training Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 15 through his stepfather who is a Second-Degree Black Belt. At first Jiu-Jitsu was more of a hobby to Joao, but as time has progressed in his development, Joao found a passion in competition where he began compting in every event he could find in Brazil. As his focus on the sport sharpened, Joao also found the passion of teaching kids classes which was an opportunity offered to him at home in Brazil. Through Joao’s early development in his teenage years, he has taken to focusing further on his diet, fitness preparation and physical conditioning which has awarded him opportunities to become a well-known athlete in the global Jiu-Jitsu competition circuit.
At blue belt, Joao won several impressive titles including IBJJF European Championships, South American Championship (2 Times), the Fight2Win Championship and many other smaller local competitions. After winning the South American Championships, Joao was promoted to purple belt by his professors Fifth-Degree Black Belt Leandro “Tatu” Excobar and Second-Degree Black Belt Darwin Falcao. At purple belt, Joao has accomplished more success given his discipline and dedication to preparation and has medaled at some of the Worlds’ most difficult competitions including the IBJJF Pan-American Championships (twice), Fight2Win, and the AJP UAE Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi. In June, he will compete at the World Championships and expects to be one of the favorites for the Middleweight Division.
Outside of competition, Joao has experience teaching classes and private lessons from 5-year old children to Advanced Classes. In 2021, Joao moved from Brazil for more opportunities and make Jiu-Jitsu his profession by pursuing sponsorships and teaching full-time.
In December 2023, Joao was awarded his Black Belt at No-Gi Worlds after a successful Brown Belt career ending Brown Belt as the #1 Ranked Competitor and a No-Gi Pan-American Champion.
Joao’s mission at Eclipse Jiu-Jitsu is to make people feel happy on the mat as it is a place where students can de-stress before or after work/school, change students’ lives, and get people on the right path towards being more confident with themselves.