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Fredson Alves

Gracie Humaitá competitor of the Royler Gracie era who reached two World Championship finals, then helped lead Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu in Manaus.

Biography

Fredson Alves is a jiu-jitsu black belt who came through the Gracie Humaitá competition team of the Royler Gracie era, reached two World Championship finals in the lighter weight classes, and later became one of the people leading the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu team in Manaus. From Manaus to Humaitá The fullest account of his start comes from a January 2025 profile in the Manaus outlet Foco no Fato, written from information supplied by his own academy. By that account he took up jiu-jitsu in Manaus in 1989 under Cássio Façanha. In 1995 he began training with Paulo Coelho, who brought him into Gracie Humaitá, and there he trained under Royler Gracie with Saulo Ribeiro among his training partners. BJJ Heroes, in its history of Gracie Humaitá, places him in the group of competitors who came out of the team's affiliated academies at the time Royler's competition-focused team was starting to win. Two World finals At the 1998 World Championship he reached the final of the pluma division (under 64 kg) and took silver behind Robson Moura, according to the BJJ Heroes table of Worlds finals. Two years later BJ Penn beat him on the way to the featherweight title; he was one of three opponents Penn defeated in that division. In 2001 he was back in a final, this time at pena (under 70 kg), and again finished with silver; the winner was Fredson Paixão, a different athlete who happens to share his first name. His academy's list of results also includes a Brazilian title in 1997, without naming the division or the organizer. Teaching BJJ Heroes records one of his black belts in some detail. Felipe Cavalcante of Fortaleza came up from blue to brown belt under Marcus Aurelio, then moved to Fredson Alves, who promoted him to black belt in 2009. Cavalcante's team is listed under the name Fredson Alves Jiu Jitsu. His link to the Ribeiro team in Manaus shows up across more than a decade. In a 2013 interview with the Manaus newspaper A Crítica, Alexandre Ribeiro said the team had no official representative in the city, but that Fredson Alves, a black belt, traveled there regularly and kept a group of training partners up to date. In January 2022, black belt Deborah Carla, who ran a social project at Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Alvorada in Manaus, described her project as part of the Ribeiro team led by Saulo Ribeiro and Fredson Alves and thanked them both. The 2025 profile calls him one of the founders of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu in Manaus. As of that year he was a sixth-degree black belt with 34 years in the sport, running the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu academy at the AREA Fit sports complex in the city, with classes for both adults and children.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, "Gracie Humaita Jiu Jitsu Academy, History and Info" (Wayback Machine copy of 10 July 2025).(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes' history of Gracie Humaita names Fredson Alves among the prominent competitors who emerged from the team's affiliate academies, including its Manaus affiliate, as Royler Gracie's competition-focused team began producing results.

      Where in the source: Article body, paragraph after the Royler/traditionalist paragraph, listing affiliate academies in Manaus and Tijuca — anchor: "Omar Salum, Fredson Alves"

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  • Foco no Fato, "Sensei Fredson Alves e AREA Fit: Excelência no Jiu-Jitsu em Manaus", 15 January 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • According to a January 2025 Foco no Fato article based on information from his team's press office, Fredson Alves began training jiu-jitsu in 1989 with Cássio Façanha in Manaus.

      Where in the source: Section under the first subheading (career history), first sentence — anchor: "com Cássio Façanha"

      Accessed:

    • The same article says that in 1995 he began training with Paulo Coelho, who introduced him to Gracie Humaitá, where he trained under Royler Gracie and alongside Saulo Ribeiro.

      Where in the source: Section under the first subheading (career history), second sentence — anchor: "Paulo Coelho"

      Accessed:

    • The January 2025 article describes Fredson Alves as a sixth-degree black belt with 34 years in jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph, first sentence — anchor: "faixa preta 6º grau"

      Accessed:

    • The January 2025 article calls him one of the founders of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu in Manaus and says he leads the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu academy in the AREA Fit sports complex there, with classes for adults and children.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph, first sentence, and the section under the second subheading (the academy at AREA Fit) — anchor: "fundadores da Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu"

      Accessed:

    • As of January 2025 he teaches jiu-jitsu in Manaus, Brazil.

      Where in the source: Section under the second subheading (the academy at AREA Fit), first sentence — anchor: "complexo AREA Fit"

      Accessed:

    • The article lists among his competition results two World Championship finals and a Brazilian championship title in 1997.

      Where in the source: Section under the first subheading (career history), bulleted list of results — anchor: "dois Campeonatos Mundiais"

      Accessed:

  • A Crítica (Manaus), Paulo Ricardo, "'Minha missão é espalhar o jiu-jitsu', diz Alexandre Ribeiro", 7 April 2013 (updated 12 March 2022).(opens in a new tab)

    • In a 2013 interview with A Crítica, Alexandre Ribeiro said the Ribeiro team had no official representative in Manaus, but that a black belt, Fredson Alves, regularly went to Manaus and kept a group of training friends up to date.

      Where in the source: Q&A, answer to the question on returning to Manaus and social projects — anchor: "temos um faixa-preta, o Fredson Alves"

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Worlds BJJ Finals (1996-2011)" (Wayback Machine copy of 16 May 2025).(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes' table of World Championship finals lists Fredson Alves as silver medallist in the pluma (under 64 kg) division at the 1998 Worlds, with Robson Moura taking gold.

      Where in the source: Section "WORLDS BJJ – 1998", results table (Weight / Gold / Silver), row "Pluma (under 64kg)"

      Accessed:

    • The same table lists Fredson Alves as silver medallist in the pena (under 70 kg) division at the 2001 Worlds, with Fredson Paixão taking gold.

      Where in the source: Section "WORLDS BJJ – 2001", results table, row "Pena (under 70kg)"

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "20 Years of Jiu Jitsu World Championships" (Wayback Machine copy of 23 November 2025).(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes' retrospective on 20 years of the Worlds says BJ Penn defeated Alexandre Soca, Fredson Alves and Edson Diniz on the way to the featherweight title at the 2000 World Championship.

      Where in the source: Section on 2000, headed "The year of the Gringo", second paragraph — anchor: "Alexandre Soca, Fredson Alves and Edson Diniz"

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  • BJJ Heroes, "Felipe Cavalcante (Fredson Alves JJ)" (Wayback Machine copy of 10 July 2025).(opens in a new tab)

    • According to BJJ Heroes, Felipe Cavalcante of Fortaleza earned his blue to brown belts under Marcus Aurelio and then joined Fredson Alves of Gracie Humaitá, who promoted him to black belt in 2009; Cavalcante's team is listed as Fredson Alves Jiu Jitsu.

      Where in the source: Section "Felipe Cavalcante Biography", second paragraph — anchor: "it was Fredson who awarded Felipe his black belt (in 2009)"; detail box "Team/Association"

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  • Foco no Fato, "PROJETO SOCIAL: Projeto social da Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Alvorada recebe o primeiro tatame elevado do Amazonas", 31 January 2022 (article credits Revista Tatame as its source).(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2022 black belt Deborah Carla, who runs the D'Carla Team social project at Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Alvorada in Manaus, described her project as representing the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu team led by Saulo Ribeiro and Fredson Alves and thanked them.

      Where in the source: Second-to-last paragraph, quotation from Deborah Carla — anchor: "comandada pelo Sensei Saulo Ribeiro e Fredson Alves"

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Lineage

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Trained under

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