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Peter Blackwell

Malmö black belt under Leo Vieira who appears in Arte Suave's founding story in Copenhagen and gave Shimon Mochizuki every belt up to brown.

Biography

Peter Blackwell is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from MMA Alliance in Malmö. The Copenhagen club Arte Suave names him in its own founding story, set at a time when, by the club's account, Denmark had no BJJ club, and a register of Swedish black belts lists him as a grader from 2006 to 2016. His name appears early in Fighter Magazine's history of black belts in Swedish BJJ. In 2000, the magazine writes, Blackwell brought Leo Negão and Leo Neves to Stockholm, and the Bad Boy Cup was established; the magazine calls it the first recurring Swedish BJJ tournament. In July 2004 Leo Vieira promoted him to black belt. The Grapplingbloggen register gives the same month and grader, and lists his club as MMA Alliance Malmö and his team as Checkmat. Arte Suave's history page dates the Copenhagen club to 2002. Before it opened, Shimon Mochizuki and a training partner had for a period made a weekly trip to Malmö to train at MMA Alliance. Blackwell wanted to start a club in Copenhagen, and its first home was a basement near Vanløse station. A 2013 BJJEE interview says Mochizuki helped him open the school. Robert "Bobby" Sundel served for many years as head instructor of the club's MMA side. Around 2008 Blackwell and Sundel both stepped back to run their own clubs in Malmö, and according to the interview Mochizuki then started his own academy. Mochizuki told BJJEE that the team's taste for competition came from its first teachers, Blackwell and Sundel, who always encouraged their students to compete. A Digitsu profile of Mochizuki says Blackwell gave him every belt up to brown, and that Blackwell attended the 2008 ceremony at which Leozinho Vieira awarded him his black belt. The Grapplingbloggen register, which is compiled with help from readers, records Blackwell grading black belts alongside Leonardo Vieira between 2006 and 2009. The entries include Mikael Kretz of MMA Alliance in October 2006, with Ricardo Vieira also listed, Waldo Zapata the same year, Sundel himself in October 2008, Anders Ödahl in October 2009 and Tony Larsson that December. In July 2012 the register shows Blackwell as sole grader for a group from Ultimate Gym, among them Erik and Niklas Borg, and in November 2012 for Mehrdad Rostami of MMA Alliance Malmö. It credits him together with Larsson for Alexis Bexar and Jonas Gustafsson in January 2016, and alone for Fredrik Berntsson and Johan Karlsson of Karlshamn Fightcenter that November.

Sources for this profile

  • Fighter Magazine (Sweden), article on the first Swedish black belts in BJJ, text by Anders Eriksson, 24 January 2014(opens in a new tab)

    • Fighter Magazine's history of early black belts in Swedish BJJ records that Peter Blackwell was graded to black belt by Leo Vieira in July 2004.

      Where in the source: Section on the first black belts, the sentence listing the 2004 promotions; anchor: "graderas Peter Blackwell till svart av Leo Vieira".

      Accessed:

    • According to the same article, in 2000 Blackwell brought Leo Negão and Leo Neves to Stockholm, and the Bad Boy Cup tournament was established as the first recurring Swedish BJJ tournament.

      Where in the source: Section on BJJ coming to Sweden, final sentence; anchor: "År 2000 får Peter Blackwell med sig".

      Accessed:

  • Grapplingbloggen, reader-compiled register of Swedish black belts (page undated; newest comment 20 December 2025)(opens in a new tab)

    • Grapplingbloggen's register of black belts in Sweden lists Peter Blackwell with the club MMA Alliance Malmö, the team Checkmat, graded by Leonardo Vieira in July 2004.

      Where in the source: Alphabetical register, entry for Peter Blackwell; fields club, team, grader and date.

      Accessed:

    • The Grapplingbloggen register shows Blackwell as a grader of black belts together with Leonardo Vieira in several entries, among them Waldo Zapata (2006), Robert Sundel (18 October 2008), Anders Ödahl (6 October 2009) and Tony Larsson (December 2009).

      Where in the source: Register entries for Waldo Zapata, Robert Sundel, Anders Ödahl and Tony Larsson; field 'Graderad av' and date.

      Accessed:

    • The register also lists Mikael Kretz as graded in October 2006 by Leonardo Vieira, Ricardo Vieira and Blackwell, with the club given as MMA Alliance.

      Where in the source: Register entry for Mikael Kretz; fields club, grader, date.

      Accessed:

    • The same register lists Blackwell as sole grader of several Ultimate Gym black belts on 22 July 2012 (Erik Borg, Fredrik Johansson, Gunnar Blomkvist, Jimmy Palander, Niklas Borg) and of Mehrdad Rostami of MMA Alliance Malmö on 3 November 2012.

      Where in the source: Register entries for the named persons; field 'Graderad av' and date.

      Accessed:

    • Later register entries credit Blackwell, with Tony Larsson, for Alexis Bexar and Jonas Gustafsson on 30 January 2016, and alone for Fredrik Berntsson and Johan Karlsson of Karlshamn Fightcenter on 26 November 2016.

      Where in the source: Register entries for the named persons; field 'Graderad av' and date.

      Accessed:

  • Arte Suave BJJ og MMA, Copenhagen, club page 'Om Arte Suave'(opens in a new tab)

    • Arte Suave's own history page says the Copenhagen club began in 2002, after Shimon Mochizuki and a training partner had spent a period travelling weekly to Malmö to train BJJ at MMA Alliance, when Denmark had no BJJ club.

      Where in the source: About page, first paragraph of the history text; anchor: "MMA Aliance".

      Accessed:

    • The club page says Peter Blackwell of MMA Alliance was interested in starting a BJJ club in Copenhagen, and that its first premises were a basement near Vanløse station.

      Where in the source: About page, history text, second paragraph; anchor: "Peter Blackwell fra MMA Aliance".

      Accessed:

    • The club page says Robert 'Bobby' Sundel was also head instructor for many years for the club's MMA side, and that both he and Blackwell withdrew from the club around 2008 to run their own clubs in Malmö.

      Where in the source: About page, history text, final paragraph of the history section; anchor: "ca 2008".

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE (BJJ Eastern Europe), interview with Shimon Mochizuki, 28 March 2013(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJEE's 2013 interview introduction says Mochizuki began BJJ in Malmö, where Blackwell had an academy, training there once a week because Denmark had none; he later helped Blackwell open a school in Copenhagen and started his own academy after Blackwell withdrew from Denmark.

      Where in the source: Introductory biography above the questions; anchor: "Eventually Shimon helped Peter open a school".

      Accessed:

    • In the interview Mochizuki says the team's competitive culture came from its first teachers, Peter Blackwell and Bobby Sundel, who always encouraged competing, and he thanks both among those who taught him.

      Where in the source: Answer to the first question, and the closing thanks; anchor: "our first teachers Peter Blackwell and Bobby Sundel".

      Accessed:

  • Digitsu, profile page for Shimon Mochizuki (undated)(opens in a new tab)

    • A Digitsu profile of Mochizuki says Blackwell awarded him each of his belt promotions up to brown belt, and that Leozinho Vieira gave him his black belt in 2008 at a ceremony Blackwell attended.

      Where in the source: Profile text on Mochizuki's belt promotions and black belt; anchor: "awarded Mochizuki each of his belt promotions".

      Accessed:

Lineage

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