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Igor Araújo

Brasília-born black belt who led Gracie Barra Switzerland from Geneva and reached the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 16 before fighting in the UFC.

Biography

Igor Araújo is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who arrived in Switzerland in 2006, led Gracie Barra Switzerland from Geneva, and combined teaching with a professional mixed martial arts career that took him onto The Ultimate Fighter and into the UFC. Wikipedia gives his birth as December 6, 1980, in Brasília, and dates his professional MMA debut to 2004. A 2014 UFC.com feature adds that he studied journalism before choosing to fight for a living. A 2010 GracieMag profile says he received his black belt in 2005 from his teacher, Aldo "Caveirinha" Januário, in Belo Horizonte; a 2013 BJJ Eastern Europe interview, written in very similar terms, gives the same teacher, year and city. In the 2013 interview Araújo said he reached Europe in 2005, spent a few months in the Netherlands and a few more in Cologne, Germany, and had been based in Switzerland since January 2006. Speaking to GracieMag in 2026, he said he came on an invitation to teach and found neither an academy nor students waiting for him, and that the whole country then had only two or three black belts. GracieMag described him in 2010 as settled in Geneva and at the head of Gracie Barra Switzerland. By 2013 he called himself its head coach, with three schools under his name: his own in Geneva, one in Fribourg run by instructor Peto Galinho, and one in Annecy run by Phillipe Louco. In those years, he says, the academy was built around competition while he was still fighting. Wikipedia's record table shows a string of bouts in Switzerland from 2009 to 2011, most of them in Geneva and most won by submission, and GracieMag reported in October 2011 that his fight with Ivica Truscek was one of the main events at Lions FC in Neuchâtel. On the jiu-jitsu side he describes himself as a three-time European champion and a Brazilian champion; in May 2013 he said he had won the European championship earlier that year and that some of his students had taken medals at the same event. On The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson, the season BJJ Eastern Europe calls TUF 16, Araújo won his entry-round fight with a triangle choke in overtime and was taken 13th by Team Carwin. He beat Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in the quarterfinals, then lost a unanimous decision in the semifinals to Colton Smith, who went on to win the season. His official UFC debut came on October 9, 2013, in São Paulo, a unanimous-decision win over Ildemar Alcântara, and he followed it with another decision win over Danny Mitchell in London in March 2014. A UFC.com feature that September reported that he was by then training at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque. He was knocked out by George Sullivan in Brasília that month and lost a decision to Sean Strickland in July 2015; Wikipedia says the UFC released him some months later, and its table lists later fights in Italy in 2016 and in the Canary Islands in 2018. Araújo says he never stopped teaching, and that once he left MMA behind, he turned his attention to instruction, with the biggest changes coming since 2015. By his own count, he now has more than 500 students, and around 200 people of all ages train at his academy each day, very few of whom compete; competition, he says, is no longer the point. He still enters masters events himself. When GracieMag spoke with him in April 2026, the academy was marking 20 years since its founding, and he said he was proud of what he had added to jiu-jitsu in Switzerland.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Eastern Europe (BJJEE), interview with Igor Araujo of Gracie Barra Switzerland, 17 May 2013.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Eastern Europe introduces Igor Araújo as a jiu-jitsu black belt since 2005, promoted by his teacher Aldo "Caveirinha" Januário in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

      Where in the source: Interview intro paragraph — "black belt since 2005"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo says he reached Europe in 2005, lived for a few months in the Netherlands and then in Cologne, Germany, and has been in Switzerland since January 2006.

      Where in the source: Answer to question 2 — "since January of 2006"

      Accessed:

    • In 2013 Araújo described himself as head coach of Gracie Barra Switzerland, with three schools under his name: his own in Geneva, one in Fribourg run by instructor Peto Galinho, and one in Annecy run by Phillipe Louco.

      Where in the source: Answer to question 4 — "3 gyms under my name"

      Accessed:

    • In May 2013 Araújo said that he had won the European BJJ championship earlier that year, that his students had also won medals there, and that his MMA team was growing.

      Where in the source: Answer to question 5 — "I won the European BJJ"

      Accessed:

    • BJJEE reports that Araújo took part in The Ultimate Fighter 16.

      Where in the source: Intro paragraph — "participated in TUF 16"

      Accessed:

  • Wikipedia, article on Igor Araújo, accessed 21 October 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Wikipedia gives Araújo's birth as 6 December 1980 in Brasília, Brazil, and describes him as a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist.

      Where in the source: Infobox and lead — "Born 6 December 1980"

      Accessed:

    • Wikipedia describes Araújo as Brazilian, originally from Brasília.

      Where in the source: Lead — "Brazilian professional mixed martial artist"

      Accessed:

    • Wikipedia says Araújo won European and Brazilian jiu-jitsu titles.

      Where in the source: Background section — "European and Brazilian championships"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo made his professional MMA debut in 2004. On The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson he won the entry-round bout by triangle choke in overtime and was picked 13th by Team Carwin, won his quarterfinal by majority decision over Nic Herron-Webb, and lost the semifinal by unanimous decision to Colton Smith, the eventual winner.

      Where in the source: Early career and The Ultimate Fighter sections — "picked 13th overall by Team Carwin"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo made his UFC debut on 9 October 2013 in São Paulo with a unanimous-decision win over Ildemar Alcântara, beat Danny Mitchell by unanimous decision in London in March 2014, then lost to George Sullivan by knockout in Brasília in September 2014 and to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision in July 2015; Wikipedia says he was cut from the UFC some months later.

      Where in the source: Ultimate Fighting Championship section and record table, UFC Fight Night entries

      Accessed:

    • Wikipedia's record table lists a run of bouts in Switzerland between 2009 and 2011, mostly in Geneva, most won by submission, and later bouts in Italy in 2016 and the Canary Islands in 2018; its total is 36 professional fights (25 wins, 10 losses, 1 no contest).

      Where in the source: Mixed martial arts record table — Geneva, Martigny, Neuchâtel entries; infobox total 36

      Accessed:

  • GracieMag editorial staff, "From Switzerland, meet Igor Araujo", article dated 04/08/2010.(opens in a new tab)

    • GracieMag reported in 2010 that Araújo headed Gracie Barra Switzerland in Geneva, held his black belt from his master Aldo "Caveirinha" Januário, who promoted him in Belo Horizonte in 2005, and had settled in Geneva in 2006 after time in Germany and the Netherlands; his MMA record was then 18-5.

      Where in the source: Article "From Switzerland, meet Igor Araujo", Redação Graciemag, dated 04/08/2010

      Accessed:

  • GracieMag editorial staff, "Igor Araujo ready to fight at Lions FC", 14 October 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • GracieMag reported on 14 October 2011 that Araújo, who leads Gracie Barra Switzerland, was scheduled to face Ivica Truscek the next day as one of the main events of Lions FC in Neuchâtel.

      Where in the source: News item dated 14 October 2011 — Lions FC, Neuchâtel; "one of the main events"

      Accessed:

  • UFC.com, Thomas Gerbasi, "Igor Araujo: Back to Brasilia", 11 September 2014.(opens in a new tab)

    • UFC.com reported in September 2014 that Araújo had grown up in Brasília, studied journalism but chose a fighting career, had lived in Switzerland, and now trained at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque.

      Where in the source: Feature "Igor Araujo: Back to Brasilia" by Thomas Gerbasi, 11 September 2014

      Accessed:

  • GracieMag News Room, interview with Igor Araujo, "Escola de Igor Araujo completa 20 anos de sucesso na Suíça", 25 April 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Araújo says that after leaving Brazil he went first to the Netherlands, then received an invitation to teach in Switzerland; he says that on arrival there were no students and no academy.

      Where in the source: Answer on how he came to Switzerland — "não tinha academia"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo says his academy's early focus was competition while he was still fighting, and that after he stopped fighting MMA he turned toward teaching, with big changes "since 2015"; he counts 40 professional MMA fights and hundreds of jiu-jitsu tournaments.

      Where in the source: Answer on the Swiss market — "desde 2015 mudei muito"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo says that today he has more than 500 students, about 200 people a day train at his academy, of all ages, and very few compete; he says competition is no longer the focus.

      Where in the source: Same answer — "mais de 500 alunos"

      Accessed:

    • GracieMag reported in April 2026 that Araújo's academy in Geneva was marking 20 years since its founding.

      Where in the source: Interview question 1 and headline — "20 anos"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo says he is a three-time European jiu-jitsu champion and a Brazilian champion, and that he has never stopped teaching; he says he still competes in the masters.

      Where in the source: Answer on MMA career — "três vezes campeão europeu"

      Accessed:

    • Araújo says that when he arrived in Switzerland there were only two or three black belts in the whole country, and that he is proud of his contribution to Swiss jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Answer on the Swiss market — "duas ou três faixas-pretas"

      Accessed:

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