Skip to content
The BJJ Story
Search
Back to people
Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
Portrait unavailable. General BJJ illustration; not a likeness of this person.Illustration: The BJJ Story

Cezar Guimarães

“Casquinha”

Source: topbrother.com.br

Cezar “Casquinha” Guimarães trained under Carlson Gracie and founded Top Brother, the team he leads.

Biography

Cezar "Casquinha" Guimarães began training Jiu-Jitsu at age four. Top Brother's biography places those early sessions at Carlson Gracie's original academy in Rio de Janeiro, where Rolls Gracie also trained. After Rolls's death, the same biography says Guimarães trained at Carlson's academy while studying Judo at Gama Filho University, later joining Brazil's junior Judo team. It also credits Carlson Gracie with awarding him a Jiu-Jitsu black belt in January 1986. Top Brother's own biography supplies much of the account of Guimarães's early career and the team's founding. It says that, after Carlson Gracie's death, he returned to his work in Méier and founded Top Brother in 2006. A Top Brother report dated July 2026 described the team as being commanded by Guimarães. In a 2022 GracieMag interview, Guimarães said Top Brother had 20 social projects in Brazil and abroad. The figure is his reported count from that time, rather than a current independently verified total.

Sources for this profile

  • Top Brother, "Mestre", n.d.(opens in a new tab)

    • Cezar Guimarães is publicly identified by the nickname "Casquinha".

      Where in the source: "Mestre" — "Cezar ‘Casquinha’ Guimarães"

      Accessed:

    • Cezar "Casquinha" Guimarães was born on 16 March 1965 in Rio de Janeiro.

      Where in the source: "Um berço de tradição" — "No Rio de Janeiro" / "16 de março de 1965"

      Accessed:

    • Guimarães began Jiu-Jitsu training at age four; Top Brother's biography places his early sessions at Carlson Gracie's original academy in Rio de Janeiro, where Rolls Gracie also trained.

      Where in the source: "Um berço de tradição" — "aos 4 anos" / "Infância e formação" — "A academia original de Carlson Gracie"

      Accessed:

    • After Rolls Gracie's death, Guimarães trained at Carlson Gracie's academy and also studied Judo at Gama Filho University; Top Brother's biography says he later joined Brazil's junior Judo team.

      Where in the source: "Infância e formação" / "A consagração" — "Universidade Gama Filho"

      Accessed:

    • Top Brother's biography says Carlson Gracie awarded Guimarães a Jiu-Jitsu black belt in January 1986.

      Where in the source: "A consagração: faixa-preta" — "Em janeiro de 1986"

      Accessed:

    • Top Brother's biography says Guimarães returned to his work in Méier and founded the Top Brother academy/team in 2006 after Carlson Gracie's death.

      Where in the source: "O legado institucional: fundação da Top Brother" — "Em 2006"

      Accessed:

  • Top Brother, "TOP BROTHER acumula títulos, medalhas e grandes resultados em fim de semana histórico", 27 July 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • A Top Brother report dated 27 July 2026 described the team as being commanded by Cezar "Casquinha" Guimarães.

      Where in the source: Article introduction — "Equipe comandada por Cezar Guimarães"

      Accessed:

  • Gabriel Almada, GracieMag, "GMI Casquinha compartilha experiências marcantes com a família Gracie", 22 September 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • In the 2022 interview, Guimarães said Top Brother had 20 social projects in Brazil and abroad.

      Where in the source: "Quais são os maiores desafios" — "20 projetos sociais"

      Accessed:

Lineage

View in lineage tree

Trained under

Students3