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Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros

Largely raised by his grandmother in Manaus, Matheus Gabriel won IBJJF world gold as a new black belt in 2019 and again in 2025 and 2026.

Biography

Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros, who competes as Matheus Gabriel, is a Brazilian black belt who represents Checkmat and has his own academy, Inevat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, in Katy, Texas. He won the black belt featherweight division of the IBJJF World Championship in 2019 and the lightweight division in 2025 and 2026. He has called the grandmother who largely raised him the reason he competes. He was born in 1997 in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state in northern Brazil, and has said it was his grandmother who taught him right from wrong. She enrolled him in jiu-jitsu when he was eight because of his behavior at school. He did not take to it at first. He disliked the gripping and would rather have played football, but she kept him training, and in time he came to love the sport. He has said jiu-jitsu made him more disciplined, that his schoolwork improved, and that it gave him his first plane trip, at an age when he did not picture himself competing seriously or living abroad. Among his coaches in Manaus were Sammi Dias and Diogo Dutra. As a teenager he left Manaus for Rio de Janeiro to train full time in a social project run by Professor Márcio Rodrigues, which took one athlete from each Brazilian state and gave its members jiu-jitsu scholarships. Erberth Santos and Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa were among his teammates there. The project paid for his meals and his tournament entries, but his family had no money to send him for anything else. Looking back in 2019, he said he had left home at 14 to pursue a dream, was already training seven days a week, and put his outlook in one line: "while others are having fun, I am working." After nearly two years the project lost its funding and he returned to Manaus. He was soon offered a place in the Exclusive BJJ program, which would have him compete and coach in the United States, and with his grandmother's backing he went. According to BJJ Heroes, the route ran through a friend, John Kleicy Kurchat, who owned a Checkmat franchise in Manaus and recommended him to Keiser Girão, a coach in Dallas. He arrived in Texas as a teenage purple belt. The sponsorship from João Paulo Bertuccelli's Exclusive BJJ program was by his account the first that paid him, and he used the money to help his family in Brazil. He stayed in the program all the way to black belt and a world title. In Dallas he trained jiu-jitsu with Girão, who had himself learned under Rigan Machado, at the Checkmat academy inside the Mezger MMA gym. There he did conditioning work with Guy Mezger and wrestled under Melvin Lofton. Until he reached black belt, he told BJJ Heroes, he entered everything, Fight 2 Win, NAGA, Newbreed, JJWL and FIVE among them, because his coach wanted winning to become routine, and he used the smaller tournaments to build other parts of his game. BJJ Heroes credits him with 96 wins in 102 matches, 76 of them by finish, in a single year at purple belt in the United States, a brown belt record of 33 wins and one loss, and four Fight to Win Pro belts in four categories. At brown belt he also won the featherweight division at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2017 and at the World Championship in 2018. Girão promoted him to black belt in June 2018, on the World Championship podium where he had just won the brown belt featherweight title. Taking the belt then meant waiting five or six months before IBJJF rules allowed him to compete at black belt, and he has said that was his coach's plan: the time would go into preparing among the black belts at Checkmat's headquarters in Los Angeles. He moved there from Dallas, trained daily with the likes of Lucas Leite and Buchecha, and joked that each session was like a world final. In 2019 he won the black belt featherweight division at both the Pan Championship and the World Championship, where he submitted Márcio André in the final. BJJ Heroes wrote that no featherweight had previously won both in their debut season at black belt. Graciemag's June 2019 piece on his style described a technique video in which he shows a fast triangle, a choke applied with the legs, for the moment when both athletes pull guard. He grips the collar and the elbow rather than the sleeve, which he said gives little pressure, and places a foot on the opponent's hip to lift his own hips into the triangle. BJJ Heroes lists his favorite positions as the De La Riva and reverse De La Riva hooks. The same year he accepted an invitation to the ADCC World Championship. He told BJJ Heroes he had meant to rest a body that the previous years had been hard on, but that competing at ADCC had been a dream. In the 66 kg division he beat Geo Martinez and lost his next match to Augusto Mendes, both on referee decisions. For the No-Gi Pan in Texas in May 2021 he had moved up two weight classes, to middleweight, and he won the black belt division there, which Graciemag called his first big no-gi title. He submitted Michael Trasso with a triangle, beat Leo Silva and Felipe Cesar on points, and won the final against Hugo Marques by two points from a penalty. He said he felt stronger at the heavier weight without losing speed, that his strength without the gi was fighting forward from a guard that is hard to pass, and that he wanted superfights and more no-gi events. That August he competed in Brazil for the first time since 2015, beating Luan Carvalho with a 50/50 armbar at the second BJJBET event. Before the match he told TATAME that, although he lived in the United States, Brazil was his home and where his family was. He also said that some athletes grow afraid of losing once they hold a world title, that he had thought that way at first, and that he now wanted to compete as much as possible, in large and small events alike. The same year he won the black belt lightweight division at the Brazilian National Championship. At the 2021 World Championship, IBJJF's official results place him second at lightweight, behind his Checkmat teammate Renato Canuto. He did not compete again until May 2022. A serious shoulder injury, he said that month, had kept him out for months and made him fear he would not fight again, but physical therapy spared him surgery. He said the time away had taught him patience and more control over his decisions after a period of acting on impulse, that he had worked on his mind and begun to study jiu-jitsu methodically, and that the hardest part had been watching others compete. He returned at the Houston International Open on 21–22 May 2022 and won the black belt lightweight division with three armbars, the last against Fabricio Barbarotti in the final. He was then in camp at Checkmat in California, training every day with Professor Lucas Leite, whom he called his "teacher and friend for life." At the 2022 World Championship he lost 4–2 to Mica Galvão in the quarterfinals. In October he went to São Paulo for the BJJ Stars lightweight grand prix at the Pacaembu pavilion. Instead of his usual camp in California, he said, he had prepared with five or six friends in Houston, where he was opening an academy. He submitted Wallysson Oliveira with an armlock, beat Israel Almeida 4–2 and won the final against Meyram Maquiné 2–0, taking the prize of 100,000 reais. The event honored the late Leandro Lo, whom he called an idol, and he competed with an image of Lo's face on his gi. Afterwards he said he wanted a rematch with Galvão at BJJ Stars, and that the prize money would go to his grandmother. Speaking to ONE Championship ahead of his debut there that December, he said he had given her all of it. That debut, at 25, was a challenge for Kade Ruotolo's ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE on Prime Video 5, held in Manila's Mall of Asia Arena; ONE had added him to its submission grappling roster that year. He called signing with ONE an honor and said he would go for the submission. According to Graciemag's report, Ruotolo took him down early and pressed from on top, while he attacked from guard with triangles and an omoplata; Ruotolo came close with heel hook and leg lock attempts and kept the belt by unanimous decision. ONE's profile of him calls his game, built on armbars and attacks from the back, "The Black Hole." In May 2023 IBJJF reported that he was based in Katy, Texas, and building his own academy; he said he had moved to Houston the year before and had his own gym. The federation's register of certified black belts lists him today as a black belt, second degree, with Inevat as his academy. The 2023 World Championship was his last major championship before 2025. In January 2025 IBJJF wrote that in 2024 he had competed at the Lisbon Open and the Waco No-Gi Open without losing in either his weight class or the open class. In 2025 he lost to Alexandre Jesus on a referee decision in the semifinal of the Pan Championship and finished with bronze. At that year's World Championship he beat Jesus 4–2 on points in the semifinal and Andy Murasaki by the same score in the final to win the lightweight division. He went into the 2026 World Championship as the reigning champion, but IBJJF noted that his inactivity over the previous year had raised questions about how he would perform. The federation's bracket preview had credited him with elite technique and strategic skill and noted how seldom he gives up points. At the Pyramid in Long Beach he won three matches on the first day, one of them by armbar, beat Rômulo Rocha 4–2 in the semifinal and finished his Checkmat teammate Jackson Nagai with an armbar in the final. IBJJF's recap counted three submission wins in the run and judged that, despite the setbacks of his career, he remained the world's top lightweight. The same recap reported that he planned to compete at the European Championship the following January.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Matheus Gabriel' (fighter profile), undated.(opens in a new tab)

    • According to BJJ Heroes he was born in 1997 in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state in northern Brazil.

      Where in the source: Biography, first paragraph (date and place of birth)

      Accessed:

    • In Manaus his early coaching later passed to Sammi Dias and Diogo Dutra.

      Where in the source: Biography, third paragraph (early coaches)

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes gives his full name as Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros and also calls him Matheus Gabriel Barros.

      Where in the source: Profile header, field 'Full Name'; opening sentence

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says that at 15 he joined Márcio Rodrigues in Rio de Janeiro, whose project gave jiu-jitsu scholarships to promising young athletes and also included Erberth Santos, Lucas Barbosa and Ygor and Yago Rodrigues; he trained there for nearly two years and returned to Manaus when the programme lost its funding.

      Where in the source: Biography, fourth paragraph — 'BJJ scholarships'

      Accessed:

    • According to BJJ Heroes, his friend John Kleicy Kurchat, who owned a Checkmat franchise in Manaus, recommended him to Keiser Girão, a coach in Dallas, Texas, who brought him to the United States.

      Where in the source: Biography, fifth paragraph

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes credits him, in a single year as a purple belt competing in the United States, with 96 wins in 102 matches and 76 finishes.

      Where in the source: Biography, sixth paragraph (purple belt season in the US)

      Accessed:

    • In Dallas he trained jiu-jitsu with Keiser Girão at the local Checkmat academy inside the Mezger MMA gym, where he did conditioning work with Guy Mezger and trained wrestling under Melvin Lofton.

      Where in the source: Biography, eighth paragraph — 'Mezger MMA gym'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes records his brown belt record as 33 wins and one loss, with 23 submissions, and says he won four Fight to Win Pro belts in four categories, calling him the first athlete to do so in that promotion.

      Where in the source: Biography, eighth paragraph, end — '33-1-0'

      Accessed:

    • In June 2018, on the podium of the IBJJF World Championship, Keiser Girão promoted him to black belt.

      Where in the source: Biography, ninth paragraph — 'on the podium'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists his favourite positions as the De La Riva and reverse De La Riva hooks.

      Where in the source: Profile header, field 'Favorite Position/Technique'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record shows that at the 2019 ADCC World Championship, in the 66 kg division, he beat Geo Martinez and then lost to Augusto Mendes, both by referee decision.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, the two ADCC rows for 2019 (opponents Geo Martinez and Augusto Mendes)

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record shows that at the 2025 World Championship he beat Alexandre Jesus 4–2 on points in the semifinal and Andy Murasaki 4–2 on points in the final, after losing to Alexandre Jesus by referee decision in the semifinal of the 2025 Pan Championship.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, rows for World Champ. 2025 (stages SF and F) and Pan Champ. 2025 (stage SF)

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record lists his 2026 World Championship win over Rômulo Rocha as a 4–2 points win in the semifinal and his win over Jackson Nagai in the final as by armbar.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, rows for World Champ. 2026 (stages SF and F)

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight record shows that at BJJBET in 2021 he beat Luan Carvalho with a 50/50 armbar.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, row with opponent Luan Carvalho, BJJ Bet, 2021

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, '2026 World Championship Black Belt Recap', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 06/04/26.(opens in a new tab)

    • Matheus Gabriel of CheckMat won the black belt lightweight world title at the 2026 IBJJF World Championship at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California.

      Where in the source: Introduction (venue) and Male Divisions, 'Lightweight' section — 'World title performance'

      Accessed:

    • At the 2026 IBJJF World Championship Matheus Gabriel competed for CheckMat.

      Where in the source: 'Lightweight' section — 'The CheckMat standout'

      Accessed:

    • He entered the 2026 World Championship as the reigning lightweight world champion, and IBJJF wrote that his inactivity over the previous year had raised questions about how he would perform.

      Where in the source: 'Lightweight' section, first sentence — 'his inactivity'

      Accessed:

    • In Long Beach in 2026 he won three matches on the first day, one of them by armbar, then beat Rômulo Rocha on points and submitted Jackson Nagai in the final; IBJJF counted three submission finishes in his run.

      Where in the source: 'Lightweight' section, middle — 'beautiful armbar finish'; 'finals submission'

      Accessed:

    • IBJJF's recap of the 2026 World Championship reported that he intended to compete at the European Championship the following January, which IBJJF linked to a possible Grand Slam bid in 2027.

      Where in the source: 'Lightweight' section, last sentence — 'European Championships in January'

      Accessed:

    • IBJJF's recap described him as still the top lightweight in the world despite the setbacks of his career.

      Where in the source: 'Lightweight' section — 'top lightweight'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Certified Black Belts' register (search by name), read 6 October 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's register of certified black belts lists Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros as a black belt.

      Where in the source: Certified Black Belts, name search for Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro; single result row, GRADUATION column

      Accessed:

    • The same IBJJF register lists his graduation as black belt, second degree.

      Where in the source: Certified Black Belts, name search for Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro; GRADUATION column — 'Black 2nd degree'

      Accessed:

    • IBJJF's register of certified black belts lists his academy as Inevat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

      Where in the source: Certified Black Belts, name search for Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro; ACADEMY column

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2019, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2019 World Championship list Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros of CheckMat first in the adult male black belt featherweight division, ahead of Márcio André of Nova União.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (154.60LB)', place 1 and place 2 rows

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2019, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2019 Pan Championship list him first in the adult male black belt featherweight division.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (154.60LB)', place 1 row

      Accessed:

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

    • Conflicting accounts

      IBJJF's official results for the 2021 World Championship list him second in the adult male black belt lightweight division, behind his CheckMat teammate Renato Canuto.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (168.00LB)', place 1 and place 2 rows

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2021, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2021 Pan No-Gi Championship list him first in the adult male black belt middleweight division, ahead of Hugo Marques.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / MIDDLE (175.60LB)', place 1 and place 2 rows

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2021, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2021 Brazilian National Championship (Campeonato Brasileiro) list him first in the adult male black belt lightweight division.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (76.00KG)', place 1 row

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2025 Pan Championship list him among the two third places in the adult male black belt lightweight division; Alexandre Joaquim de Jesus won the division.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (168.00LB)', place 1 and the second place 3 row

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2025 World Championship list him first in the adult male black belt lightweight division, with Andy Murasaki second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (168.00LB)', place 1 and place 2 rows

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2026, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2026 World Championship list Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros of CheckMat first in the adult male black belt lightweight division, with his CheckMat teammate Jackson Nagai second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (168.00LB)', place 1 and place 2 rows

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2018, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2018 World Championship list him first in the adult male brown belt featherweight division.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / FEATHER (154.60LB)', place 1 row

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2017, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • IBJJF's official results for the 2017 World No-Gi Championship list him first in the adult male brown belt featherweight division.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category — heading 'MALE / ADULT / BROWN / FEATHER (149.00LB)', place 1 row

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Houston International Open Results: Matheus Gabriel Returns to Competition Ahead of the Worlds' (2022).(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2022 Houston International Open, held 21–22 May, his first competition since the 2021 World Championship, he won the black belt lightweight division with three submissions, all by armbar, the last against Fabricio Barbarotti in the final.

      Where in the source: 'In the lightweight division' paragraph and his quote — 'all by armbar'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Houston International Open Results: World Champ Matheus Gabriel Returns; Nathalie Ribeiro Wins Gold At Featherweight', published 05/15/23.(opens in a new tab)

    • In May 2023 IBJJF reported that he was based in Katy, Texas, and was building his own academy, Inevat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; he said he had moved to Houston the previous year and had his own gym.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs and his quote — 'I have my own gym'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, preview of the 2025 European Jiu-Jitsu Championships, published 01/06/25.(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2025 IBJJF wrote that his last major championship had been the 2023 World Championship, nearly two years earlier, and that in 2024 he had competed at the Lisbon Open and the Waco No-Gi Open without losing in his weight class or the open class.

      Where in the source: Section 'Matheus Gabriel Is Back in Major Competitions' — 'His last major event'; 'undefeated'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Black Belt Bracket Breakdowns: 2026 World Championships', published 05/30/26.(opens in a new tab)

    • Before the 2026 World Championship IBJJF described him as a two-time world champion with elite technique and strategic skill, known for rarely giving up points.

      Where in the source: Lightweight paragraph — 'stingy in giving up points'

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Matheus Gabriel Interview' (The Best Featherweight Debutant Of All Time), 2019 (undated on page; he had just turned 22).(opens in a new tab)

    • In a 2019 interview with BJJ Heroes he said he left home at 14 to pursue his dream, was already training seven days a week, and summed up his motto as 'while others are having fun, I am working'.

      Where in the source: Third paragraph, his quoted answer on leaving home and his motto

      Accessed:

    • He told BJJ Heroes that up to black belt he competed in everything — Fight 2 Win, NAGA, Newbreed, JJWL, FIVE — because his coach wanted winning to become part of his routine, and he used the smaller tournaments to develop other areas of his game.

      Where in the source: Fifth paragraph, his answer on activity — 'part of your routine'

      Accessed:

    • He said he received his black belt on the podium when he won the brown belt world title, although it left him five or six months before he could compete at black belt under IBJJF rules; it was his coach's plan, so that he could prepare by training with the black belts at CheckMat's headquarters in Los Angeles.

      Where in the source: Fifth paragraph, his answer on the black belt debut — 'coach's plan'

      Accessed:

    • He said that after moving from Dallas to CheckMat's headquarters in Los Angeles he trained daily with black belts such as Lucas Leite, Buchecha, Panza, Leozinho, Jack and Arnaldino, and joked that every training session there was a world final.

      Where in the source: Fifth paragraph, end of his answer — 'every training session is a worlds final'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes wrote that in his 2019 black belt debut season he won both the IBJJF Pan and World titles at featherweight, finishing Márcio André with a submission in the world final, and that no featherweight black belt debutant had won both before.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph (record claims for the featherweight division)

      Accessed:

    • Before his first ADCC in 2019 he told BJJ Heroes that he had planned to rest his body, which the previous years had been hard on, but accepted the invitation because competing at ADCC had been a dream.

      Where in the source: Seventh paragraph, his final quoted answer about ADCC

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, athlete profile 'Matheus Gabriel'.(opens in a new tab)

    • ONE Championship's athlete profile lists his country as Brazil and calls him 'the Brazilian'.

      Where in the source: Profile facts, field 'Country'; 'About Matheus Gabriel', fifth paragraph

      Accessed:

    • ONE Championship describes his game as a system of armbar and back-taking attacks known as 'The Black Hole' and says it gave him one of the highest submission rates among elite black belts in his division.

      Where in the source: 'About Matheus Gabriel', sixth paragraph — 'The Black Hole'

      Accessed:

    • ONE Championship's profile says he was born in Manaus, Brazil, started jiu-jitsu at 8, moved to the United States as a teenage purple belt to train at a Checkmat-affiliated academy in Dallas, and joined ONE's submission grappling roster in 2022.

      Where in the source: 'About Matheus Gabriel', second, third and seventh (last) paragraphs — 'in 2022'

      Accessed:

    • ONE Championship's record shows one ONE bout: a loss by unanimous decision to Kade Ruotolo in submission grappling at ONE on Prime Video 5, listed on 3 December 2022.

      Where in the source: 'ONE Championship Records', event results table

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, Jay Furness, '‘The Reason I’m Competing’ – How Matheus Gabriel’s Grandmother Drove Him To BJJ Stardom', 1 December 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • He was born in Manaus, Brazil, in 1997.

      Where in the source: Paragraph after the introduction (birthplace and year) — 'in 1997'

      Accessed:

    • He was raised mostly by his grandmother, and he has said it was from her that he learned right from wrong.

      Where in the source: Birth paragraph and his first quote — 'raised mostly'

      Accessed:

    • He said he started jiu-jitsu at 8 because his grandmother enrolled him over his behaviour at school; at first he disliked the gripping and preferred football, but she made him keep training and over time he fell in love with the sport.

      Where in the source: His quotes on starting the sport — 'when I was 8'

      Accessed:

    • He said jiu-jitsu made him more disciplined, that his schooling improved, and that his first plane trip was because of jiu-jitsu; at the time he did not imagine competing seriously or living abroad.

      Where in the source: His quotes after the enrolment passage — 'plane trip'

      Accessed:

    • At 15 he moved to Rio de Janeiro to train full time in a social project run by Professor Márcio Rodrigues, which had one athlete from each Brazilian state and where he met Lucas 'Hulk' Barbosa and Erberth Santos; the project paid for meals and championship entries, but his family had no money to send him for anything else.

      Where in the source: Passage on the move to Rio and his quotes — 'social project'

      Accessed:

    • When the Rio project lost its funding after a couple of years he went back to Manaus, but was soon offered a place in the Exclusive BJJ programme to coach and compete in the United States, and moved there with his grandmother's backing.

      Where in the source: Passage after the project quotes — 'lost its funding'

      Accessed:

    • He said the Exclusive BJJ sponsorship from João Paulo Bertuccelli was the first in which he earned money, that he used it to help his family in Brazil, and that he stayed with the programme from purple belt to black belt and a world title.

      Where in the source: His quote on the sponsorship — 'first sponsorship'

      Accessed:

    • He called his grandmother the reason he competes and teaches jiu-jitsu in the United States, and said he gave her all of the 100,000 reais he won at his most recent competition before the ONE bout.

      Where in the source: His quote on his grandmother — '100,000 reais'

      Accessed:

    • His ONE Championship debut, at 25, was a challenge for Kade Ruotolo's ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE on Prime Video 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila; he said signing with ONE was an honour and that he would go for the submission.

      Where in the source: Introduction and closing quotes — 'ONE Championship debut'

      Accessed:

  • ONE Championship, Ben Coate, 'Kade Ruotolo To Defend Submission Grappling World Title Against Matheus Gabriel At ONE on Prime Video 5', 11 November 2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • ONE announced in November 2022 that Kade Ruotolo would defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against Matheus Gabriel on 2 December 2022, describing Gabriel as a Checkmat representative and a black belt since 2018.

      Where in the source: Second and sixth paragraphs — 'A black belt since 2018'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'The style of the new featherweight world champion, Matheus Gabriel', Redação Graciemag, 05/06/2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported in June 2019 that he had won the world featherweight final against Márcio André, and described him as a student of Keiser Girão, who had trained under Rigan Machado.

      Where in the source: First paragraph — 'who studied under Rigan Machado'

      Accessed:

    • In a technique video described by Graciemag, he showed a quick triangle for when both athletes pull guard: he grips the collar and elbow rather than the sleeve, which he said gives little pressure, and puts his foot on the opponent's hip to lift his own hips into the triangle.

      Where in the source: Video description and his transcribed instructions — 'I don't like holding on the sleeve so much, because there isn't much pressure'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Matheus Gabriel shines at No-Gi Pan: “Writing my story”', Graciemag Newsroom, 02/06/2021.(opens in a new tab)

    • After his 2019 world title he moved up two weight divisions to middleweight, and at the No-Gi Pan in Texas in May 2021 he won the black belt middleweight division, which Graciemag called his first big no-gi title, submitting Michael Trasso with a triangle, beating Leo Silva and Felipe Cesar on points, and beating Hugo Marques in the final by two points from a penalty.

      Where in the source: First, second and fourth paragraphs — 'went up two weight divisions'

      Accessed:

    • He said he felt stronger at middleweight and kept his speed, that his no-gi strength was fighting forward with a hard-to-pass guard, and that he wanted superfights and more no-gi events.

      Where in the source: His quotes in the last three paragraphs — 'I felt stronger, and I kept my speed'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Matheus Gabriel finishes 3 at Houston Open, and gets pumped for the 2022 Worlds', Redação Graciemag, 28/05/2022.(opens in a new tab)

    • In May 2022 he said a serious shoulder injury had kept him out of competition for months and made him fear he would not fight again, and that thanks to physical therapy he had avoided surgery.

      Where in the source: Second and third paragraphs, his quote — 'I didn't need to have surgery'

      Accessed:

    • He said the time away taught him more patience and control over his decisions after a period of acting on impulse, that he worked on his mind and began to study jiu-jitsu methodically, and that the hardest part was watching others compete.

      Where in the source: Fourth and fifth paragraphs, his quote — 'methodically study Jiu-Jitsu'

      Accessed:

    • In 2022 he was in camp at Checkmat in California, training daily with Professor Lucas Leite, whom he called a teacher and friend for life.

      Where in the source: Last two paragraphs — 'teacher and friend for life'

      Accessed:

    • At the 2022 Houston Open he won the lightweight division by submitting all three opponents, beating Fabricio Barbarotti in the final.

      Where in the source: First paragraph — 'submitting in three fights'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'One FC: Kade Ruotolo derrota Matheus Gabriel e mantém cinturão', Gabriel Almada, 03/12/2022 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that Kade Ruotolo kept the ONE lightweight grappling belt by unanimous decision over the Brazilian Matheus Gabriel in the Philippines: Ruotolo took him down early and pressed from top, Gabriel attacked with triangles and an omoplata from guard, and Ruotolo came close with heel hook and leg lock attacks.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs of the fight report — 'decisão unânime'

      Accessed:

  • Lance!, 'Campeão do GP do BJJ Stars, Matheus Gabriel quer unificar títulos em revanche contra Mica Galvão', 25/10/2022 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • On 21 October 2022 at the Pacaembu pavilion in São Paulo he won the BJJ Stars lightweight grand prix and its 100,000-real prize, submitting Wallysson Oliveira with an armlock, beating Israel Almeida 4–2 and beating Meyram Maquiné 2–0 in the final.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph — 'GP dos leves'

      Accessed:

    • He said that instead of his usual camp in California he had prepared for the grand prix with five or six friends in Houston, where he was opening an academy.

      Where in the source: His first quote — 'cinco ou seis amigos'

      Accessed:

    • He said he would give the prize money to his grandmother, who had put him in jiu-jitsu in 2006 when he was 8; the event honoured the late Leandro Lo, whom he called an idol, and he competed with an image of Lo's face on his gi.

      Where in the source: Fourth to sixth paragraphs — 'ídolo'

      Accessed:

    • At the 2022 World Championship he lost in the quarterfinals to Mica Galvão, 4–2, and afterwards said he wanted a rematch with Galvão at BJJ Stars.

      Where in the source: Last two paragraphs — 'quartas de final'

      Accessed:

  • Lance!, 'Matheus Gabriel comenta duelo no BJJBET e volta ao Brasil após 6 anos: ‘Quero mostrar meu Jiu-Jitsu’', 01/08/2021 (Portuguese, citing an interview with TATAME).(opens in a new tab)

    • Before facing Luan Carvalho at the second BJJBET event on 1 August 2021, he had not competed in Brazil since 2015; living in the United States, he told TATAME that Brazil was his home and where his family was.

      Where in the source: Subtitle and his first quote — 'Sem lutar no Brasil desde 2015'

      Accessed:

    • He said that some athletes become afraid of losing once they hold a world title, that he had thought that way at first, but now wanted to compete as much as possible in both large and small events.

      Where in the source: His last quote, on staying active

      Accessed:

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