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Samuel Nagai Hatchwell

“Samurai Nagai”

Source: emtempo.com.br

Featherweight from Maués in Amazonas, world champion at black belt in 2023 for CheckMat, with bronze at the 2022 Worlds.

Biography

Samuel Nagai Hatchwell is a Brazilian black belt from the state of Amazonas who took the featherweight world title in 2023, competing that year for CheckMat. He was born in Maués, a town 276 kilometres from Manaus, and came to the sport small, following an older brother, Jackson Nagai. At seven he went with his family to Japan. He was taken along to train at ten and, as he puts it, has not stopped since. From twelve or thirteen the schedule was his brother's doing: up at five in the morning, and in the evening a long session that ran from six to ten, seven days a week. Writing in June 2021, when he was back in Manaus, the daily A Crítica described this as his first year at black belt — the one place in the material read here where the promotion is dated at all, and too loose for a year to be printed. The same piece set out its own tally of what he had won: world titles at blue and at purple, two Fight 2 Win title belts, one at 69 kilos and one at 76, three wins at the Rickson Cup, a CBJJE Brazilian title, five Amazonas state titles, two of them absolute and three by weight, third in the world at 69 kilos on FloGrappling's black-belt ranking, and, at Long Beach, world titles in 2017 and 2018. That list is the newspaper's selection rather than a federation record, and within the newspaper's own sentence the 2017 and 2018 titles run straight into the blue- and purple-belt world titles, so it is possible they record the same wins twice. He said at the time that he meant to get himself properly ready and then go and represent Amazonas. His run at the 2022 World Championship took him past Fabrício Andrey, who had won the division the year before, in the quarter-finals, and ended in the semi-final against Isaac Doederlein, who submitted him. He finished third. The federation records a bronze at the 2020 Pan as well. The Manaus outlet Em Tempo, reporting on that 2022 bracket, called him Samurai Nagai — and it is the name he puts on his own account himself. A year later the same pairing produced the opposite result. He submitted Doederlein in the semi-final and went on to meet Diego Sodré. The final was decided two points to nil: he timed a takedown against an early guard pull and stayed on top for the rest of it. The results table for that championship enters him under his full name, Samuel Nagai Hatchwell, for CheckMat, at feather, under 70 kilos. A Crítica counted the featherweight title among the medals Amazonas brought home from California, with Sodré second and Andrey third, and FloGrappling's team round-up called it a first world title at black belt, won over two opponents he had already met. His brother took bronze at lightweight at the same championship. He had moved to Texas in 2019. He has lived with his coach, Keiser Girao, and trained beside Matheus Gabriel, a world champion himself. Two other matches he singles out himself. At the Phoenix open he finished Danilo Moreira with an armbar from fifty-fifty. At Dallas he entered the open class as well as his own weight, and describes sweeping Ricardo Evangelista — a far bigger man — and taking his back late in the match. In September 2023 his was the last name added to the 70kg bracket for The Crown, held in Long Beach in November. In September 2024 his name went onto an eight-man featherweight bracket at BJJ Stars, where three of the entrants were world champions at the weight. FloGrappling's athlete page puts him at forty wins and twelve losses, by that site's own count of his matches. Asked afterwards about the world title, he said it had been a goal since he was a child and that he had more of them left. His advice to anyone chasing the same thing was that nobody else is going to do it for you.

Sources for this profile

  • A Crítica (Manaus), portrettintervju av Lane Azevedo, 24.06.2021 (oppdatert 09.03.2022).(opens in a new tab)

    • The Manaus daily gives his birthplace as Maues, 276 kilometres from the state capital, and says an older brother drew him into the sport when he was small.

      Where in the source: Natural de Maués (distante 276 km de Manaus), Samuel Nagai, desde pequeno foi influenciado pelo irmão, Jackson Nagai

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    • The same paper identifies him as a native of Amazonas.

      Where in the source: o amazonense Samuel Nagai

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    • The family moved to Japan when he was seven.

      Where in the source: Aos sete anos de idade, Samuel e a família se mudaram para o Japão

      Accessed:

    • In his own words he was taken to train at the age of ten and has not stopped since.

      Where in the source: decidiu me levar para praticar a arte com meus 10 anos de idade, desde então não parei

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    • He describes the routine his brother set him from about twelve or thirteen: woken at five, then evening training from six until ten, every day of the week.

      Where in the source: Desde os 12 a 13 anos meu irmão me incentivava muito, ele me acordava às 5h para treinar. Eu treinava pesado, começa às 18h até às 22h, isso todos os dias da semana

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    • The paper printed its own tally in 2021: five state titles in Amazonas, three by weight and two absolute; a Brazilian CBJJE title; three Rickson Cup wins; two Fight 2 Win belts at 69 and 76 kilos; third in FloGrappling's black-belt world ranking at 69 kilos; world titles in 2017 and 2018 at Long Beach; and world titles at blue and purple belt.

      Where in the source: O faixa preta é 5x campeão amazonense (3x categoria, 2x absoluto), campeão brasileiro (Cbjje), campeão Rickson Cup 3x, possui dois cinturões do F2w do Estados Unidos ( peso 69kg) / ( peso 76kg), foi terceiro colocado no ranking da Flograppling faixa preta (mundialmente peso 69kg), campeão mundial 2017 e 2018 em Long Beach (Califórnia), além de ser campeão mundial faixa azul e roxa

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    • Writing in June 2021 the paper notes this was his first year as a black belt.

      Where in the source: Como esse ano é seu primeiro com a faixa preta, ele pretende lutar contra os melhores

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    • Back in Manaus that year he said he wanted to prepare properly and represent Amazonas.

      Where in the source: quero me preparar bem, para chegar lá e representar o Amazonas

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  • Portal Em Tempo (Manaus), «Amazonenses brilharam no mundial de jiu-jitsu 2022».(opens in a new tab)

    • Regional coverage of the 2022 championship also calls him an Amazonas native.

      Where in the source: o amazonense, Samuel Nagai

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    • Regional coverage of the 2022 championship calls him Samurai Nagai and records his bronze.

      Where in the source: “Samurai Nagai” ficou com o bronze

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    • The same report names the opponent who beat him in the 2022 semi-final.

      Where in the source: Isaac Doederlein (Alliance) que também venceu, o amazonense, Samuel Nagai nas semi-finais da categoria

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    • It has him past the reigning champion from the previous year in the quarter-finals.

      Where in the source: passando inclusive pelo “Hokage” manauara Fabrício Andrey (Fight Sport), campeão de 2021, nas quartas de final

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  • Instagram, utoeverens egen konto @samuelnagai, offentlige metafelt (visningsnavn og bio), lest 20.09.2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • He carries the name himself as the display name on his own account.

      Where in the source: Posts - Samurai nagai | Pro JJ athlete (@samuelnagai) on Instagram

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    • The bio on that account names a black-belt world title and a first Crown title at featherweight.

      Where in the source: BLACK BELT WORLD CHAMPION 👑 1st FEATHER WEIGHT CROWN CHAMPION

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    • The same bio gives his team as Inevat Jiu-Jitsu.

      Where in the source: Team @inevatjiujitsu

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  • IBJJF, «Despite Massively Successful 2023, Sam Nagai Has No Plans Of Slowing Down», Danny O'Donnell, 11.08.2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • He took bronze at the 2020 Pans and at the 2022 World Championship.

      Where in the source: Having previously earned bronze medals at the 2020 Pans and 2022 Worlds

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    • Asked about the win, he called it a goal he had carried since childhood and said he was not finished.

      Where in the source: Winning Worlds was one of my goals since I was a kid, but I have many more goals to conquer

      Accessed:

    • He moved to Texas in 2019.

      Where in the source: Relocating to Texas in 2019

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    • He has lived with his coach and later with another world champion, training beside them.

      Where in the source: Living with his coach Keiser Girao and training alongside World Champion Matheus Gabriel

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    • He describes finishing an opponent from fifty-fifty with an armbar at the Phoenix open.

      Where in the source: The fight with Danilo Moreira was really intense but at the end of the fight I was be able to submit him with an armbar from 50/50

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    • At the Dallas open he entered both his division and the open class, and describes sweeping a much larger opponent and taking his back.

      Where in the source: In the open weight I had a great match against Ricardo Evangelista and it was really hard to fight against that giant but I was able to sweep him and take his back at the end of the fight

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    • Asked what he would tell others aiming at the same title, he answered that no one else will do it for you.

      Where in the source: If you have something that you want, go ahead and try to do everything that you can to conquer it because nobody will do it for you

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  • Wikipedia (engelsk), «2023 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship», resultattabell, lest 20.09.2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • The results table for the 2023 championship gives his name in full as Samuel Nagai Hatchwell, competing for CheckMat at featherweight, under 70 kilos.

      Where in the source: Feather -70 kg (150 lb) Samuel Nagai Hatchwell CheckMat

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  • IBJJF, «2023 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship Recap».(opens in a new tab)

    • In the 2023 semi-final he submitted the man who had submitted him a year earlier, and went through to meet Diego Sodre.

      Where in the source: This year the roles were reversed as Samuel submitted Isaac in the semifinal to advance to the final against Diego Sodre

      Accessed:

    • The final was settled two points to nil: he answered an early guard pull with a takedown and held the top position from there.

      Where in the source: Samuel timed an early guard pull with a takedown to go up 2-0 and maintained top position and the lead for the rest of the match

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    • The federation's recap sets the 2023 win against the previous year's third place and the submission loss behind it.

      Where in the source: Samuel placed third at the 2022 Worlds, losing by submission to 2022 Champion Isaac Doederlein

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  • A Crítica (Manaus), «Mundial de jiu-jitsu na Califórnia é dominado por amazonenses», kommentar om Mundial 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • A commentary in the Manaus daily counts the featherweight title among the 2023 world medals won by fighters from Amazonas, and names the placings behind him.

      Where in the source: no peso pena a conquista do mundo foi alcançada por Samuel Nagai, deixando Diego Sodré com a prata e Fabrício Andrey no terceiro lugar

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    • The same piece records his brother taking lightweight bronze at that championship.

      Where in the source: o Amazonas se fez representar entre os quatro melhores do planeta com a medalha de bronze de Jackson Nagai

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  • FloGrappling, «CheckMat At Worlds: Top Moments & Matches From CheckMat's 2023 IBJJF Worlds», Joe Gilpin, 10.06.2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • The team recap frames the 2023 gold as a breakthrough against opponents he had already met, and places the win at black belt.

      Where in the source: Sam Nagai won his first world title at black belt by defeating two familiar foes

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  • FloGrappling, utoeverside «Samuel Nagai», lest 20.09.2026 (loepende oppdatert).(opens in a new tab)

    • In September 2023 he was named as the last athlete into the seventy-kilo field for The Crown in Long Beach that November.

      Where in the source: The reigning IBJJF featherweight world champion, Samuel Nagai, is the final athlete named to the federation's 70kg division coming to the elite-level tournament, The Crown, coming to Long Beach, CA and FloGrappling on Nov. 19

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    • In September 2024 he was billed into an eight-man featherweight bracket, one of three world champions at the weight in it.

      Where in the source: Sep 24, 2024 BJJ Stars is set to return on November 30th for their final installment of the year, as Brazil's premier jiu-jitsu league is set to feature another card stacked with talent. BJJ Stars 14 will be themed "History" and showcase the featherweights in an 8-man bracket that includes three IBJJF world champions at the weight - Sam Nagai, Fabricio Andrey, and Meyram Maquine

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    • FloGrappling's athlete page shows forty wins against twelve losses on its own count of matches.

      Where in the source: Samuel Nagai 40-12-0 (W-L-D)

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Lineage

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