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Giancarlo Bodoni

A late bloomer who kept losing to leg locks, Giancarlo Bodoni moved to Austin to train under John Danaher and won ADCC gold at 88 kg in 2022 and 2024.

Biography

Giancarlo Bodoni is an American submission grappler who won the under-88 kg division at the ADCC World Championship in 2022 and again in 2024. Success came late. He found jiu-jitsu by chance, spent years on the road without a major breakthrough, and then rebuilt his no-gi game in about a year under John Danaher before his first ADCC. A sign by the road Born in Miami in October 1995 and raised in South Florida, Bodoni did traditional martial arts from the age of four or five. At 12, by his own account to ONE Championship, he was out driving with his father when he noticed a small sign for Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes. Inside, the owner, Rilion Gracie, showed them videos of his family fighting and then gave the boy his first lesson on bare puzzle mats: shrimping, a forward roll, a rear-naked choke and an armbar. Gracie stayed his teacher through his teens and took him from white belt to purple. Years on the road Toward the end of high school, Bodoni has said, he had no clear career in mind and did not see himself as a scholar. Jiu-jitsu had turned into an obsession, the gym was the only place he wanted to be, and competing became the plan. For several years he moved around the United States looking for better training, sleeping on couches and working odd jobs. Results were slow to come. ONE notes that he lost in the second round of the IBJJF World Championship at blue belt and went out early at several big tournaments at purple. Bodoni has said he never thought of that stretch as a hard time, even with no money, nowhere to sleep and runs of losses. In 2017 he spent a few months in Rio de Janeiro, where he met Gutemberg Pereira of GF Team, and later trained with Pereira's group in Toledo, Ohio, after Pereira moved there. When his father relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, Bodoni joined the Alliance gym in that city and began training with Lucas Lepri, who promoted him to brown belt in June 2018. The first notable results came at brown belt. At the 2019 IBJJF World Championship he took silver in the medium-heavy division behind Ronaldo Pereira de Souza Júnior. In mid-2019 he accepted an offer from Bernardo Faria to teach at Faria's Alliance school in Bedford, Massachusetts, and from there he won the brown belt super-heavy title at the 2019 World No-Gi Championship and the heavy title at the 2020 Pan Championship, with bronze in the open class at both. On October 18, 2020, Lepri gave him his black belt at a ceremony in Charlotte. One name kept coming back in his early black belt results: Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa. Barbosa beat him in the heavyweight final of the 2020 Pan No-Gi Championship. At the same event a year later Bodoni won their heavyweight final, while Barbosa took the open class and Bodoni finished third there. By Danaher's count, Barbosa had beaten him many times before they met at ADCC. The leg lock problem Danaher first met Bodoni roughly two years before ADCC 2022, while filming instructional videos in Massachusetts, where Bodoni was teaching at Faria's school. As Danaher described him, he was a sound positional player in the gi who struggled with the move to no-gi because he was leg locked again and again at local events. Bodoni tells it the same way from his side: in Boston nearly every class was in the gi, with a single no-gi session each week, and at no-gi tournaments he kept losing to leg locks. His fight record on BJJ Heroes shows several such losses in 2021, among them outside heel hooks against Tex Johnson and Jorge Escudero and an inside heel hook against Nick Ronan. Austin In October 2021, after Danaher's team broke up in Puerto Rico, Bodoni left his full-time teaching post at Bernardo Faria Academy for Austin, Texas, where he trained alongside Gordon Ryan under Danaher at the newly formed New Wave Jiu-Jitsu. He called leaving a secure job a risk worth taking. His reason for committing to no-gi was practical: viewers, events and prize money were moving in that direction, although in early 2022 he still counted a gi world title at black belt among his goals. He described the New Wave routine as relaxed but purposeful. A session ran about two hours, with at least 45 minutes of drilling, then mostly positional sparring, and finally full rounds starting on the feet, the way an ADCC match does. He has also described Danaher as a coach who thinks years ahead of where the sport is going: the team works from a shared system, each athlete builds his own variations, and Danaher often hands them techniques to try out, most of which are later dropped. Before his ADCC debut, Bodoni said his aim was a game that would work against anyone, whatever their pace, strength or specialty, and that in Austin his leg game had improved a great deal and was starting to connect with what he already did well. Danaher wrote that Bodoni worked on every part of his game every day, and that within months his finishing and his leg locks had turned from weaknesses into strengths. In November 2021 he won the professional under-88 kg division at the first ADCC North American Trial in Atlantic City, which earned him a place at the World Championship. Two ADCC titles His division at ADCC 2022 in Las Vegas included the returning champion, Matheus Diniz. Bodoni opened with a 6-0 win on points over Isaque Bahiense, then submitted Diniz with a triangle choke in the quarter-final and Eoghan O'Flanagan with an Estima lock, a type of foot lock, in the semi-final. In the final he met Barbosa again, threw him, took his back with a body triangle and finished with a rear-naked choke. ADCC's official results list Bodoni first, Barbosa second, Vagner Rocha third and O'Flanagan fourth. Danaher's summary was that Bodoni finished three of his four opponents without giving up a point, leg locked the man most people considered the best leg locker in the division, and had completely reinvented himself in one year. Two years later, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he defended the title. He submitted Andre Porfirio with a rear-naked choke, beat Gabriel Almeida 8-0 and Felipe Costa 3-0 on points, and won the final against Jacob Rodriguez 9-0. ADCC named that final the best fight of the 2024 championship. FloGrappling reported that he was the first to win the under-88 kg division at consecutive editions, and only the second, after Saulo Ribeiro, to win it twice. After the final he summed up how he felt in one word: "Euphoria." ONE Championship According to ONE, several major grappling promotions approached him after the 2024 defense, and he chose ONE for its global reach, its production and its roster of top grapplers. The promotion announced on December 21, 2024 that he had joined its submission grappling roster. He was still competing for New Wave in August 2025, when he submitted Ronaldo Junior with a rolling armbar at the Craig Jones Invitational II to send the team to the final. In July 2025, ONE had already booked him against fellow American Rafael Lovato Jr. for ONE 173 on November 16, 2025. The bout went the full 10 minutes, and Lovato won by unanimous decision. It is the only bout on Bodoni's ONE record.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Giancarlo Bodoni' fighter profile.(opens in a new tab)

    • Giancarlo Bodoni was born on October 15, 1995, in Miami, Florida, United States.

      Where in the source: Biography section, first sentence — 'October 15, 1995'

      Accessed:

    • Bodoni began jiu-jitsu with Rillion Gracie, who taught him from about age 12 until around his 20th birthday and promoted him from white belt to purple belt.

      Where in the source: Biography section, third paragraph — 'from the age of 12'

      Accessed:

    • In 2017 Bodoni spent a few months training in Rio de Janeiro, where he met Gutemberg Pereira of GF Team; after Pereira moved to Toledo, Ohio, Bodoni trained with his group there.

      Where in the source: Biography section, fourth paragraph — 'Toledo, Ohio'

      Accessed:

    • When his father moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, Bodoni joined the local Alliance gym and trained with Lucas Lepri, who promoted him to brown belt in June 2018.

      Where in the source: Biography section, fifth paragraph — 'brown belt in June 2018'

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    • In mid-2019 Bodoni accepted an offer from Bernardo Faria to work as an instructor at Faria's Alliance school in Bedford, Massachusetts, where he was based when he won the 2019 No-Gi World title and the 2020 Pan title at brown belt.

      Where in the source: Biography section, sixth paragraph — 'Bedford, Massachusetts'

      Accessed:

    • Lucas Lepri promoted Bodoni to black belt at a ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 18, 2020.

      Where in the source: Biography section, seventh paragraph — 'October 18, 2020'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record lists several 2021 no-gi losses by leg lock, including outside heel hooks against Tex Johnson and Jorge Escudero, a footlock against Diego Ramalho and an inside heel hook against Nick Ronan.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, 2021 loss rows — 'Outside heel hook'

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, 'An Obsession That Became My Life' – BJJ Superstar Giancarlo Bodoni's Unlikely Journey To ONE Championship, May 15, 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Bodoni grew up in South Florida and did traditional martial arts from about the age of four or five.

      Where in the source: First section, Bodoni's quote on his upbringing — 'traditional martial arts'

      Accessed:

    • ONE Championship describes Bodoni as an American submission grappler.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph — 'the American submission grappling superstar'

      Accessed:

    • At 12, while driving with his father, Bodoni saw a small sign for Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes; inside they met the school's owner, Rilion Gracie, who showed them videos of his family fighting and then gave Bodoni a first lesson on bare puzzle mats: shrimping, a forward roll, a rear-naked choke and an armbar.

      Where in the source: First section, Bodoni's account of his first lesson — 'puzzle mats'

      Accessed:

    • Bodoni kept training under Gracie through his teenage years, up to purple belt.

      Where in the source: First section, last paragraph — 'purple belt level'

      Accessed:

    • Near the end of high school Bodoni had no clear career goal and did not see himself as a scholar; he said jiu-jitsu became an obsession, that he only wanted to be in the gym, and that this pushed him toward becoming a competitive athlete.

      Where in the source: Second section, Bodoni's quotes on choosing a career — 'obsession'

      Accessed:

    • For several years Bodoni travelled around the United States looking for the best training, sleeping on couches and taking odd jobs.

      Where in the source: Second section, closing paragraph — 'sleeping on couches'

      Accessed:

    • Elite success came late: at blue belt he lost in the second round of the IBJJF World Championship, at purple belt he went out early at several major tournaments, and he stayed largely unknown until his brown and black belt results.

      Where in the source: Third section, paragraph on his early record — 'second round'

      Accessed:

    • Bodoni said that even with no money, nowhere to sleep and losing streaks, he never thought of those years as a hard time and simply kept going.

      Where in the source: Third section, Bodoni's quote on hard times — 'keep marching forward'

      Accessed:

    • After defending his ADCC title in 2024, Bodoni was approached by several major grappling promotions and chose ONE Championship, citing its global reach, production and roster of top grapplers.

      Where in the source: Fourth section, first paragraph — 'chose ONE'

      Accessed:

  • Grappling Insider, Ben Coate, 'Exclusive: Giancarlo Bodoni talks 'laid back' training at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu', February 17, 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • In October 2021 Bodoni gave up his full-time teaching job at Bernardo Faria Academy outside Boston and moved to Austin, Texas, to train alongside Gordon Ryan under John Danaher at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, the team formed after the Danaher Death Squad split; he described leaving a secure job as a risk he decided was worth taking.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs and first Bodoni quote — 'the time is now'

      Accessed:

    • Bodoni said he shifted his focus to no-gi because viewership, events and prize money were moving there, while still hoping to win a black belt world title in the gi one day.

      Where in the source: Middle section, Bodoni's quotes on the gi and no-gi viewership

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    • Bodoni said leg locks had been a hole in his no-gi game: in Boston almost all classes were in the gi, with one no-gi class a week, and he kept losing to leg locks at no-gi tournaments; after the move to Austin he felt he had greatly improved his leg game and learned to connect it with his existing strengths.

      Where in the source: Block quote after the paragraph on his move to Austin — 'keep losing to leg locks'

      Accessed:

    • Bodoni described New Wave training in early 2022 as relaxed but purposeful: sessions of about two hours with at least 45 minutes of drilling, mostly positional sparring, then full rounds from standing like an ADCC match, with Danaher's teaching giving the class a clear direction.

      Where in the source: Bodoni quote on training structure — 'Training is pretty laid back'

      Accessed:

    • Before his ADCC debut Bodoni said his main aim was a game that works on everybody, able to control opponents regardless of their pace, strength or specialities.

      Where in the source: Closing Bodoni quote — 'work on everybody'

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    • Ahead of ADCC 2022, Grappling Insider named Matheus Diniz as the returning champion in Bodoni's under-88 kg division.

      Where in the source: Paragraph on his ADCC debut — 'returning champion Matheus Diniz'

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, 'John Danaher Speaks About Giancarlo Bodoni: "Never Let People Underestimate What You Can Become"', September 24, 2022 (quoting Danaher).(opens in a new tab)

    • John Danaher wrote that he first met Bodoni about two years before ADCC 2022, while filming instructional videos in Massachusetts where Bodoni was an instructor at Bernardo Faria's school; he called him a solid positional player in the gi whose switch to no-gi proved difficult because he was repeatedly leg locked in local competitions.

      Where in the source: First Danaher quote — 'repeatedly leg locked in local competitions'

      Accessed:

    • Danaher wrote that when his team broke up in Puerto Rico, Bodoni uprooted his life to train full time in Austin, worked daily on every part of his game, and over the following months turned his submission finishing and his leg lock game from weaknesses into strengths.

      Where in the source: Second and third Danaher quotes — 'uprooted his life'

      Accessed:

    • Danaher wrote that at ADCC 2022 Bodoni finished three of his four opponents, including the previous ADCC champion, gave up no points, leg locked the man most considered the division's leading leg locker, and in the final submitted Lucas 'Hulk' Barbosa, who had beaten him many times before; Danaher said that in one year of work Bodoni had completely reinvented himself.

      Where in the source: Fourth to sixth Danaher quotes — 'did not have a single point scored on him'

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, 'Giancarlo Bodoni on John Danaher's Revolutionary Approach to Creating New Trends in Jiu-Jitsu', September 16, 2024 (quoting Bodoni).(opens in a new tab)

    • Bodoni has described Danaher as working ahead of the sport's trends and planning years ahead; the team shares a common system but each athlete develops his own variations, and Danaher often gives them techniques to experiment with, most of which are later discarded.

      Where in the source: Bodoni quotes on experimentation, near the end — 'experiment with this'

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  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2019, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2019 IBJJF World Championship (gi), Bodoni (Alliance) took second place in the male adult brown belt medium-heavy division, behind Ronaldo Pereira de Souza Júnior.

      Where in the source: Results list, heading 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / MEDIUM HEAVY (195.00LB)' — place 2

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2019, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2019 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, Bodoni (Alliance) won the male adult brown belt super-heavy division and took third place in the brown belt open class.

      Where in the source: Results list, headings 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / SUPER HEAVY (215.00LB)' (place 1) and 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / OPEN CLASS' (place 3)

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2020, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2020 IBJJF Pan Championship (gi), Bodoni (Alliance International) won the male adult brown belt heavy division and took third place in the brown belt open class.

      Where in the source: Results list, headings 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / HEAVY (208.00LB)' (place 1) and 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / OPEN CLASS' (place 3)

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2020, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2020 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship, Bodoni (Alliance) took second place in the male adult black belt heavy division, behind Lucas Daniel Silva Barbosa.

      Where in the source: Results list, heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY (202.00LB)' — place 2

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2021, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2021 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship, Bodoni (Alliance) won the male adult black belt heavy division, with Lucas Daniel Silva Barbosa second, and took third place in the black belt open class, which Barbosa won.

      Where in the source: Results list, headings 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY (202.00LB)' (place 1) and 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS' (place 3)

      Accessed:

  • ADCC (adcombat.com), 1st ADCC North American Trial 2021, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • Bodoni won the professional male -87.9 kg division at the 1st ADCC North American Trial in Atlantic City on November 6, 2021, qualifying for the ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: OFFICIAL RESULTS, 'PROFESSIONAL MALE: -87.9KG' (listed first) and the list 'Athletes that qualified to go to ADCC World Championship'

      Accessed:

  • ADCC (adcombat.com), ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship 2022, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • ADCC's official results for the 2022 World Championship in Las Vegas list the male -88 kg division as Giancarlo Bodoni first, Lucas Barbosa second, Vagner Rocha third and Eoghan O'Flanagan fourth.

      Where in the source: OFFICIAL RESULTS, ordered list under 'MALE -88KG'

      Accessed:

  • Jitsmagazine, 'ADCC 2022 Live Results, Play-by-play, Analysis, Highlights, More', September 18, 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • At ADCC 2022 in the men's under-88 kg division, Bodoni beat Isaque Bahiense 6-0 on points, submitted Matheus Diniz with a triangle choke in the quarter-final and Eoghan O'Flanagan with an Estima lock in the semi-final, and won the final by rear-naked choke against Lucas 'Hulk' Barbosa, after a throw and a body-triangle back take.

      Where in the source: Section 'Male Under 88kg ADCC 2022 Live Results', result lines and 'Podium Placement'

      Accessed:

  • ADCC (adcombat.com), '2024 ADCC World Championship - Day 2 full results', August 18, 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • ADCC's official day-two report from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 18, 2024 lists Giancarlo Bodoni (USA) as the 2024 male -88 kg champion.

      Where in the source: 'ADCC 2024 CHAMPIONS' list — 'Male -88 g: Giancarlo Bodoni (USA)'

      Accessed:

  • Jitsmagazine, 'ADCC 2024 Live Results, Play-by-play, Analysis, Highlights, More', August 18, 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • At ADCC 2024 in the men's under-88 kg division, Bodoni submitted Andre Porfirio with a rear-naked choke, beat Gabriel Almeida 8-0 and Felipe Costa 3-0 on points, and won the final against Jacob Rodriguez 9-0 on points; the podium was Bodoni, Rodriguez, Costa.

      Where in the source: Men's under-88 kg section, result lines and 'Podium Placement'

      Accessed:

  • FloGrappling, Joe Harrington, 'Euphoric Giancarlo Bodoni Makes History. Wins Second -88KG ADCC Title', August 18, 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • FloGrappling reported that with the 2024 title Bodoni became the first to win the ADCC -88 kg division at consecutive championships and only the second, after Saulo Ribeiro, to win it twice; after the final he described his feeling as 'Euphoria'.

      Where in the source: Article body — 'first consecutive -88KG champion ever'

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  • ADCC (adcombat.com), 'ADCC Worlds 2024 USA – Best Of Awards', October 15, 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • ADCC named Bodoni versus Jacob Rodriguez, the 2024 under-88 kg final, the Best Fight of the 2024 World Championship.

      Where in the source: Awards list — 'BEST FIGHT'

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, 'Multiple-Time ADCC World Champion Giancarlo Bodoni Joins ONE's Submission Grappling Roster', December 21, 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • ONE Championship announced on December 21, 2024 that Bodoni had joined its submission grappling roster, noting that he received his black belt from Lucas Lepri in 2020 and was training under John Danaher.

      Where in the source: Headline and dateline 'DEC 21, 2024' — 'Joins ONE's Submission Grappling Roster'

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  • ONE Championship, 'Grappling Excellence: 3 Of Giancarlo Bodoni's Signature Weapons', November 10, 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • In November 2025 ONE Championship described Bodoni as a New Wave Jiu-Jitsu athlete and said he had built his game under Lucas Lepri before refining it with John Danaher in Texas.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs — 'New Wave Jiu-Jitsu standout'

      Accessed:

    • At the Craig Jones Invitational II in August 2025, Bodoni submitted Ronaldo Junior with a rolling armbar, sending his New Wave team to the final.

      Where in the source: Section '#2 Bodoni's Technical Brilliance' — 'Craig Jones Invitational II'

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, 'Giancarlo Bodoni and Rafael Lovato Jr. To Lock Horns At ONE 173 In Tokyo', July 10, 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • In July 2025 ONE booked Bodoni against fellow American Rafael Lovato Jr. for ONE 173 on November 16, 2025, describing Bodoni as training under John Danaher at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu in Texas.

      Where in the source: First two paragraphs — 'all-American submission grappling battle'

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, athlete page 'Giancarlo Bodoni', ONE Championship Records.(opens in a new tab)

    • Bodoni's ONE Championship record shows one bout: a unanimous-decision loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. in submission grappling at ONE 173 on November 16, 2025, going the full 10 minutes.

      Where in the source: Table 'EVENT RESULTS', only row — LOSS, Unanimous Decision, R1 (10:0)

      Accessed:

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