Nivaldo Oliveira became one of the top medium heavyweight fighters in jiu jitsu under Rodrigo Cavaca's coaching, a position he achieved with wins over stand-outs such as Augusto Ferrari, Leandro Lo and Leonardo Nogueira. Nivaldo, also known as "Nil", was graded as a black belt by Leo Vieira after winning the World Jiu Jitsu Championship and the World Jiu Jitsu Cup as a brown belt in 2007.