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Fredson Paixão

A Manaus street vendor who skipped brown belt on the way to black, then fought UFC's first featherweight bout and coached a Supreme Court justice.

Biography

Born in Parintins, a town near Manaus in Brazil's Amazonas state, on May 13, 1979, Fredson Paixão grew up in Japiim, one of the most populous districts on Manaus's south side. To help feed the household, he sold ice cream on the street — and later said some of the stock never made it past his own stomach. He wasn't drawn to grappling at first; he wanted to move like Bruce Lee, not roll on a mat. That changed while he was still a teenager, though not on his own initiative. In more than one interview he has told it the same way: someone else had to push him through the door. His friend Leyson, already training under Professor Orley Lobato, needled him into showing up at the academy in Manaus after Paixão had helped repaint its walls; in a 2010 UFC.com interview he put his start down to a malicious kick from a friend. Once he was rolling with his friends on the club's freshly laid mats, something clicked, and he kept coming back. Separately, in a March 2010 interview with the Las Vegas Sun, he gave his own reason for wanting to learn the sport: a feud with another boy at school, who had repeatedly caught his arm. He entered his first tournament with four months of training behind him, as a white belt, reaching the semifinal before a blue belt finished him with an Ezekiel choke. From purple to black, skipping brown Paixão's rise was fast enough to be unusual on its own. About two years after that first tournament, he traveled with Lobato's team to the Worlds in Rio de Janeiro as a blue belt — but the squad's blue-belt spots for his weight class were already filled, so team leader Osvaldo Alves offered him a purple belt instead, on the spot. Paixão accepted, and never moved back to Manaus. He stayed on in Rio, crashing first at a friend's place and then, for several years, inside Osvaldo Alves's own apartment, training day and night. As a purple belt he won three straight Brazilian national titles, from 1997 to 1999, and gold at the Mundials — the IBJJF World Championship — in 1998. Then Alves promoted him directly to black belt, skipping the usual stop at brown — by the end of the 1990s, one of only a handful of such jumps the sport has recorded. As a black belt he added three more Mundials titles, in 2001, 2002 and 2005, and a silver in 2004; a 2010 UFC.com profile credited him with nine national and four world titles in all. The wristlock, and a rough stretch without the gi Paixão's technical signature was the wristlock, a submission that torques an opponent's wrist against the joint until they tap. Landing it on Japanese BJJ legend Yuki Nakai helped cement his reputation and earned him the nickname "The King of Wristlocks." No-gi grappling — matches fought without the traditional jacket — was a rockier road for him: he went winless at the 2000 trials for ADCC — grappling's top no-gi tournament — and its 2001 main event, then lost a 2003 superfight to Rani Yahya. Training alongside future UFC names like Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rafael dos Anjos on Gracie Barra's Combat Team, Paixão decided to answer that loss by fighting Yahya again — this time in MMA. A UFC first, then a hard landing He beat Yahya by decision in May 2004, the first of what became an 11-5-1 professional MMA record spanning Jungle Fight, Deep, the WEC and the UFC. Along the way, he also topped Japanese grappler Caol Uno in a submission match at a UFC Fan Expo event in Las Vegas, in May 2010. His UFC debut, that December against Pablo Garza, turned out to be the very first featherweight bout the promotion ever held; a flying knee from Garza knocked him out 51 seconds into round one, and the UFC released him afterward. His last professional MMA fight was a split-decision loss to Lance Palmer in November 2012. The Professor in Las Vegas By then Paixão was already building a second career. He had relocated to Las Vegas in 2007 for a teaching opportunity, picked up one win that year at a show in Columbus, and signed with the WEC in 2009. One of his students was WEC general manager Reed Harris, a taekwondo black belt Paixão promoted to blue belt in jiu-jitsu; Harris nicknamed him "The Professor" for how consistently he corrected mistakes. Another was Luiz Fux, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice he had known since their days training together under Osvaldo Alves. When the two trained again in Las Vegas in January 2012, Paixão insisted, "I'm the one who learned." Around the same time, he'd become the in-house coach at Zuffa's own training center, working with UFC staff who wanted mat time in jiu-jitsu and MMA. A 2022 profile said he was still running BJJ programs under his own name, with partner academies in California, Okinawa and Japan, and that his last known competitive appearance had been a December 2019 loss to Craig Jones at the Quintet Ultra grappling event.

Sources for this profile

  • Wikipedia, "Fredson Paixão" (English)(opens in a new tab)

    • Conflicting accounts

      Osvaldo Alves promoted Paixão directly from purple belt to black belt, skipping brown belt; sources disagree on the exact year, giving either 1998 or 1999.

      Where in the source: Background section — "from Osvaldo Alves in 1998"

      Accessed:

    • Conflicting accounts

      Fredson Paixão holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (currently listed at 4th degree).

      Where in the source: Infobox — "4th degree black belt"

      Accessed:

    • As a black belt, Paixão won the IBJJF World Championship (Mundials) in 2001, 2002 and 2005, plus the 1998 title as a purple belt, and took silver in 2004.

      Where in the source: Background section — "first place at Mundials"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão's professional MMA record stands at 11 wins, 5 losses and 1 no contest across WEC, UFC, Jungle Fight, Deep and smaller promotions, beginning with a decision win over Rani Yahya in May 2004.

      Where in the source: Mixed martial arts record table, totals row and first row — "Wins 11", "Losses 5", "No contests 1"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão's UFC debut against Pablo Garza at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale (Dec. 4, 2010) was the first featherweight fight in UFC history; Garza knocked Paixão out with a flying knee 51 seconds into round one, and Paixão was released from the promotion afterward.

      Where in the source: Ultimate Fighting Championship section — "very first featherweight fight"

      Accessed:

    • In May 2010, Paixão defeated Caol Uno in a submission-grappling exhibition bout at the UFC Fan Expo held alongside UFC 114 in Las Vegas.

      Where in the source: Background section — "defeated Caol Uno"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão's last recorded professional MMA fight was a split-decision loss to Lance Palmer at RFA 4 in Las Vegas on November 2, 2012.

      Where in the source: MMA record table, final row — "Lance Palmer"

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Fredson Paixão" fighter profile (undated)(opens in a new tab)

    • Fredson Paixão was born on May 13, 1979, in Parintins, a town near Manaus in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.

      Where in the source: Biography, opening line — "13th of May 1979"

      Accessed:

    • His full name is Fredson Paixão Melo, and his BJJ lineage runs Carlos Gracie to Reyson Gracie to Osvaldo Alves to Fredson Paixão.

      Where in the source: Profile data block — "Full Name:", "Lineage:"

      Accessed:

    • During 1994, friends invited Fredson to help repaint and re-mat their local academy; rolling around on the new mats with friends is what got him hooked, and he began training regularly at Orley Lobato's gym.

      Where in the source: 1994 passage — "invited by his buddies"

      Accessed:

    • In his first tournament, entered as a white belt with only four months of training, Paixão reached the semifinals of a mixed white/blue-belt division before being tapped by a blue belt with an Ezekiel choke.

      Where in the source: First-tournament passage — "only 4 months training"

      Accessed:

    • About two years later, Paixão traveled to Rio de Janeiro to compete at the Worlds as a blue belt under his instructor Orley Lobato (competing under the Osvaldo Alves banner); the team's two blue-belt slots for his weight were already filled, so Master Osvaldo Alves instead invited him to compete as a purple belt, a promotion Paixão accepted on the spot.

      Where in the source: Purple-belt promotion passage — "team member quota filled"

      Accessed:

    • After that World Championship experience, Paixão decided not to return to Manaus and instead stayed in Rio de Janeiro to try to become the best grappler he could be, first staying at a friend's place and later moving into Osvaldo Alves's own apartment for several years of daily training.

      Where in the source: Move-to-Rio passage — "not to return to Manaus"

      Accessed:

    • As a purple belt Paixão won three consecutive Brazilian National gold medals, from 1997 through 1999.

      Where in the source: Purple-belt titles line — "3 sequential Brazilian National"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão's direct promotion from purple to black belt, skipping brown belt entirely, was one of only a handful of such promotions ever recorded in the sport.

      Where in the source: Belt-promotion passage — "stopping at brown belt"

      Accessed:

  • UFC.com, Fredson Paixao athlete profile(opens in a new tab)

    • UFC's official athlete database lists Fredson Paixao's place of birth as Parintins, Brazil.

      Where in the source: BIO section — "PLACE OF BIRTH"

      Accessed:

  • Elite Sports, "Fredson Paixao - The Black Belt Anomaly of BJJ" by Oscar Pereira, Sep 27, 2022(opens in a new tab)

    • Fredson Paixao's nationality is recorded as Brazilian.

      Where in the source: Details table — "Nationality"

      Accessed:

    • After his competitive career, Paixão continued teaching under the "Fredson Paixao Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" banner, with affiliate schools in Las Vegas, California, Okinawa and Japan, and produced BJJ instructional content.

      Where in the source: Instructorship section — "California, Okinawa, and Japan"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão's last recorded competitive grappling appearance was a loss to Craig Jones at the Quintet Ultra team grappling event in December 2019.

      Where in the source: Fight History table, 2019 row — "Quintet Ultra"

      Accessed:

  • UFC.com, "Fredson Paixao - The Power of \"Yes\"" by Martins Denis, Nov. 30, 2010(opens in a new tab)

    • Paixão grew up poor in Japiim, a populous district of Manaus's South Zone, and sold ice cream on the street to help support his family; as a kid he was a Bruce Lee fan more drawn to striking than to grappling.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph — "the most populous district"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão only started BJJ because his friend Leyson, already training under Professor Orley Lobato, kicked him into accepting an invitation to train after Paixão helped paint the academy's walls in 1994.

      Where in the source: Paixao quote on how he started — "malicious kick"

      Accessed:

    • By the time of this 2010 profile Paixão was a nine-time Brazilian national champion and four-time World champion in BJJ, once as a purple belt and three times as a black belt.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph — "nine-time National champion"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão developed a strong, uncommon wristlock submission that once forced Japanese BJJ legend Yuki Nakai to tap, and it became the signature move behind his nickname "The King of Wristlocks."

      Where in the source: Wristlock passage — "Yuki Nakai to tap"

      Accessed:

    • Trying to earn prize money beyond what BJJ tournaments paid, Paixão moved into no-gi submission grappling but struggled badly: he competed at the ADCC 2000 trials and the 2001 main tournament without a win, then took a local silver medal in 2003 the same year he lost a superfight to future WEC fighter Rani Yahya.

      Where in the source: No-gi passage — "close to catastrophic"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão trained for his MMA debut with Gracie Barra's MMA-focused Combat Team, alongside fighters including Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Rafael dos Anjos, Luis Ramos, Gustavo "Machado" Ximu and Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira, who motivated him to take the fight against a more experienced Rani Yahya.

      Where in the source: Paixao quote on his training partners — "named Combat Team"

      Accessed:

  • Las Vegas Sun, "Las Vegas Jiu-Jitsu instructor Fredson Paixao looks for win at WEC 47" by Brett Okamoto, March 3, 2010(opens in a new tab)

    • Paixão has said that having to train and compete without enough food was the hardest part of his early life, and that he sold ice cream on the street to buy his own food, sometimes eating what he was meant to sell.

      Where in the source: Paixao quote on early hardship — "train without food was the hardest part"

      Accessed:

    • Paixão moved to Las Vegas in 2007 for the chance to teach jiu-jitsu there, fought once that year (a first-round submission win in Columbus) and signed with the WEC in 2009.

      Where in the source: 2007 relocation paragraph — "the chance to move to Las Vegas"

      Accessed:

    • In Las Vegas, Paixão personally taught WEC general manager Reed Harris jiu-jitsu; Harris, already a black belt in taekwondo, was promoted to blue belt under him in December 2009 and nicknamed him "The Professor."

      Where in the source: Reed Harris quote — "I call him 'The Professor.'"

      Accessed:

    • In a March 2010 Las Vegas Sun interview given through his translator, Paixao said he had never liked jiu-jitsu and went to a gym only because a friend told him he might like it, and that he wanted to learn it because of a feud with another boy from school who had repeatedly caught his arm; the same article dates his start to age 16 in Manaus and says that within six months he was beating blue belts while still a white belt.

      Where in the source: Origin passage, the four paragraphs beginning — "Paixao's experience in Jiu-Jitsu didn't begin", running through the white-belt/blue-belt progression line

      Accessed:

  • Sherdog.com, Fredson Paixao fighter profile(opens in a new tab)

    • Sherdog's fighter database independently records the same 10 wins, 5 losses and 1 no-contest professional MMA history for Fredson Paixão, fight-by-fight, matching Wikipedia's table.

      Where in the source: Fight History - Pro table, totals — "WINS 10", "LOSSES 5", "N/C 1"

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, "Frédson Paixão and Jiu-Jitsu training with Judge Luiz Fux: 'I'm the one who learned'" by Redação Graciemag, 05/09/2012(opens in a new tab)

    • Paixão trained Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux, a fellow black belt he had known since their days together at Osvaldo Alves's academy; they trained together again in January 2012, and Paixão insisted "I'm the one who learned" from Fux.

      Where in the source: Paixao quotes on training with Fux — "Minister Luiz Fux"

      Accessed:

    • By 2012, after two years away from competition, Paixão was working as the coach at the training center inside Zuffa's (the UFC's parent company) own headquarters, training UFC staff who wanted to train jiu-jitsu and MMA.

      Where in the source: Paixao quote on his coaching role — "training center at Zuffa headquarters"

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2005IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-70 kgGiVerified1st place-70 kgGiVerified
2002IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-70 kgGiVerified1st place-70 kgGiVerified
2001IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-70 kgGiVerified1st place-70 kgGiVerified

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage