Hélio Soneca
“Soneca”
Source: bjjheroes.comHe won light-featherweight gold for Gracie Barra at the first IBJJF Worlds in 1996, built a teaching career in the US, and reached coral belt in 2024.
Biography
Sources for this profile
BJJ Heroes, "Helio Soneca" fighter profile.(opens in a new tab)
His full name is Helio Pires Moreira, and he is commonly known as "Soneca".
Where in the source: Profile header, 'Full Name' line — "Helio Pires Moreira"
Accessed:
He was born in Teresópolis, in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, in 1969.
Where in the source: 'Helio "Soneca" Moreira Biography', first sentence — "born in Teresopolis"
Accessed:
The nickname comes from roller hockey: as a young goalkeeper for the Casa de Portugal club in Teresópolis, where Jean Jacques Machado was a teammate, he was knocked out by a ball to the helmet, and teammates began calling him "Soneca" (Portuguese for "sleepy").
Where in the source: 'Nickname' paragraph under the header — "Casa de Portugal"
Accessed:
He began jiu-jitsu at age eight under Cirilo Azevedo at the Academia Serrana in Teresópolis and stayed with him up to blue belt.
Where in the source: Biography, first paragraph — "Academia Serrana"
Accessed:
As a blue belt he moved to train under Jean Jacques Machado in the early days of Gracie Barra and stayed there to black belt; after the Machados left for the United States, Carlos Gracie Jr. took charge of the academy and awarded him his black belt.
Where in the source: Biography, second paragraph — "took charge of the club"
Accessed:
After his black belt, his friend Ralph Gracie offered him a place in San Francisco, where he began teaching in the United States.
Where in the source: Biography, fourth paragraph — "Mr Ralph Gracie"
Accessed:
BJJ Heroes says his high standards meant he promoted fewer black belts than expected for his long career, naming Gustavo Muggiati, Michel Safi, Alexandre "Café" Dantas, Jair "Sorriso", Robson Santos and Marcelo Pupo among them.
Where in the source: Biography, last paragraph — "high standards"
Accessed:
Helio Soneca official website, home page (undated).(opens in a new tab)
His own website says he started at age eight with Cirilo Azevedo and Elias Martins, moved to Rio de Janeiro at 13, and trained at the Gracie Barra academy under the Machado brothers, Zé Henrique Leão Teixeira and Renzo Gracie.
Where in the source: Home page, 'Helio Soneca' biography, first paragraph — "Elias Martins"
Accessed:
His website says he received his black belt from Carlos Gracie Jr. at age 22.
Where in the source: Home page biography, first paragraph — "At the age of 22"
Accessed:
His website says physical problems led him to dedicate himself to teaching, and names Vanderlei Silva, Alan Belcher and Michel Safi among those he trained.
Where in the source: Home page biography, second paragraph — "physical problems"
Accessed:
His website describes him as president of the Paraná state jiu-jitsu federation (FJJP) in Brazil and vice president and a founder of the Tennessee Brazilian jiu-jitsu federation (TBJJF), with affiliated academies in Brazil, Thailand and Turkey and seminars in the US and abroad.
Where in the source: Home page biography, third paragraph — "President of the Jiu-Jitsu Federation"
Accessed:
His website states that he is currently a coral belt, seventh degree.
Where in the source: Home page biography, second paragraph — "Koral belt (7 th stripes )"
Accessed:
Mauricio "Tinguinha", "Master Helio 'Soneca' Moreira Interview", republished on tnbjj.com (originally tinguinha.com; undated).(opens in a new tab)
In an interview with Mauricio "Tinguinha", he said he started at eight after older schoolboys who had mocked his mother beat him in a fight, and an uncle enrolled him so he could learn to defend himself.
Where in the source: Question 1, his answer — "My Uncle decided"
Accessed:
In the Tinguinha interview he credited the Gracie family with helping him, saying Royce Gracie opened the door for him to the United States.
Where in the source: Question 2, his answer — "Royce Gracie opened the door"
Accessed:
He said he had taught for over 20 years and named Vanderlei Silva, José "Pelé" Landi, Miguel Torres, Stephan Bonnar, Alan Belcher, Rick Sparks, Marcio Feitosa and Mauricio "Tinguinha" among those he taught.
Where in the source: Question 7, his answer — "I taught Vanderlei Silva"
Accessed:
Describing his teaching, he compared his academy to a health-food restaurant rather than fast food, and said belts must be earned over time and are not part of his business.
Where in the source: Question 9, his answer — "health food restaurant"
Accessed:
He said the fights he lost taught him a lot and, early in his career, made him a better fighter and instructor, that his real fight has been against a back problem, and that competitors used to fight for medals and love of the art while today it is a profession.
Where in the source: Questions 3, 5 and 6, his answers — "my back problem"
Accessed:
IBJJF, "World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 1996" results page.(opens in a new tab)
At the first IBJJF World Championship in 1996 he won the adult male black belt light-featherweight division for Gracie Barra, with Wellington Dias of Gracie Humaitá second.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'ADULT / BLACK / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER' — 1 Helio Moreira, Gracie Barra
Accessed:
Graciemag, "Do baú: Helio Soneca x Megaton no Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu 1996, no Sportv", 14 July 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Graciemag describes the 1996 final at the Tijuca club in Rio between Soneca, the Gracie Barra black belt, and Wellington "Megaton" Dias of Gracie Humaitá, an athlete strong in judo; the match was shown live on the SporTV channel.
Where in the source: Article body, second paragraph — "ao vivo"
Accessed:
Graciemag, "Do baú: Ricardo Libório x Helio Soneca no Brasileiro 1993", 22 March 2024.(opens in a new tab)
At the 1993 Brazilian Championship at Clube Hebraica in Rio, Soneca, a featherweight by origin and then a student of Carlos Gracie Jr., fought Ricardo Libório; Libório threw him early, Soneca hurt his shoulder in the fall, and after the match restarted Libório pulled guard and finished with an armlock, then carried Soneca on his shoulders back to the stands.
Where in the source: Article body, paragraphs 1–3 — "Clube Hebraica"
Accessed:
Graciemag notes that about three years after that match both men became world champions at the first Worlds in 1996, Soneca by beating Wellington "Megaton" Dias.
Where in the source: Article body, fourth paragraph — "Cerca de três anos"
Accessed:
Sherdog, "Helio 'Soneca' Moreira" fighter page.(opens in a new tab)
Sherdog records two professional MMA fights for Helio "Soneca" Moreira, both first-round submission wins: over Casey Erwin by rear-naked choke at WFC 2 on 16 August 2002, and over Carlos Ortega by armbar at 0:52 at Combate Extremo on 30 August 2003.
Where in the source: Fight history table (Result / Fighter / Event / Method / R / Time) — WIN Carlos Ortega, Combate Extremo
Accessed:
Sherdog lists his country as Brazil.
Where in the source: Fighter info box, nationality line above the name — "BRAZIL"
Accessed:
Renzo Gracie Online Academy, instructor page "Hélio 'Soneca'".(opens in a new tab)
Renzo Gracie Online presents him as champion of the first Worlds in 1996 at black belt and winner of the Legends event in Abu Dhabi more than 21 years later, and as a representative of the early-1990s Gracie Barra technical school.
Where in the source: Instructor page intro under 'Hélio "Soneca"' — "vencedor do Legends em Abu Dhabi"
Accessed:
He teaches technique videos on the Renzo Gracie Online Academy platform, including guard, half-guard and omoplata lessons published between 2019 and 2021.
Where in the source: Instructor page video list — "Omoplata da de la Riva invertida"
Accessed:
Graciemag, "A lição de Helio Soneca que Aldo Max replica para os alunos", 14 December 2022.(opens in a new tab)
In late 2022 Aldo Max, head of the Brothers of Mat school in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, received his fourth degree on the black belt from Soneca, and told Graciemag that Soneca taught him that a jiu-jitsu teacher must take a father-like role and care for students.
Where in the source: Intro paragraph and first answer — "foi assim que eu aprendi com o Helio Soneca"
Accessed:
Graciemag, "A festa e os presentes para os faixas-corais Roberto Gordo e Helio Soneca", 30 January 2024.(opens in a new tab)
On 28 January 2024 in Florida, Renzo Gracie promoted Helio "Soneca" Moreira to the coral belt, seventh degree, together with his friend Roberto "Gordo" Correa, at an event attended by Rilion Gracie, Jorge Pereira and others.
Where in the source: Article body, second paragraph — "faixa-coral sétimo grau"
Accessed:
The coral belt he received in January 2024 was the seventh degree.
Where in the source: Article body, second paragraph — "sétimo grau"
Accessed: