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Pedro Régis da Cunha Mello

Pedro Mello built a jiu-jitsu career spanning black-belt competition in Brazil and coaching in Texas.

Biography

Pedro Régis da Cunha Mello built his jiu-jitsu career through black-belt competition in Brazil and coaching work that later took him to Texas. Most of the available biographical account comes from BJJ Heroes. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1982, he moved to Santa Catarina as an infant and began training at thirteen under Paulo Sérgio Santos. Santos guided him through purple belt. When Mello later moved to Alexandre de Souza’s Gracie Floripa academy, he continued to represent his first instructor. Mello received his black belt on October 4, 2006, in a ceremony led by Carlos Machado on Santos’s behalf. Competition remained part of his work after the promotion. At the 2011 Rio International Open, he placed third in the adult male black-belt medium-heavy division while entered for Gracie Florianopolis. Official IBJJF results also place him joint third in the adult male black-belt medium-heavy division at the 2015 Pan championship. A 2014 visit to the United States led to a head-coach position at an Atos affiliate in Texas. Among the students he instructed was Rafael Mansur. Mello awarded Mansur his black belt in June 2015, while Mansur was training at PSLPB. Mello returned to Brazil in 2016.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, ‘Pedro Mello’, biography section, accessed 9 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes reports that Mello reached black belt on 4 October 2006 in a ceremony led by Carlos Machado on behalf of Paulo Sérgio Santos.

      Where in the source: Biography — promotion paragraph; anchor: ‘October 4, 2006’.

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes gives his full name as Pedro Régis da Cunha Mello and reports that he was born in Rio de Janeiro on 17 December 1982 before moving to Santa Catarina as an infant.

      Where in the source: Pedro Mello Biography — opening paragraph and Full Name field.

      Accessed:

    • Mello began jiu-jitsu at thirteen with Paulo Sérgio Santos, who guided him through purple belt; he continued to represent Santos after moving to Alexandre de Souza's Gracie Floripa academy.

      Where in the source: Biography — training paragraph; anchor: ‘white to purple’.

      Accessed:

    • After turning professional as a black belt, Mello combined competition and coaching; a 2014 United States visit led to a head-coach role at an Atos affiliate in Texas, and he returned to Brazil in 2016.

      Where in the source: Biography — final two paragraphs; anchor: ‘head coach’.

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF/CBJJ, ‘Rio International Open IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2011’, official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official 2011 Rio International Open results list Pedro Regis Da Cunha Mello of Gracie Florianopolis in third place in the adult male black-belt medium-heavy division.

      Where in the source: ADULTO / PRETA / MASCULINO / MEIO PESADO — fourth entry, tied third; athlete and team in the same row.

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Metrics, ‘Pedro Regis Da Cunha Mello’, competition profile, accessed 9 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Metrics lists Mello as a black-belt adult medium-heavy competitor for Gracie Florianopolis and records the same third-place Rio 2011 result, along with 2011 South American silver and 2010 South American bronze.

      Where in the source: Competition Results — Rio 2011 and both South American rows; compare Division, Place and Team columns.

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, ‘Rafael Mansur’, lead, lineage and biography sections, accessed 9 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Rafael Mansur's BJJ Heroes biography identifies Pedro Mello as his instructor and reports that Mello awarded him the black belt in June 2015 while Mansur trained at PSLPB.

      Where in the source: Rafael Mansur Biography — PSLPB paragraph; anchor: ‘June 2015’.

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Championship Results 358, official 2015 Pan public results.(opens in a new tab)

    • Official IBJJF results list Pedro Gonçalves Régis da Cunha Mello of Atos Jiu-Jitsu USA in joint third place in the adult male black-belt medium-heavy division at the 2015 Pan championship.

      Where in the source: Athletes Results By Category → ADULT / MALE / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY; fourth entry, tied third.

      Accessed:

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