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Mauro Chueng

Carlson Gracie lineage black belt from Rio de Janeiro who co-founded the Rio Grappling Club, a BJJ team with affiliates across Europe.

Biography

Mauro Chueng — full name Mauro Sergio Chueng da Silva — was born on 17 August 1978 in Rio de Janeiro and grew up in the Favela do Cantagalo, close to Copacabana. His first coach was Maurício Strauch, who still runs an academy in Copacabana, but the stay was brief. Chueng then trained under Ricardo "Kiko" Velloso, himself a Carlson Gracie black belt, who awarded him his blue, purple, and brown belts. His own black belt followed on 10 August 1999, awarded by Sergio "Bolão" Souza — another Carlson Gracie black belt, who lists Chueng by name among the black belts he has personally promoted. Both teachers trace back to Carlson Gracie himself, two separate branches meeting at the same source. Chueng has continued to earn degrees on that black belt since, though his current rank is not documented. On the mat, Chueng won the Copa Rio de Janeiro twice and took silver with the Brazilian National Team at purple belt in 1997, then bronze at the Brazilian Nationals in 1999, the year he made black belt. His last major individual result came after he had relocated to Portugal: silver at the 2005 European Championship, also reported at the time by the Portuguese regional paper Barlavento. Between 2009 and 2010, Chueng, whom Sherdog's fighter database lists as Brazilian, also competed in mixed martial arts. His verified professional record is two wins, no losses, and one draw: a submission win over João Duarte at Dynamite Fight Night 15, a decision win over Isaac da Gun at Dynamite Fight Night 12, and a draw against Helson Henriques at Combate MMA 1. By then Chueng was also building something bigger than his own competition record. Roberto "Risada" Atalla had started Rio Grappling Club in 2003 as a sports society at SOAS University of London; Chueng joined two years later. It grew, under the two of them, into a team with affiliates across Europe, with Chueng and Atalla named together as its founding leaders. By 2020, when the Portuguese paper Barlavento profiled him, Chueng was training champions of his own at an academy bearing his name on the Algarve coast.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, "Mauro Chueng"(opens in a new tab)

    • Mauro Chueng's full legal name is Mauro Sergio Chueng da Silva.

      Where in the source: Full Name: Mauro Sergio Chueng da Silva

      Accessed:

    • Mauro Chueng was born on 17 August 1978 in Rio de Janeiro, and raised in the Cantagalo favela near Copacabana.

      Where in the source: Mauro Chueng was born on the 17th of August, 1978 in Rio de Janeiro, and raised on the Favela do Cantagalo, a Brazilian slum close to Copacabana

      Accessed:

    • Chueng is Brazilian, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro.

      Where in the source: born on the 17th of August, 1978 in Rio de Janeiro, and raised on the Favela do Cantagalo, a Brazilian slum

      Accessed:

    • Chueng is one of the founding members of Rio Grappling Club, which he co-leads with Roberto "Risada" Atalla.

      Where in the source: Chueng is also one of the founding members of the Rio Grappling Club, a strong BJJ team with affiliates all over Europe, a team which is led by Mr Chueng and Roberto "Risada" Atalla.

      Accessed:

    • Chueng's black belt was awarded by Sergio Bolão (Souza) on 10 August 1999.

      Where in the source: though his black belt was awarded by another BJJ Legend, Sergio Bolao on the 10th of August, 1999.

      Accessed:

  • Barlavento, "Academia Mauro Chueng forma campeões de jiu-jitsu no Algarve", José Garrancho, 25 January 2020(opens in a new tab)

    • Independent Portuguese newspaper confirms Chueng was born in the Cantagalo favela, Rio de Janeiro, and gives his age as 41 in a January 2020 article, consistent with a 17 August 1978 birth date.

      Where in the source: Mauro Sérgio Chueng da Silva, 41 anos, é um caso típico de iniciação em artes marciais para defesa da sua integridade física. Nasceu na favela Cantagalo, no Rio de Janeiro

      Accessed:

    • Independent Portuguese newspaper corroborates that Chueng became a black belt in 1999.

      Where in the source: Em 1999, tornou-se faixa preta

      Accessed:

    • Independent Portuguese newspaper corroborates the 2005 European Championship silver medal.

      Where in the source: Em 2005, já residente em Portugal e com os mais importantes títulos brasileiros no seu palmarés, foi medalha de prata no Campeonato Europeu.

      Accessed:

  • Sherdog.com, "Mauro Chueng" fighter profile(opens in a new tab)

    • Mauro Chueng's nationality is Brazilian.

      Where in the source: Brazil

      Accessed:

  • Rio Grappling Club, "About us"(opens in a new tab)

    • Mauro Chueng joined the Rio Grappling Club in 2005, and the club (and his team affiliation) is Rio Grappling Club.

      Where in the source: In 2005 his friend Mauro Chueng joined the team, and the Rio Grappling Club became a network.

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Sergio Souza"(opens in a new tab)

    • Mauro Chueng is named explicitly on Sergio "Bolão" Souza's own published list of black belts he has personally promoted, directly confirming Chueng's black belt rank and lineage under a Carlson Gracie black belt.

      Where in the source: List of Segio Bolao Souza's Black Belts ... Marco Garambone; Maurizio Spinelli; Mauro Antony; Mauro Chueng; Murilo Rupp; Nei Cunha;

      Accessed:

    • Sergio "Bolão" Souza, who awarded Chueng's black belt, is himself a Carlson Gracie black belt -- the direct link that places Chueng in the Carlson Gracie lineage (matches the carlson_gracie_team tag already on the live record).

      Where in the source: A black belt under Master Carlson Gracie, Sergio Souza was also the co-founder of Rio Jiu-Jitsu Club, a successful grappling academy

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Ricardo Kiko Velloso"(opens in a new tab)

    • Ricardo "Kiko" Velloso, who awarded Chueng his blue, purple and brown belts, is himself a Carlson Gracie black belt -- identity-critical corroboration that Chueng's development runs through the Carlson Gracie line before his black belt from Sergio Bolão.

      Where in the source: who earned his black belt rank from the late Carlson Gracie, being one of the historic members of Carlson's powerful competition team during the 1980s and 1990s.

      Accessed:

Lineage

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Trained under

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