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Gustavo Muggiati

“Gutty”

Source: northorlandobjj.com

Rio-trained sixth-degree black belt who helped lead Gracie Barra in Curitiba, was Rodrigo Fajardo's first coach, and now heads Gracie Barra North Orlando.

Biography

Gustavo "Gutty" Muggiati is a sixth-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Rio de Janeiro who now heads Gracie Barra North Orlando, in Orlando, Florida. Before Florida, he spent years helping lead a Gracie Barra academy in southern Brazil, where a student who took his first lessons from him would eventually run the academy himself. Muggiati started training in 1992 at Gávea Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro, under Leão Teixeira, Hélio "Soneca" Moreira, and Robert Correa. Soneca later encouraged him to take his training further at Gracie Barra, under Carlos Gracie Jr. In 1997 Muggiati moved to Curitiba. According to his Orlando academy, an opportunity to become head instructor for southern Brazil prompted the move, and he went to grow Gracie Barra there. A year later, in 1998, Carlos Gracie Jr., Teixeira, and Soneca awarded him his black belt. Gracie Barra had opened its Curitiba academy, in the Cabral neighborhood, in 1996 under Rilion Gracie. When the academy later passed to Carlos Gracie Jr., he placed it under the joint command of Soneca and Muggiati. His Orlando academy also says that, while in Curitiba, he was brought in to coach the ground game of fighters at one of the city's top MMA teams, among them Wanderlei Silva, Maurício "Shogun" Rua, and José "Pelé" Landi-Jons. His clearest legacy from those years is Rodrigo "Pimpolho" Fajardo, whom Muggiati coached from his first class and promoted through every belt, up to black belt in December 2007. BJJ Heroes' lineage record for Fajardo runs directly through Muggiati, and back through Carlos Gracie Jr., Hélio Gracie, Carlos Gracie, and Mitsuyo Maeda. In the early 2000s — sources disagree on whether it was 2003 or 2004 — Muggiati left Brazil for the United States. The Curitiba academy eventually passed to Fajardo. In December 2017, Muggiati came back to Curitiba for the celebration of Gracie Barra's twentieth anniversary in Paraná, and Fajardo told the local paper covering it that recognizing Gutty mattered, "especially for the start of Gracie in Paraná." Muggiati eventually settled in Central Florida. He owns and heads Gracie Barra North Orlando. Much of what's on record about his Florida years, including his current rank, comes from one source: his own academy's website. The site also credits him with winning his division at both the IBJJF Masters World Championship and the IBJJF South American Championship, though it does not say in which year or at what weight. His Florida students include Sabrina Felker, the academy's women's instructor, who started training in 2017 and reached black belt under him in 2023.

Sources for this profile

  • Gracie Barra North Orlando, "Orlando Jiu-Jitsu Instructors" (northorlandobjj.com), accessed 22 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Muggiati currently holds a 6th-degree black belt.

      Where in the source: Subheading under his name — "Head Jiu-Jitsu Instructor / 6th Degree Black Belt"

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati began training BJJ in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro under Leao Teixeira, Helio "Soneca" Moreira and Robert Correa at Gavea Jiu-Jitsu, and Soneca later encouraged him to continue at Gracie Barra under Carlos Gracie Jr.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, first paragraph — "His journey began in 1992" (the three instructors and Gavea Jiu-Jitsu follow in the same sentence); next sentence — "encouraged Gutty to further his training at Gracie Barra"

      Accessed:

    • In 1998 Carlos Gracie Jr., Leao Teixeira and Helio "Soneca" Moreira promoted Muggiati to black belt.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, first paragraph, last sentence — "awarded his black belt in 1998" (the three names follow)

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, opening sentence — "from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"

      Accessed:

    • Conflicting accounts

      Starting his own family in 2004 led Muggiati to move to the United States, where he eventually settled in Central Florida.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, third paragraph — "Starting his own family in 2004" … "eventually settled in Central Florida"

      Accessed:

    • While based in Curitiba, Muggiati was invited to coach the ground game of leading MMA fighters at one of the city's top MMA teams, including Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, second paragraph — "Gutty was invited to coach the ground game of top fighters" (the three fighters are named in the same sentence)

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati is known by the nickname "Gutty."

      Where in the source: Page intro and bio — "Gustavo “Gutty” Muggiati"; photo captions — "Professor Gutty winning his division"

      Accessed:

    • Sabrina Felker, the academy's women's instructor, holds her black belt under Muggiati; she took up training in 2017 and reached black belt in 2023.

      Where in the source: Sabrina Felker section — subheading "Women's Jiu-Jitsu Instructor"; bio — "black belt under Professor Gustavo Muggiati" and "began training in 2017"

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati won his division at both the IBJJF Masters World Championship and the IBJJF South American Championship (year and weight class not stated by the source).

      Where in the source: Two photo captions below his bio — "winning his division at the IBJJF Masters World Championships" and "IBJJF South American Championships"

      Accessed:

    • In 1997 Muggiati relocated to Curitiba. His academy's bio says the move was prompted by an opportunity to become head instructor for southern Brazil, and that he went there to grow Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, second paragraph — "Gutty moved to Curitiba in 1997" (the head-instructor opportunity and the Gracie Barra purpose are in the same sentence)

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati comes from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in South America.

      Where in the source: Muggiati bio, opening sentence — "from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Helio 'Soneca' Moreira" fighter biography, accessed 22 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Gustavo Muggiati is one of the black belts personally promoted by Helio "Soneca" Moreira.

      Where in the source: Biography, last paragraph — "the ones he has actually awarded, black belts like Gustavo Muggiati"

      Accessed:

  • Tribuna do Paraná, "Gracie Barra comemora 20 anos no Paraná com tatame cheio", by Diogo Souza, 21 December 2017.(opens in a new tab)

    • The Gracie Barra academy in Curitiba's Cabral neighborhood was established in 1996 by Rilion Gracie (rendered "Rillion" in the article), later sold to Carlos Gracie Jr., who placed it under the joint command of Helio Soneca and Gutty Muggiati.

      Where in the source: First paragraph — "Em 1996, o mestre Rillion Gracie montou a academia Gracie Barra no bairro Cabral"; second paragraph — "sob o comando de Hélio Soneca e Gutty Muggiati"

      Accessed:

    • Conflicting accounts

      In 2003, Muggiati relocated to the United States, and Rodrigo "Pimpolho" Fajardo took over leadership of the Curitiba academy.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph — "Em 2003, Gutty se transferiu para os Estados Unidos e a Gracie Barra ficou com o campeão europeu Rodrigo Pimpolho."

      Accessed:

    • At the December 2017 celebration in Curitiba of Gracie Barra's 20 years in Paraná, Rodrigo "Pimpolho" Fajardo told Tribuna do Paraná that the recognition given to Muggiati mattered, above all for the beginning of Gracie Barra in Paraná.

      Where in the source: Pimpolho's second quote in the article — "É muito importante também o reconhecimento feito ao Gutty, principalmente, pelo início da Gracie no Paraná" … "frisou o atleta e treinador"

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati came back to Curitiba in December 2017 for the celebration of Gracie Barra's 20 years in Paraná. Tribuna do Paraná, writing on 21 December 2017, calls him the academy's "ex-comandante" (former commander) and dates the visit to the previous weekend.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph, last sentence — "voltou a Curitiba para a comemoração dos 20 da Gracie Barra no Paraná" (its subject is the “ex-comandante”; the sentence opens by dating the visit to the previous weekend)

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Rodrigo Fajardo 'Pimpolho'" fighter biography, accessed 22 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes places Muggiati in Rodrigo Fajardo's direct lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Gustavo Muggiati > Rodrigo Fajardo.

      Where in the source: Infobox — "Lineage: M. Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr > Gustavo Muggiati > Rodrigo Fajardo"

      Accessed:

    • Muggiati was Rodrigo Fajardo's first coach and promoted him through every belt, awarding him his black belt in December 2007.

      Where in the source: Biography, fourth paragraph — "Gustavo Muggiati was Rodrigo’s first coach" … "including the black belt on December 2007"

      Accessed:

  • Gracie Barra North Orlando, "Gracie Barra Orlando" (northorlandobjj.com), accessed 23 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Muggiati owns and heads Gracie Barra North Orlando, in Orlando, Florida.

      Where in the source: Section headed "Head Jiu-Jitsu Instructor" — "owned and operated by Professor Gustavo “Gutty” Muggiati"; address on the same page — "923 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL"

      Accessed:

Lineage

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Trained under

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