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Leonardo Nogueira

“Leo”

Source: bjjheroes.com

Brazilian heavyweight who beat his old training partner Buchecha in a 2011 world final, then left Brazil to teach for Alliance in Miami and Atlanta.

Biography

Leonardo Pires Nogueira, usually called Leo, is a Brazilian heavyweight who won IBJJF world titles at blue, brown and black belt and then moved to the United States to teach. A black belt under Fábio Gurgel, he is a head instructor at Alliance Atlanta in Sandy Springs, Georgia. He was born on May 12, 1987, in Guarujá, in São Paulo state. As a teenager he started training with the Integração team, and BJJ Heroes names Elcio Figueiredo, of Integração in Santos, as the teacher he began under. In a 2013 interview he named Fábio Romão, Nivaldo Oliveira and Marcus Almeida, known as Buchecha, among his training partners there. BJJ Heroes gives his height as 1.90 m and credits his long build with making him a dangerous guard player early in his career. At the 2006 World Championship, competing for EOFC Integração, he won the blue-belt middleweight division. To commit himself to the sport, he later said, he gave up his college studies, moved to São Paulo and reorganized his routine. By 2008 he was competing for Alliance and training at its São Paulo academy under Gurgel. That year he won the brown-belt super-heavyweight division at the World Championship, and in 2009 he took the brown-belt open class, beating Kayron Gracie in the final. Gurgel promoted him to black belt after those 2009 Worlds. BJJ Heroes dates the promotion to July 1, 2009, and says Sergio Santos was promoted at the same ceremony. Graciemag wrote in 2011 that he had entered the black-belt division with high expectations and found the climb hard. That year he won the open class at the Brazilian Nationals, finishing ahead of Alliance teammate Sergio Moraes, and then took his first black-belt world title, in the super-heavyweight division. Graciemag counted João Assis and Buchecha among the opponents he had to face. The final was against Buchecha, his old training partner from Integração. Nogueira said he was taken down early and that the match ended level, two points and two advantages each, with the referees deciding it. The title, he told Graciemag, felt like relief. In 2011 he put his preparation at six hours a day: jiu-jitsu in the morning, usually a swim in the afternoon, technique later on and physical conditioning at night. Two years later he said he began preparing two months before a competition, with strength and conditioning six times a week under coach Tavai Santos, one hard jiu-jitsu session a day and a swim every morning. In 2012 he won the super-heavyweight division at both the Brazilian Nationals and the World Championship, with Bernardo Faria second each time. At the Worlds he also reached the open-class final and lost it to Buchecha. Graciemag later wrote that he had been about ten seconds from that title when a Buchecha takedown decided the match. In November he shared the open class at the South American Championship with Alliance teammate Léo Leite, taking silver, and won gold in his weight division the next day. In the open-class semifinal he had submitted Guto Campos with a forearm choke as Campos tried to recover half guard. He told Graciemag that at that tournament he went for the finish from every position instead of following a set game plan. He also taught seven-day seminars in Slovenia in 2012 and in Zagreb, Croatia. In January 2013 Graciemag counted him among the favorites for the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP in Rio de Janeiro. He was drawn into what was called the group of death and opened against Keenan Cornelius, then a brown belt. His goals for the year, he said, were the open-class world title, competing at ADCC and an MMA fight at the end of the year. BJJ Heroes' fight record has him beating Alexandre Ribeiro and Alexandre Ceconi, drawing with Cornelius and losing to Rodolfo Vieira in the group, then beating Braga Neto in the semifinal before Vieira won the final on advantages. At the European Championship that January he and Faria closed out the open class, meaning the two teammates did not contest the final, and the IBJJF results list Nogueira first. A Graciemag report carried by BJJ Eastern Europe has him reaching that final by submitting Masahiro Iwasaki, Bruno Mathias and Alexander Trans. A knee injury kept him out of the 2013 World Championship. At the 2013 ADCC World Championship in Beijing he took bronze in the 99-kilogram division; BJJ Heroes' record shows a semifinal loss to João Assis by heel hook and a win over Cristiano Lazzarini for third place. In August 2013 he said he would soon move to Miami to teach at a new official Alliance school and to start MMA training at the Black House gym. Before leaving Brazil he had also helped Maurício Rua, known as Shogun, the former Pride and UFC champion, train for MMA. He moved late in 2013 to teach at the Black House/Alliance academy in Miami Beach; the opening, he explained in an interview with Tatame, came through one of his students who wanted to start a gym there. In January 2014 he said he was training with Roberto Cyborg at the same level he had known with Gurgel in São Paulo, and learning a different kind of jiu-jitsu. He sat out the 2014 European Championship, so the open-class title he had won there went undefended. Looking back in 2015, he told Graciemag that teaching in Miami had left him with a class of beginners and no proper training partner. He taught four classes a day, could get to Cyborg's academy only once or twice a week, and said that was not enough to stay at a high level. Graciemag judged that his results in 2013 and 2014 had not matched his earlier level. In February 2015 he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he trained and taught alongside Romero Cavalcanti, known as Jacaré, at Alliance headquarters. He compared training and teaching in one place, with Jacaré correcting his mistakes, to his São Paulo years, when Gurgel gave him no room to breathe, and said he was training more than ever. At the 2015 Pan Championship he beat Keenan Cornelius on his way to third place in the open class, and he and Faria, his former roommate in São Paulo, closed out the super-heavyweight division, with Faria listed first. At the 2016 Pan he finished second in the heavyweight division behind Cássio Francis da Silva. At the 2021 World Master Championship in Las Vegas he won both the Master 1 super-heavyweight division and the Master 1 open class. Graciemag reported three wins on his way to the super-heavyweight final, and Diogo Nascimento was his opponent in both finals. At Alliance Atlanta, the academy's page says, his classes follow Jacaré's emphasis on proper technique and teach jiu-jitsu meant to work both in competition and for self-defense. BJJ Heroes lists the Tozzi pass, also known as the São Paulo guard pass, as his favorite technique. The pass gives its name to his instructional series, The São Paulo Passing System, and a 2023 BJJ Eastern Europe article uses a clip from the series in which he demonstrates a high-posture version against the closed guard.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, "Leonardo Nogueira" fighter profile.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes gives his full name as Leonardo Pires Nogueira and says he is usually called Leo.

      Where in the source: Profile fact list, Full Name and Nickname lines — "Leonardo Pires Nogueira"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says he was born on 12 May 1987 in Guarujá, in São Paulo state, Brazil.

      Where in the source: Leonardo Nogueira Biography section, opening sentence — "12th of May 1987"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says he began jiu-jitsu under Elcio Figueiredo of the Integração team in Santos, São Paulo state.

      Where in the source: Leonardo Nogueira Biography section, first paragraph — "Elcio Figueiredo"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes dates his black-belt promotion to 1 July 2009, shortly after his brown-belt open-class world title, at a ceremony where Sergio Santos was also promoted.

      Where in the source: Leonardo Nogueira Biography section, last paragraph — "1st of July 2009"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes names the Tozzi pass, which it also calls the São Paulo guard pass, as his favorite technique.

      Where in the source: Profile fact list, Favorite Position/Technique line — "Tozzi Pass"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says he is 1.90 m tall and that his long frame made him a dangerous guard player early in his career.

      Where in the source: Leonardo Nogueira Biography section, first paragraph, height in brackets — "1,90m"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record lists his ADCC 2013 matches at 99 kg: wins over Alian Drueco and Mikael Knutsson, a semifinal loss to João Assis by heel hook, and a win over Cristiano Lazzarini in the third-place match.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, ADCC rows for 2013 (columns opponent, W/L, method, competition, weight, stage, year) — stage "3PLC"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record lists his run at the 2013 Copa Pódio heavyweight grand prix: group-stage wins over Alexandre Ribeiro and Alexandre Ceconi, a draw with Keenan Cornelius and a loss to Rodolfo Vieira, a semifinal win over Braga Neto, and a final lost to Rodolfo Vieira on advantages.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, Copa Podio rows for 2013, weight 100KG, stages GP, SF and F

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag (Redação Graciemag), "Léo Nogueira's relief", 15 June 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag wrote in June 2011 that he had been the brown-belt open-class world champion in 2009 and arrived at black belt with high expectations, but that his path at the top level had not been easy.

      Where in the source: Article introduction, first paragraph — "highly touted"

      Accessed:

    • In 2011, after winning the open class at the Brazilian Nationals, he won his first black-belt world title; Graciemag names João Assis and Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida among the opponents he had to face.

      Where in the source: Article introduction, first paragraph — "first world title"

      Accessed:

    • He told Graciemag that Buchecha took him down early in the 2011 world final, that the match ended level at two points and two advantages each, and that the referees decided it.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to the first question about the hardest moment — "hands of the judges"

      Accessed:

    • In 2011 he described six hours of daily preparation: jiu-jitsu in the morning, usually swimming in the afternoon, technique later in the day and physical conditioning at night.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer about his solid phase — "six hours of preparation"

      Accessed:

    • He told Graciemag the black-belt world title felt like relief, and that to commit to jiu-jitsu he had left college, moved to São Paulo and reorganized his routine.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer about winning a world title as a black belt — "dropped out of college"

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag (Redação Graciemag), "South Americans: Léo Nogueira Explains Forearm Choke on Guto Campos in Absolute", 26 November 2012.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2012 South American Championship he and Alliance teammate Léo Leite shared the open class, with Nogueira taking silver, and the next day he won gold in his weight division.

      Where in the source: Article opening paragraph — "closed out the absolute division"

      Accessed:

    • He told Graciemag he submitted Guto Campos with a forearm choke in the open-class semifinal when Campos tried to recover half guard, and that at that event he went for the finish from every position instead of following a fixed game plan.

      Where in the source: Quotes in the third to fifth paragraphs — "forearm choke"

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag (Redação Graciemag), "Léo Nogueira on Copa Pódio: 'I'll Be Watching Out for Keenan's Guard'", 3 January 2013.(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2013 Graciemag described him as training out of Guarujá and as one of the favorites for the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP in Rio de Janeiro, where he was drawn into the group seen as the 'group of death' and opened against brown belt Keenan Cornelius.

      Where in the source: Article introduction and first question — "group of death"

      Accessed:

    • He told Graciemag that his goals for 2013 were the open-class world title, competing at the 2013 ADCC and an MMA fight at the end of the year.

      Where in the source: Last question, about plans for 2013 — "world absolute title"

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag (Redação Graciemag), "Leo Nogueira proclaims his return to the Jiu-Jitsu elite after results at the 2015 Pan", 20 March 2015.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag wrote in 2015 that in the 2012 world open-class final he was about ten seconds from the title when a takedown by Marcus Buchecha decided the match.

      Where in the source: Article body, first paragraph — "10 seconds away"

      Accessed:

    • He told Graciemag in 2015 that teaching in Miami had left him with a class of beginners and no proper training partner; he taught four classes a day and could train at Roberto Cyborg's academy only once or twice a week, which he said was not enough to stay at a high level.

      Where in the source: First quote in the interview — "four classes a day"

      Accessed:

    • Graciemag wrote that his results in 2013 and 2014 fell short of his earlier level, and that in February 2015 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to train and teach at Alliance headquarters with Romero 'Jacaré' Cavalcanti.

      Where in the source: Article body, second paragraph and the paragraph after the first quote — "Alliance headquarters"

      Accessed:

    • He said training and teaching in one place, with Jacaré correcting his mistakes, was like his São Paulo years when Fábio Gurgel gave him no room to breathe, and that he was training more than ever.

      Where in the source: Third quote in the interview — "training more than ever"

      Accessed:

    • At the 2015 Pan he beat Keenan Cornelius on his way to the open-class podium, and he and Bernardo Faria, former roommates in São Paulo, closed out the super-heavy division.

      Where in the source: Photo captions, first and second images — "Former roommates"

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Eastern Europe, "2X World Champ Leo Nogueira On His Daily Swimming Training & His Move To The USA", 7 August 2013.(opens in a new tab)

    • He told BJJ Eastern Europe in 2013 that he started training at 15 at Integração jiu-jitsu, where his training partners included Marcus Buchecha, Rodrigo Cavaca, Fábio Romão and Nivaldo Oliveira.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 2 about his jiu-jitsu story — "15 years old"

      Accessed:

    • He said he moved to São Paulo in 2008 and began training at Alliance São Paulo under Fábio Gurgel.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 2 — "start training in Alliance SP"

      Accessed:

    • He said he was promoted to black belt by Fábio Gurgel after the 2009 World Championship, where he won the brown-belt open class with a final win over Kayron Gracie.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 2, after the 2009 Worlds — "promoted to black belt"

      Accessed:

    • In 2013 he said that before competitions he followed a two-month preparation, with strength and conditioning six times a week under coach Tavai Santos, one hard jiu-jitsu session a day and a swim every morning.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 3 about his training regimen — "swim in the morning"

      Accessed:

    • He said he had taught seven-day seminars in Slovenia in 2012 and in Zagreb, Croatia.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 5 about Croatia and Slovenia

      Accessed:

    • Having competed at heavy, super heavy and ultra heavy, he said he felt most comfortable at super heavy.

      Where in the source: Interview, question and answer 4 about weight divisions

      Accessed:

    • In August 2013 he said he would soon move to Miami to teach at a new official Alliance school and to start MMA training at the Black House gym.

      Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 6 about moving to the United States

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Eastern Europe (from an interview with Tatame), "Leo Nogueira: 'I've Moved To Miami, Will Fight Copa Podio & Worlds Then Focus On MMA.'", 24 January 2014.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Eastern Europe, citing an interview he gave to Tatame, reported in January 2014 that he had moved to Miami late in 2013 to teach at the Black House/Alliance gym in Miami Beach, an opportunity that came through one of his students who wanted to open a gym there.

      Where in the source: Article introduction and his answer about the move — "a student of mine"

      Accessed:

    • He said that in Miami he was training with Roberto 'Cyborg', that the level matched his training with Fábio Gurgel in São Paulo, and that he was learning a different kind of jiu-jitsu there.

      Where in the source: His answer about the move and training with Cyborg — "the great champion Cyborg"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Eastern Europe reported that he had missed the 2013 World Championship because of a knee injury.

      Where in the source: Section Focus on Copa Podio and the Worlds — "knee injury"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Eastern Europe reported that he could not defend his European open-class title at the 2014 championship, and he said he would stay out of that event.

      Where in the source: Article introduction and first quote — "absolute crown"

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Eastern Europe reported that before moving to the United States he had helped former Pride and UFC champion Maurício 'Shogun' Rua train for MMA, and that he planned his own MMA debut after the 2014 Worlds.

      Where in the source: Section MMA debut and his quote below it — "Shogun"

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2011, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2011 European Championship results list him second in the adult male black-belt heavyweight division, behind Alliance teammate Bernardo Faria.

      Where in the source: Division ADULT / BLACK / MALE / HEAVY, place 2 — "leonardo pires nogueira"

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2006, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2006 World Championship results list Leonardo Nogueira of EOFC Integração first in the adult male blue-belt middleweight division.

      Where in the source: Division ADULT / BLUE / MALE / MIDDLE, place 1 — "EOFC Integração"

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2008, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2008 World Championship results list Leonardo Nogueira of Alliance first in the adult male brown-belt super-heavy division.

      Where in the source: Division ADULT / BROWN / MALE / SUPER HEAVY, place 1 — "Leonardo Nogueira"

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2009, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2009 World Championship results list Leonardo Nogueira of Alliance first in the adult male brown-belt open class, with Kayron Gracie of Gracie Barra second.

      Where in the source: Division ADULT / BROWN / MALE / OPEN CLASS, places 1 and 2 — "leonardo nogueira"

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2011, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2011 World Championship results list him first in the adult male black-belt super-heavy division for Alliance, ahead of Marcus Almeida, with Antonio Peinado and João Assis third.

      Where in the source: Division ADULT / BLACK / MALE / SUPER HEAVY, place 1, name spelled "Leonardo Noguera"

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2011, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's results for the 2011 Brazilian Nationals list Leonardo Nogueira of Alliance first in the adult male black-belt open class, ahead of teammate Sergio Moraes, and third in the super-heavy division.

      Where in the source: Divisions ADULT / BLACK / MALE / OPEN CLASS, place 1, and ADULT / BLACK / MALE / SUPER HEAVY, place 3

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2012, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2012 World Championship results list Leonardo Pires Nogueira of Alliance first in the adult male black-belt super-heavy division, ahead of Bernardo Faria, and second in the open class behind Marcus Almeida.

      Where in the source: Divisions MALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER HEAVY (215.00LB), place 1, and MALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS, place 2

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2012, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's results for the 2012 Brazilian Nationals list Leonardo Pires Nogueira of Alliance first in the adult male black-belt super-heavy division, ahead of Bernardo Faria.

      Where in the source: Division MALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER HEAVY (97.50KG), place 1

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2013, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2013 European Championship results list Leonardo Pires Nogueira of Alliance first in the adult male black-belt open class, with teammate Bernardo Faria second, and third in the ultra-heavy division.

      Where in the source: Divisions MALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS, place 1, and MALE / ADULT / BLACK / ULTRA HEAVY, place 3

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2015, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2015 Pan Championship results list Leonardo Pires Nogueira of Alliance second in the adult male black-belt super-heavy division, behind teammate Bernardo Faria, and third in the open class.

      Where in the source: Divisions MALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER HEAVY (215.00LB), place 2, and MALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS, place 3

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2016, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2016 Pan Championship results list Leonardo Pires Nogueira of Alliance second in the adult male black-belt heavyweight division, behind Cássio Francis da Silva.

      Where in the source: Division MALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY (202.00LB), place 2

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2021, results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's 2021 World Master Championship results list Leonardo Pires Nogueira of Alliance first in both the Master 1 male black-belt super-heavy division and the Master 1 open class, with Diogo Silveira do Nascimento second in both.

      Where in the source: Divisions MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / SUPER HEAVY (222.00LB) and MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / OPEN CLASS, place 1

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Eastern Europe (source: Graciemag), "Europeans: Faria & Nogueira Close Out Absolute, Luanna To Meet Michelle in Final", 27 January 2013.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Eastern Europe, crediting Graciemag, reported that at the January 2013 European Championship he and Alliance teammate Bernardo Faria closed out the open class, so the male open class had no final match because the two finalists were teammates; Nogueira reached the final with submissions of Masahiro Iwasaki, Bruno Mathias and Alexander Trans.

      Where in the source: Report on day 3, paragraphs on the male open class — "left without a final match"

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag Newsroom, "Léo Nogueira, Treta, Cyborg e mais destaques do Mundial Master 2021", 12 November 2021.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that at the 2021 World Master Championship in Las Vegas he won both the Master 1 super-heavy division and the open class, beating Diogo Nascimento in both finals after three wins on the way to the super-heavy final.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph of the report (in Portuguese) — "duplo ouro"

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag (Redação Graciemag), "Learn attacks from the closed guard with Leo Nogueira on his birthday", 12 May 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag marked his 29th birthday on 12 May 2016, which places his birth on 12 May 1987.

      Where in the source: Article opening line — "29th birthday this May 12"

      Accessed:

  • Alliance Jiu Jitsu Atlanta, instructor page "Leo Nogueira" (accessed October 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Alliance Jiu Jitsu Atlanta, in Sandy Springs, Georgia, lists him as a head instructor at Alliance Atlanta.

      Where in the source: Instructor page heading and first sentence — "head instructor at Alliance Atlanta"

      Accessed:

    • The Alliance Jiu Jitsu Atlanta instructor page describes him as a black belt under Fábio Gurgel.

      Where in the source: Instructor page, first sentence of the biography

      Accessed:

    • The academy's page says his classes follow Jacaré's emphasis on proper technique and teach jiu-jitsu meant to work both in competition and in self-defense.

      Where in the source: Instructor page, last sentence of the biography — "practical in competition"

      Accessed:

  • Wikipedia, "ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship" (revision 1378030582, 2 October 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Wikipedia's ADCC results tables list Leo Nogueira third at 99 kg at the 2013 ADCC World Championship, held in Beijing, behind João Assis and Dean Lister.

      Where in the source: Section ADCC 2013 medal table, 99 kg row, bronze column — "Leo Nogueira"; host city in the championships table, 2013 row

      Accessed:

    • In the same ADCC 2013 table, Wikipedia lists Leo Nogueira as representing Brazil (BRA).

      Where in the source: Section ADCC 2013 medal table, 99 kg row, bronze column — country code "BRA"

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Eastern Europe, technique article on his high-posture pass against the closed guard (title names the pass), 20 November 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • A 2023 BJJ Eastern Europe technique article shows him demonstrating a high-posture São Paulo pass against the closed guard, in a clip from his instructional series The São Paulo Passing System.

      Where in the source: Article body, paragraphs around the embedded video — "Passing System"

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2013ADCC 2013Source: adcombat.com-99 kgNo-giVerified3rd place-99 kgNo-giVerified

Lineage

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