Skip to content
The BJJ Story
Search
Back to people
Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
Portrait unavailable. General BJJ illustration; not a likeness of this person.Illustration: The BJJ Story

Isaac Doederlein

American featherweight and Cobrinha black belt who won the 2022 IBJJF World Championship at his sixth try, coming from behind in the final seconds.

Biography

Isaac Doederlein is an American featherweight and a student of Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles. In 2022, at his sixth attempt in the black belt division, he won the IBJJF World Championship, scoring the deciding points of the final from behind with about thirty seconds left. Doederlein was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992. He began judo at 11 and stayed with it until he was 14, the age at which he moved to Arizona and took up jiu-jitsu. In Arizona he trained under Wellington "Megaton" Dias at the Gracie Humaitá academy and started competing, and BJJ Heroes describes those first years in the sport as spent largely training with Dias. Two years after he joined Dias's team he won the 2010 World Championship at blue belt, taking the adult light featherweight division for Gracie Humaitá. The decision that took him to Los Angeles came straight after high school. As he told BJJEE in January 2015, he was living in Arizona, his friends were heading to college, and he could not decide between that path and training full time. Erin Herle, a friend who trained at Cobrinha's academy, persuaded him to try a month there. He was hooked after the first day, he said, and he moved to Los Angeles. BJJ Heroes records that he arrived at Cobrinha's as a purple belt and went on to receive both his brown and black belts from him. Among the most important lessons from Cobrinha, he said, was to leave the ego out of training. Before the move he had gone through plateaus of seven or eight months while treating every session as something to "win". At Cobrinha's, his ideas about jiu-jitsu changed almost every week as he experimented. He described a routine of two to three hours of drilling and specific training every day before the noon competition class, plus strength and conditioning on three mornings a week, and credited Cobrinha with keeping his athletes motivated and watching both their diet and their goals. He called his style dynamic. When passing, he let the opponent's grips decide: if his legs were controlled he cut through with pressure, and if they were free he relied on looser footwork. From guard he worked with whatever the opponent offered. He also said that to understand a technique he had to work out how it fitted into his own "flow chart" and why he needed it. The interview followed the European Championship in January 2015, where, as a 22-year-old brown belt, he had won his weight division and taken silver in the brown belt open class, beating much heavier opponents along the way. By his own count he submitted four of the seven opponents he faced across the two brackets. He listed his main IBJJF results to that point as a world silver medal at brown belt in 2014, three European titles and four American Nationals titles. BJJ Heroes' list of his brown belt results adds, for 2015, titles at the Pan Championship, the Brazilian Nationals, the Abu Dhabi World Pro and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Los Angeles, and another world silver at brown belt that year. The site writes that he came to be seen as one of the leading featherweight prospects. Cobrinha awarded him his black belt in 2015. His first World Championship at black belt, in 2016, ended with a loss to Paulo Miyao. He went back in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 and left each time without gold; from those years BJJ Heroes records a world bronze in 2019 and bronze medals at the Pan Championship in 2019 and 2021. IBJJF later wrote that he had been competing at the top level since his black belt debut in 2016, but that the results he had hoped for came only years later. By IBJJF's account, the first major title of his black belt career came nearly four years after his promotion, at the 2019 Brazilian Nationals, where he won six matches. His semi-final there was against Miyao, who had beaten him several times before. BJJ Heroes' report has that match tied 2–2 on points and decided for Doederlein on advantages, the tiebreaker credited for near-scoring moves. His other wins in that report include a choke against Leandro Oliveira and a choke from the back against João Paulo Neto, and the site wrote that he submitted almost all of his opponents. BJJ Heroes counted him as the third American to win the title and the second in the men's division, following Rafael Lovato Jr.'s titles in 2007 and 2013. IBJJF's official results show him winning the 2020 European Championship for Alliance, ahead of Leonardo Saggioro of Brazilian Top Team. At the 2022 edition he finished second to Diego Sodré of Nova União. That June's World Championship brought him up against several men who had beaten him before, Alex Sodré, Samuel Nagai and Diego Sodré among them. He finished Nagai with a foot lock in the semi-final, and IBJJF later noted that two of his wins in the tournament came by straight foot lock. The final was a rematch with Diego Sodré, who had beaten him in the European final earlier that year. With about thirty seconds left, Doederlein was behind by one advantage. He got an underhook on Sodré's leg, inverted and finished on top, and the two points from that exchange decided the final. IBJJF's official results list Sodré second, with Daniel Maira and Samuel Nagai third. IBJJF wrote that the title made him only the sixth American to win gold at the World Championship, and later called the run the high point of his career. His division win also counted toward the adult male team title that Alliance took with 101 points. After the title he stepped away from competition. He told IBJJF he spent the following nine months concentrating on the technical side of his game. By 2023 his base was Undefeated Athletic Club in downtown Los Angeles, where, IBJJF reported, he had put together a group of veteran and newer black belts. He described spending six to seven hours a day on the mat, mostly problem solving and drilling, and said he had worked on both his top and bottom game but probably most of all on his guard. Competing, he told IBJJF, had taught him organization and time management, as well as the resilience to come back from losses. His comeback was the 2023 Santa Cruz International Open, his first event since the world title. He won both of his matches by submission: a modified Ezekiel choke in the first, and in the final against Zach Kaina of AOJ, a collar choke after he took the back from his guard. The Brazilian Nationals in São Paulo followed in May. Beforehand he told IBJJF it would be his third time at the event, after appearances as a brown belt and as a black belt, and that he liked competing on its puzzle mats. He submitted Julio Arantes in the quarter-final and then Matheus Onda, both with straight ankle locks, and won a final against Alex Sodré that ended 0–0 on points. He took bronze at the 2023 World Championship, where BJJ Heroes' record shows a semi-final loss to Samuel Nagai by triangle armlock. In November 2023 he was one of the contenders in the 70 kg division of The Crown, IBJJF's professional event, alongside Fabricio Andrey; the same record has a referee decision win over Andrey and a loss to Nagai on an advantage in the final. Announcing him for The Crown, IBJJF singled out his straight foot lock as one of the most effective in the sport, along with an attacking guard, persistent passing and tight submissions. BJJ Heroes names the leg drag, a guard pass, as his favorite technique. In July 2023 BJJEE ran a leg drag variation he explained for use against a strong knee line in supine guard, where the bottom player lies on their back, together with promotion for his instructional on footwork-based passing against that guard. BJJ Heroes lists another Pan Championship bronze in 2024. At the 2025 Brazilian Nationals in Barueri, São Paulo, he beat Luan Gomes and Cleber Sousa on advantages to reach the featherweight final, which he lost to Cole Abate on an advantage after a 2–2 score; BJJ Heroes called it the event's first all-American featherweight final. That year he also competed at UFC BJJ at 70 kg, where the site's fight record shows a referee decision win over Keith Krikorian and a semi-final loss to Carlos Henrique by armbar.

Sources for this profile

  • IBJJF, '2022 IBJJF World Championships Recap' (news article, no date shown; covers the June 2022 event)(opens in a new tab)

    • Isaac Doederlein won the adult black belt featherweight division at the 2022 IBJJF World Championship.

      Where in the source: Male champions list at the end of the article, featherweight row — 'Feather - Isaac Doederlein'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein first competed at the World Championship as a black belt in 2016, losing to Paulo Miyao, and returned in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 without winning gold; the 2022 title came on his sixth try.

      Where in the source: Section on Doederlein's first world title, opening sentences — 'lost to Paulo Miyao'

      Accessed:

    • On the way to the 2022 world title Doederlein faced several opponents who had beaten him before, including Alex Sodré, Samuel Nagai and Diego Sodré, and he finished Samuel Nagai with a foot lock in the semi-final.

      Where in the source: Same section, middle — 'dramatic foot lock finish'

      Accessed:

    • In the 2022 world final Doederlein met Diego Sodré of Nova União, who had beaten him in the European Championship final earlier that year; trailing by one advantage with about thirty seconds left, he underhooked Sodré's leg, inverted and came up on top for two points to win.

      Where in the source: Same section, final-match passage — 'down by one advantage'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein is American; IBJJF wrote that the 2022 title made him only the sixth American to win gold at the World Championship.

      Where in the source: Same section, last sentence — 'only the 6th American'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein competed for Alliance at the 2022 World Championship, and his featherweight gold counted toward Alliance's adult male team title, won with 101 points.

      Where in the source: Section on the team titles — '101 total points'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Champion Isaac Doederlein Returns At Brasileiros' (news article, no date shown; written before the 2023 Brazilian Nationals)(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF wrote that Doederlein had competed at the top level since his first black belt tournament in 2016, but that the success he had envisioned only came years later.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph — 'first black belt tournament'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein's first major championship gold came at the 2019 Brazilian Nationals (Brasileiros), where he won six matches; in the semi-final he beat Paulo Miyao, to whom he had lost several times before.

      Where in the source: Third paragraph — 'defeated six tough opponents'

      Accessed:

    • After winning the world featherweight title in June 2022, Doederlein stepped away from competition; he told IBJJF he had spent the following nine months focused on improving the technical side of his game.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph and first quote — 'took a break from competition'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein told IBJJF that the 2023 Brasileiros would be his third time at the event, having competed there first as a brown belt and then as a black belt, and that he liked fighting on the event's puzzle mats.

      Where in the source: Second quote — 'puzzle mats'

      Accessed:

    • As of 2023, IBJJF reported that Doederlein trained at Undefeated Athletic Club in downtown Los Angeles, where he had assembled a group of veteran and new black belts to train with.

      Where in the source: Paragraph after the second quote — 'Undefeated Athletic Club'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein told IBJJF he spent six to seven hours a day on the mat, mostly problem solving and drilling, and that while he had improved both his top and bottom game, he had probably spent the most time on his guard.

      Where in the source: Third quote — '6-7 hours a day'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein told IBJJF that competing had taught him organisation and time management, and the resilience to come back from earlier losses.

      Where in the source: Final quote — 'resilience'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Santa Cruz International Open Results: Isaac Doederlein Submits Every Opponent In 2023 Debut' (news article, no date shown; 2023)(opens in a new tab)

    • Doederlein returned to competition at the 2023 Santa Cruz International Open, his first event since the world title, and won both of his matches by submission: a modified Ezekiel choke in the first and, in the final against Zach Kaina of AOJ, a collar choke after taking the back from his guard.

      Where in the source: First two paragraphs — 'modified Ezekiel choke'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Isaac Doederlein Announced As A Contender in The Crown 70 kg Division', by Danny O'Donnell, published 18 September 2023(opens in a new tab)

    • Doederlein was awarded his black belt in 2015 by Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles.

      Where in the source: Article body, third sentence — 'awarded his black belt'

      Accessed:

    • According to IBJJF, it took Doederlein nearly four years after receiving his black belt to win a major title, which he did at the 2019 Brasileiros.

      Where in the source: Article body, middle — 'nearly four years'

      Accessed:

    • IBJJF wrote in September 2023 that after the 2019 Brasileiros Doederlein had won three more major titles.

      Where in the source: Article body, middle — 'three more major titles'

      Accessed:

    • IBJJF described the 2022 world title run as the high point of Doederlein's career, noting that he won two matches with straight foot locks and took the final in its closing seconds.

      Where in the source: Article body — 'two straight foot locks'

      Accessed:

    • IBJJF wrote that Doederlein had developed one of the most effective straight foot locks in the sport, alongside an attacking guard, persistent passing and tight submissions.

      Where in the source: Article body, closing sentences — 'most effective straight foot locks'

      Accessed:

    • In September 2023 IBJJF announced Doederlein as a contender in the 70 kg division of The Crown, its professional event held on 19 November 2023, alongside Fabricio Andrey.

      Where in the source: Headline and opening sentences of the article

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Isaac Doederlein' (fighter profile, no date shown)(opens in a new tab)

    • Isaac Doederlein was born on 12 November 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.

      Where in the source: Biography section, first sentence — 'born on November 12, 1992'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein started judo at the age of 11 and kept training it until he was 14, when he moved to Arizona and took up jiu-jitsu there.

      Where in the source: Biography section, second paragraph — '11 years old'

      Accessed:

    • In Arizona Doederlein trained under Wellington 'Megaton' Dias at the Gracie Humaitá academy, where he began competing; BJJ Heroes says he trained extensively with Dias in his first years in the sport.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph and biography section, third paragraph — 'Wellington Dias'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein won the IBJJF World Championship at blue belt in 2010, two years after joining Dias's team.

      Where in the source: Biography section, third paragraph, and coloured belt achievements list — 'world title in 2010'

      Accessed:

    • At 18, unsure what to do after high school, Doederlein visited Los Angeles and trained at Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles's academy; he then decided to pursue a career in grappling and moved to Los Angeles less than a month later to train full time at Cobrinha's gym.

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

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein arrived at Cobrinha's academy as a purple belt and received his brown and black belts from Rubens Charles, becoming known as one of the leading featherweight prospects.

      Where in the source: Biography section, last paragraph — 'as a purple belt'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes wrote that Doederlein's 2019 Brazilian Nationals title made him the third American to win that title and the second in the men's division.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph, last sentence — '3rd American'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists among Doederlein's black belt results: gold at the European Open in 2020, the Las Vegas Open in 2017 and the UAEJJF King of Mats in Tokyo in 2019; silver at the European Open in 2022 and the American Nationals in 2020; and bronze at the World Championship in 2019 and 2023 and at the Pan Championship in 2019, 2021 and 2024.

      Where in the source: Black belt achievements list near the top of the profile

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists among Doederlein's coloured belt titles the 2010 World Championship at blue belt, the 2013 European Open at purple belt, and at brown belt the European Open in 2014 and 2015 and, in 2015, the Pan Championship, the Brazilian Nationals, the Abu Dhabi World Pro and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Los Angeles; it also lists World Championship silver at brown belt in 2014 and 2015.

      Where in the source: Coloured belt achievements list near the top of the profile

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes names the leg drag as Doederlein's favourite position or technique and lists his division as featherweight (peso pena, 70 kg).

      Where in the source: Profile details block near the top, favourite position and weight division rows

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record shows that at the 2023 World Championship Doederlein lost his semi-final to Samuel Nagai by triangle armlock, and that at The Crown in 2023 he beat Fabricio Andrey by referee decision before losing the 70 kg final to Nagai on an advantage.

      Where in the source: Fight history table near the end of the profile, 2023 rows for the World Championship and The Crown

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record shows Doederlein competing at UFC BJJ in 2025 in the 70 kg bracket, where he beat Keith Krikorian by referee decision and lost the semi-final to Carlos Henrique by armbar.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, 2025 rows for UFC BJJ

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Brazilian Nationals, Meregali Does The Double, Doederlein Brings Gold to USA' (results report, May 2019)(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2019 Brazilian Nationals, whose adult black belt finals were held on 5 May 2019, Doederlein won the featherweight division: he beat Leandro Oliveira by choke, Paulo Miyao on advantages after a 2–2 score in the semi-final, and João Paulo Neto by a choke from the back; BJJ Heroes wrote that he submitted almost all of his opponents.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph (date) and featherweight results list — 'submitting almost all'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes wrote that the 2019 title put Doederlein among the very first Americans to win the Brazilian Nationals at black belt, after Rafael Lovato Jr.'s titles in 2007 and 2013.

      Where in the source: Paragraph beginning with his performance, last sentence — 'Rafael Lovato Junior'

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Brasileiro Results Dalpra Looked Spectacular, Hugo Earns Double And Lucas Crashes Super Heavy Party' (results report, May 2023)(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2023 Brazilian Nationals in São Paulo, whose finals were held on 7 May 2023, Doederlein won the featherweight division: he submitted Julio Arantes in the quarter-final and then Matheus Onda, both with straight ankle locks, and beat Alex Sodré in a final that ended 0–0 on points.

      Where in the source: Featherweight section and results list — 'Outstanding performance by Doederlein'

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, '2015 Europeans Revelation: Isaac Doederlein, The Brown Belt Featherweight Giant Killer' (interview, 28 January 2015)(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2015, as a 22-year-old brown belt under Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles, Doederlein won his weight division and took silver in the brown belt open weight at the IBJJF European Championship, beating much heavier opponents; he said he submitted four of the seven opponents he faced across both divisions.

      Where in the source: Introduction and answers 1–2 — 'Out of 7 fights'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein said he began training with Cobrinha straight after high school: living in Arizona and unsure whether to go to college like his friends or train full time, he was persuaded by his friend Erin Herle, who trained at Cobrinha's, to try a month there; he was hooked after the first day and moved to Los Angeles.

      Where in the source: Answer 4, on how he came to train with Cobrinha — 'try a month there'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein said one of the most important things he learned from Cobrinha was to leave his ego out of training: before, he had gone through plateaus of seven to eight months while trying to 'win' every session, whereas at Cobrinha's his ideas about jiu-jitsu changed almost every week as he experimented.

      Where in the source: Answer 5 — 'leave your ego at the door'

      Accessed:

    • In 2015 Doederlein described his routine as two to three hours of drilling and specific training each day before the noon competition class at Cobrinha's, plus strength and conditioning three mornings a week, and said Cobrinha kept his athletes motivated and watched their diet and goals.

      Where in the source: Answer 3 — '12 o'clock competition training'

      Accessed:

    • Doederlein described his style in 2015 as dynamic: his passing depended on his opponent's grips, cutting through with pressure when his legs were controlled and using looser footwork when they were free, while from guard he worked with whatever the opponent gave him; he said that to understand a technique he had to work out how it fitted into his own 'flow chart' and why he needed it.

      Where in the source: Answer 6 — 'flow chart'

      Accessed:

    • In January 2015 Doederlein listed his main IBJJF results as silver at the 2014 World Championship at brown belt, three European titles and four American Nationals titles, and said he had most recently lived in Arizona after moving around a lot.

      Where in the source: Answer 1 — 'My main Titles'

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, 'This Leg Drag Option Works Great Against A Strong Knee Line (Supine Guard)' (article, 25 July 2023)(opens in a new tab)

    • In July 2023 BJJEE published a leg drag pass against a strong knee line in supine guard as explained by Doederlein, alongside promotion for his instructional on footwork-based passing against supine guard.

      Where in the source: Body after the introduction — 'as explained by Isaac Doederlein'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF results database, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022' (official results)(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2022 World Championship list Isaac Doederlein of Alliance first in the male adult black belt featherweight division, ahead of Diego Sodré of Nova União, with Daniel Maira and Samuel Nagai third.

      Where in the source: Results page 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022', division 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (154.60LB)', places 1, 2, 3, 3

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF results database, 'European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022' (official results)(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2022 European Championship list Doederlein (Alliance) second in the male adult black belt featherweight division, behind Diego Sodré of Nova União.

      Where in the source: Results page 'European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022', division 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (70.00KG)', places 1 and 2

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF results database, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023' (official results)(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2023 World Championship list Doederlein (Alliance) third in the male adult black belt featherweight division, which Samuel Nagai won.

      Where in the source: Results page 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023', division 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (154.60LB)', places 1 and 3

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF results database, 'European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2020' (official results)(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2020 European Championship list Doederlein (Alliance) first in the male adult black belt featherweight division, ahead of Leonardo Saggioro of Brazilian Top Team.

      Where in the source: Results page 'European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2020', division 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (70.00KG)', places 1 and 2

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010' (official results page)(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's results for the 2010 World Championship list Doederlein, representing Gracie Humaitá, first in the adult male blue belt light featherweight division.

      Where in the source: Results page 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010', division 'ADULT / BLUE / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER', place 1

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, '2025 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals Results' (results report, May 2025)(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2025 Brazilian Nationals, whose finals were held on 5 May 2025 in Barueri, São Paulo, Doederlein reached the featherweight final, beating Luan Gomes and Cleber Sousa on advantages, and lost to Cole Abate on an advantage after a 2–2 score; BJJ Heroes called it the event's first all-American featherweight final.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs and featherweight results — 'first All-American featherweight final'

      Accessed:

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage