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Vinny Magalhães

“Pezão”

Source: bjjheroes.com

The Rio-born grappler nicknamed Pezão beat Fabrício Werdum for ADCC gold in 2011 and had two stints in the UFC.

Biography

Vinicius "Vinny" Magalhães, nicknamed "Pezão", is a Brazilian grappler and mixed martial artist from Rio de Janeiro who won the over-99 kg division at the 2011 ADCC World Championship, beating Fabrício Werdum in the final. He did not start jiu-jitsu until he was 14, yet by 2005 he held brown belt world titles in both the super-heavyweight division and the open class. He went on to win a black belt title at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, had two stints in the UFC and held MMA titles in M-1 Global and Titan FC. In 2024 he was named to the ADCC Hall of Fame. Rio and Gracie Tijuca Magalhães was born on July 2, 1984, in Rio de Janeiro. According to BJJ Heroes, he grew up playing soccer and basketball and first trained jiu-jitsu in 1998, aged 14, at a small gym in the Olaria neighborhood under Jair Reis. He soon moved on to Germano Junior of the Strauch Academy and stayed with him until he got his blue belt at the end of 1999. Not long after, he joined Vinicius Aieta at Gracie Tijuca, an academy where Saulo Ribeiro also taught. BJJ Heroes calls Aieta the teacher who became his "true master" and says that under him Magalhães built a game around always looking for the submission. Magalhães said in 2012 that Aieta had coached him since he was 15. BJJ Heroes traces his lineage from Mitsuyo Maeda through Carlos, Helio and Royler Gracie to Aieta. The nickname Pezão, Portuguese for "big foot", came from Bernardo Treco of Gracie Tijuca, because his feet were big for a body that was still growing. The name Vinny came later, in the United States. Through the belts The IBJJF results follow his climb through the colored belts. He was runner-up in the juvenile blue belt open class at the 2001 World Championship, and in 2002 he won the adult blue belt heavyweight world title as well as the blue belt medium-heavy division at the Pan Championship. At purple belt he took bronze in the open class at the 2003 Worlds, a division won by André Galvão. In 2004 he moved to the United States to fill a vacant coaching job at Cesar Gracie's academy, although he spoke no English. BJJ Heroes says Cesar Gracie began calling him Vinny because people there kept misspelling his first name. That year, entered for Cesar Gracie, he won both the brown belt heavyweight division and the brown belt open class at the IBJJF American Nationals. In 2005 he won the brown belt open class at the Brazilian National Championship, then won two divisions at the World Championship: super-heavyweight, where Rodrigo Cavaca was runner-up, and the open class, where Gabriel Kitober was. BJJ Heroes tells how the promotion that followed was decided. Royler Gracie told Aieta that Magalhães was sandbagging, staying at brown belt when he belonged at black, while Aieta felt that after about ten months at brown he was not ready. The two settled on a test: a submission win in the open-class final would earn the promotion. He had already submitted everyone he faced in his weight class, Cavaca included, and he caught Kitober in an armbar in about a minute. He received the black belt on the podium. Team Quest and the no-gi title In the United States he went on to coach grappling at Team Quest, the MMA team led by Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland. Competing for Team Quest, he won the black belt super-heavyweight division at the 2007 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, ahead of Christiano Lazzarini and Roberto Abreu Filho. At that year's gi World Championship he took bronze at ultra-heavyweight, a division won by Rafael Lovato. The two went back years: Magalhães later recalled training a great deal with Lovato at brown belt, when Lovato spent a season in Brazil, and again in 2007. A hard start in MMA Magalhães was still new to mixed martial arts when he was cast on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. BJJ Heroes says his striking was basic at the time, and that he got onto the show without going through the tryouts, after asking Dan Henderson to put in a word with UFC president Dana White. He won three fights on the show to reach the final, where Ryan Bader stopped him by TKO in the first round on December 13, 2008. After a unanimous-decision loss to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97 in April 2009, the UFC released him with two losses in two fights. Looking back in 2012, he said he had once assumed he would submit any opponent who took him down, when in fact nobody sensible takes a top jiu-jitsu fighter to the ground. He lost fights on his feet that way, the decision to Marshall among them. The biggest change, he said, was to start training like a professional fighter and to concentrate on MMA, including his wrestling for takedowns. BJJ Heroes adds that after the second UFC defeat he moved to Las Vegas to rebuild his career with new coaches and training partners. ADCC and M-1 Global His first ADCC World Championship, in Barcelona in 2009, brought bronze medals in both the under-99 kg division and the absolute. Along the way he beat Márcio Cruz, Glover Teixeira, Dean Lister, Chris Weidman and Gunnar Nelson; his two losses came in the semifinals, to Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro and Bráulio Estima. In April 2011 he won the vacant M-1 Global light heavyweight title by submitting Viktor Nemkov in Saint Petersburg. In October he defended it against Mikhail Zayats in Phoenix: behind after two rounds, he landed a high kick in the third and finished with strikes. Two grappling events came between those fights. At the Ultimate Absolute in New York, where he was brought in eight days before the event, he eliminated Daniel Gracie and caught Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida in a heel hook before losing the semifinal to the eventual winner, André Galvão. At that year's ADCC he entered the over-99 kg division. He came in with three MMA wins that year and said he had not trained specifically for the tournament, only kept up his MMA training. He reached the final and beat Werdum 2–0 on points, according to the match record kept by BJJ Heroes. Sherdog noted that he escaped a deep armbar attempt in that final. Magalhães said a few months later that in that defense, flexibility and courage had counted for more than technique, and that he would not recommend anyone try it. A finisher's game In 2012 Magalhães said he believed in training to be a finisher from the lower belts, and that this had been his own focus since purple belt. Graciemag wrote at the time that he was known for unusually flexible joints, which let him escape painful submissions and counter. BJJ Heroes lists the closed guard and the 50/50 guard, a mirrored leg entanglement, as his favorite positions, and in 2014 he said his closed guard had always been dangerous, in jiu-jitsu and in MMA alike. His leg locks drew praise from Rafael Lovato, with whom he trained in Oklahoma before ADCC 2013. Lovato called his leg lock very technical and said he had caught many of the world's best with it. He credited Magalhães with sharpening his team's foot locks and teaching them a great deal about leg locks, and said Magalhães understood the ADCC format and shared that experience with them. Back in the UFC In April 2012 Magalhães withdrew from the IBJJF World Championship to go to Oregon and help Chael Sonnen prepare for his planned UFC title fight against Anderson Silva. In July the UFC signed him again. He had gone 7–1 since his release, and Sherdog wrote that he was regarded as one of the best submission grapplers in the world. At UFC 152 in September he submitted Igor Pokrajac with an armbar, switching to it from a triangle attempt while pressed against the fence. For that fight he had trained in groups at Xtreme Couture, worked through the hardest stretch of his camp with his Thai boxing coach, Mark Beecher, and had Aieta helping him as the fight drew near. The next two fights went the other way: a decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 159, then a knockout by Anthony Perosh after 14 seconds at UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro in August 2013, after which the UFC released him again. A year later he called that a fair decision. By October 2013 he was preparing to defend his over-99 kg title at ADCC 2013 in China; by Jitsmagazine's count he went 1–1 in his division there. After the UFC In August 2014 he drew with Keenan Cornelius at Metamoris IV. For Metamoris V in November, after his scheduled opponent Kevin Casey was injured, the organizers opened the spot to any black belt who applied and was accepted, offering $10,000 to anyone who could beat Magalhães in a 20-minute match that only a submission could decide. He ended up facing Matheus Diniz, and that match was also a draw. In between, in September, he won the inaugural Titan FC light heavyweight title with a guillotine choke on Jason Brilz early in the fourth round in Cedar Park, Texas. On the day of that fight he told Graciemag that the main reason he fought MMA was the feeling of using jiu-jitsu in its true essence, and that his wish to compete in jiu-jitsu tournaments had faded a great deal, with Metamoris and ADCC among the few events he still wanted to enter. When he was invited to ADCC 2015 in São Paulo, he said he would train with Robert Drysdale in Las Vegas several times a week, and that he had opened his academy free of charge to anyone over 90 kg, at purple belt or above, who wanted to train. In September 2015 he joined Zenith JJ, the team Drysdale founded with Rodrigo Cavaca. At ADCC 2015 he won bronze in the over-99 kg division, with every win by submission, including a quarterfinal win over Rodrigo Artilheiro with a twister, a hold that attacks the spine. In the World Series of Fighting he submitted Matt Hamill with a kneebar in the first round in October 2015, and a year later lost a five-round light heavyweight title fight to the champion, David Branch, on a unanimous decision. On the mats he reached the final of the 16-man medium-heavyweight bracket at EBI 9 in November 2016, losing it to Garry Tonon after two overtimes, and in February 2017 he won both the super-heavyweight division and the absolute at the IBJJF Houston Open. BJJ Heroes also lists a win at the 2016 IBJJF Masters World Championship among his achievements. The PFL and the Hall of Fame In the 2018 Professional Fighters League season he won four fights, three by submission, to reach the light heavyweight final, which he lost to Sean O'Connell on December 31 when his corner stopped the fight after the third round. Before the final he told Sherdog that the league's format let him train the way he had for jiu-jitsu, without long stretches away from the gym, and that he believed the irregular timing of his earlier MMA career had held him back. He loved fighting now, he said, and nothing would ever get him back into jiu-jitsu training with the drive he felt preparing for an MMA fight. Sherdog's database lists his professional record as 19 wins, 15 of them by submission, 12 losses and two no contests. The match record BJJ Heroes keeps for him also includes a points win over Gordon Ryan in a superfight at ACBJJ 13 in 2018. He kept returning to ADCC. When Jitsmagazine reported in February 2024 that he had been named to the ADCC Hall of Fame's 2024 class, to be inducted at that year's championship, it counted appearances through 2022 and a 19–9 record with one gold and three bronze medals over 14 years. He was invited back for ADCC 2024, where Damon Ramos beat him on a decision in his first over-99 kg match.

Sources for this profile

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2003' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2003 IBJJF World Championship, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes') of Gracie Humaitá took bronze in the adult purple belt open class, won by André Galvão.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Adult / Purple / Male / Open Class', place 3

      Accessed:

  • Wikipedia, 'Vinny Magalhães' (English), revision 1369197084, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Magalhães won the vacant M-1 Global light heavyweight title by submitting Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 25 in Saint Petersburg on 28 April 2011, and defended it by stopping Mikhail Zayats in the third round at M-1 Challenge 27 in Phoenix on 14 October 2011.

      Where in the source: Section on M-1 Global — 'mounted gogoplata'; record-table rows for M-1 Challenge 25 and 27

      Accessed:

    • Vinicius 'Vinny' de Magalhães, born on 2 July 1984, is described as a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is also a former no-gi jiu-jitsu world champion and ADCC champion.

      Where in the source: Lead sentence — 'born July 2, 1984'; infobox birth-name field

      Accessed:

    • On the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter (Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir), Magalhães beat Lance Evans, Jules Bruchez and Krzysztof Soszynski to reach the final, where he lost to Ryan Bader by first-round TKO on 13 December 2008.

      Where in the source: Sections on The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC; exhibition-record table; professional-record row for the TUF 8 finale

      Accessed:

    • After losing a unanimous decision to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97 in April 2009, Magalhães was released by the UFC with a 0–2 record in the promotion.

      Where in the source: Section on the UFC, paragraph on his first release

      Accessed:

    • Back in the UFC from 2012, Magalhães submitted Igor Pokrajac with an armbar at UFC 152 on 22 September 2012, then lost to Phil Davis by decision at UFC 159 and to Anthony Perosh by knockout in 14 seconds at UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro in August 2013, after which the UFC released him again.

      Where in the source: Section on his return to the UFC — 'fourteen seconds'

      Accessed:

    • Magalhães won the inaugural Titan FC light heavyweight championship by submitting Jason Brilz with a guillotine choke early in the fourth round at Titan FC 30 in Cedar Park, Texas, on 26 September 2014.

      Where in the source: Section on Titan Fighting Championships; record-table row for Titan FC 30 — 'inaugural'

      Accessed:

    • In the World Series of Fighting, Magalhães submitted Matt Hamill with a kneebar in the first round at WSOF 24 on 17 October 2015, and lost a five-round unanimous decision to champion David Branch in a light heavyweight title fight at WSOF 33 on 7 October 2016.

      Where in the source: Section on the World Series of Fighting; record-table rows for WSOF 24 and WSOF 33

      Accessed:

    • In the 2018 Professional Fighters League season, Magalhães won four fights, three of them by submission, to reach the light heavyweight final, which he lost to Sean O'Connell on 31 December 2018 when his corner stopped the bout after the third round.

      Where in the source: Section on the 2018 PFL season; record-table rows for PFL 2, 5, 9 and 11 (2018)

      Accessed:

    • At the 2009 ADCC World Championship in Barcelona, Magalhães won bronze medals in both the under-99 kg division and the absolute; his wins included Márcio Cruz, Glover Teixeira, Dean Lister, Chris Weidman and Gunnar Nelson, and he lost semifinals to Alexandre 'Xande' Ribeiro and Bráulio Estima.

      Where in the source: Grappling-career section, paragraph on 2009 — 'his first ADCC'

      Accessed:

    • Magalhães drew with Keenan Cornelius at Metamoris IV on 9 August 2014 and with Matheus Diniz at Metamoris V on 22 November 2014.

      Where in the source: Grappling-career section, paragraph on Metamoris IV and V — 'draw'

      Accessed:

    • Magalhães won bronze in the over-99 kg division at ADCC 2015, with all his wins by submission, including a twister on Rodrigo Artilheiro in the quarterfinal; he was invited to the over-99 kg division of ADCC 2024 and lost a decision to Damon Ramos in the opening round.

      Where in the source: Grappling-career section, paragraphs on 2015 and 2024 — 'twister'

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Vinny Magalhães' (published 2 November 2010, updated 15 August 2019), read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes gives his full name as Vinicius de Magalhães and says he was born on 2 July 1984 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

      Where in the source: Biography, first sentence; full-name field

      Accessed:

    • According to BJJ Heroes, Magalhães grew up in Rio de Janeiro playing football and basketball and only began Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1998, aged 14, at a small gym in the Olaria neighbourhood under Jair Reis; he soon moved to Professor Germano Junior of the Strauch Academy, with whom he stayed until receiving his blue belt at the end of 1999.

      Where in the source: Biography, first paragraph — 'Bairro de Olaria'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says that shortly after his blue belt he moved to Professor Vinicius Aieta at Gracie Tijuca, an academy where Saulo Ribeiro also taught, and calls Aieta the teacher who became his true master; under Aieta he developed a style of always hunting the submission.

      Where in the source: Biography, second paragraph — 'true master'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes traces his lineage as Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royler Gracie > Vini Aieta > Vinny Magalhães, and names Royler Gracie, Vini Aieta and Eddie Bravo among the instructors he worked with.

      Where in the source: Lineage field; opening paragraph naming his instructors

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says the nickname 'Pezão' (Portuguese for 'big foot') was given to him by Bernardo Treco of Gracie Tijuca because his feet were large for his still-growing frame, and that 'Vinny' dates from 2004, when Cesar Gracie began using it in the United States because locals kept misspelling his first name.

      Where in the source: Nickname field — 'Big Foot'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes relates that he received his black belt on the podium of the 2005 World Championship after a wager: Royler Gracie told Aieta that Magalhães was sandbagging at brown belt, Aieta felt he was not ready after about ten months as a brown belt, and they agreed he would be promoted if he submitted his opponent in the absolute final — which he did, with an armbar on Gabriel Kitober in about a minute, having also submitted every opponent in his super-heavyweight division, including Rodrigo Cavaca in the final.

      Where in the source: Biography, third paragraph — 'lost bet'

      Accessed:

    • According to BJJ Heroes, Magalhães moved to the United States in 2004 to take a vacant coaching position at Cesar Gracie's academy, although he spoke no English, and later coached grappling at Team Quest, the MMA team led by Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland.

      Where in the source: Biography, fourth and fifth paragraphs — 'Team Quest'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says Magalhães got onto The Ultimate Fighter without going through the tryouts, after asking Dan Henderson to put in a word with UFC president Dana White, that he was still new to MMA with only basic stand-up at the time, and that after his second UFC loss he moved to Las Vegas to rebuild his MMA career with new training partners and coaches.

      Where in the source: Biography, fifth to seventh paragraphs — 'series of trials'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists closed guard and the 50/50 guard as his favourite positions, and lists a first place at the IBJJF Masters World Championship in 2016 among his main achievements.

      Where in the source: Favourite-position field; main-achievements list

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight-history table records his 2011 ADCC over-99 kg run as wins over Luke Costello on points, José Junior by footlock, Gerardi Rinaldi on points and Fabrício Werdum on points (2–0) in the final, and his 2009 ADCC wins over Rodrigo Cavaca (heel hook), Márcio Cruz (flying armbar), Glover Teixeira, Dean Lister, Chris Weidman (flying armbar) and Gunnar Nelson.

      Where in the source: Fight-history table, rows with competition ADCC and years 2009 and 2011

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes' fight-history table records a points win over Gordon Ryan at ACBJJ 13 in 2018 (over 95 kg, superfight) and a heel-hook win over Marcus Almeida at the 2011 Ultimate Absolute, where he lost the semifinal to André Galvão.

      Where in the source: Fight-history table, rows for Gordon Ryan (ACBJJ 13, 2018), Marcus Almeida and Andre Galvao (Ultimate Absolute, 2011)

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2002' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2002 IBJJF World Championship, Magalhães ('Vinicius Magalhes' on the results page) of Gracie Humaitá won the adult blue belt heavyweight division, ahead of Ramon Macedo, with Romulo Barrao (as listed) and Rodrigo Cavaca third.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Adult / Blue / Male / Heavy', place 1

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2002' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2002 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes') of Gracie Tijuca won the adult blue belt medium-heavy division.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Adult / Blue / Male / Medium Heavy', place 1

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'American National IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2004' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2004 IBJJF American Nationals, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes'), entered for Cesar Gracie, won both the adult brown belt heavyweight division and the brown belt open class.

      Where in the source: Category headings 'Adult / Brown / Male / Heavy' and 'Adult / Brown / Male / Open Class', place 1 in each

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2005' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2005 IBJJF World Championship, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes') of Gracie Humaitá won the adult brown belt super-heavyweight division (Rodrigo Cavaca second) and the brown belt open class (Gabriel Kitober second, Tarsis Humphreys and Rodrigo Lira third).

      Where in the source: Category headings 'Adult / Brown / Male / Super Heavy' and 'Adult / Brown / Male / Open Class', place 1 in each

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2007' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2007 IBJJF World Championship, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes') of Gracie Humaitá took bronze in the adult black belt ultra-heavyweight division, which was won by Rafael Lovato, also entered for Gracie Humaitá.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Adult / Black / Male / Ultra Heavy', place 3

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Championship 2007' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2007 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes'), entered for Team Quest, won the adult black belt super-heavyweight division, ahead of Christiano Lazzarini and Roberto Abreu Filho.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Adult / Black / Male / Super Heavy', place 1

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2005' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2005 Brazilian National Championship, Vinicius Magalhães of Gracie Humaitá won the adult brown belt open class, ahead of David Vieira.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Adult / Brown / Male / Open Class', place 1

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2001' results page, read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2001 IBJJF World Championship, Magalhães (listed as 'Vinicius Magalhaes') of Gracie Humaitá was runner-up in the juvenile blue belt open class.

      Where in the source: Category heading 'Juvenile / Blue / Male / Open Class', place 2

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Vinny explains armbar, calls for Hamill and absolves Belfort', 1 October 2012.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a 2012 Graciemag interview after his UFC 152 armbar win over Igor Pokrajac, Magalhães said he trained in groups at Xtreme Couture, did the intensive part of his camp with his Thai boxing coach Mark Beecher, and had his jiu-jitsu teacher Vini Aieta, who had coached him since he was 15, with him close to the fight; he described switching from a triangle attempt to the armbar while pressed against the fence.

      Where in the source: Answers on the armbar and on his training — 'since I was 15'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, '3 perceptions of Jiu-Jitsu that changed ADCC champ Vinny's life', 14 January 2012.(opens in a new tab)

    • In January 2012 Magalhães said that early in his MMA career he assumed an opponent who took him down would be finished, but no one sensible takes a top jiu-jitsu fighter down; he lost fights that way, such as the stand-up decision to Eliot Marshall, and the biggest change he made was to train like a professional fighter and concentrate on MMA, including his wrestling for takedowns.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs and point 1 — 'train like a professional fighter'

      Accessed:

    • Graciemag wrote that Magalhães was known for unusually flexible joints that let him escape painful submissions and counter; he said he believed in training to be a finisher from the lower belts, which he had focused on since purple belt, and that in defending against Fabrício Werdum in the ADCC final, flexibility and courage counted for more than technique — something he would not recommend anyone practise.

      Where in the source: Points 2 and 3 — 'train to be a finisher'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'ADCC champ Vinny Magalhães gets set for stalwart sambo stylist', 12 October 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported in October 2011 that Magalhães had taken gold at that year's ADCC, beating Fabrício Werdum in the over-99 kg division after three MMA wins earlier in the year, and quoted him saying he had not trained specifically for ADCC but simply kept training MMA.

      Where in the source: First two paragraphs — 'didn't train specifically for the ADCC'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'ADCC standout Vinny Magalhães wins in MMA', 15 October 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that in defending his M-1 Global belt against Mikhail Zayats in Phoenix in October 2011, Magalhães fell behind in the first two rounds and won in the third, landing a high kick and finishing with strikes for a technical knockout.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph — 'Landing a high kick'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Com luta cancelada, Vinny Magalhães treina com Lovato para o bi no ADCC', 4 October 2013 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • In October 2013, after the UFC released him, Magalhães told Graciemag he was preparing to defend his ADCC over-99 kg title in China by training in Oklahoma with Rafael Lovato, whom he had known for more than 13 years and trained with a lot at brown belt, when Lovato spent a season in Brazil, and again in 2007; he recalled leg-locking Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida at the 2011 Ultimate Absolute after being called eight days before the event, and said that once the rules change and the gi comes off, ADCC is a different sport.

      Where in the source: Interview answers on Lovato, Buchecha and ADCC rules — 'o esporte é outro'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Rafael Lovato detalha os treinos para o ADCC e elogia leglocks de Vinny Pezão', 15 October 2013 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • Before ADCC 2013 Rafael Lovato told Graciemag that with Magalhães's help his team sharpened their foot locks and learned a great deal about leg locks, calling Magalhães's leg lock very technical, saying he had caught many of the world's best with it, and noting that he understood the ADCC format and passed that experience on.

      Where in the source: Lovato's answer on his previous ADCC experiences — 'um leglock muito técnico'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Vinny Magalhães fala de Jiu-Jitsu e sua disputa de cinturão no Titan FC', 26 September 2014 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • On the day of his Titan FC title fight with Jason Brilz in September 2014, Magalhães told Graciemag that his main reason for doing MMA was the feeling of using jiu-jitsu in its true essence, that his desire to compete in jiu-jitsu tournaments had diminished a great deal with Metamoris and ADCC among the few events he still wanted to enter, that his closed guard had always been dangerous in both jiu-jitsu and MMA, and that his UFC release had been a fair decision.

      Where in the source: Interview answers on MMA, his favourite position and the UFC — 'essência verdadeira'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Ultimate Absolute: watch Vinny take out Daniel Gracie', 4 August 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that at the 2011 Ultimate Absolute submission grappling tournament in New York, won by André Galvão, Magalhães eliminated Daniel Gracie.

      Where in the source: Single paragraph — 'won by André Galvão'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Vinny Magalhães treina com Drysdale e confirma presença no ADCC 2015', 30 June 2015 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • In June 2015 Graciemag reported that Magalhães, a black belt under Vini Aieta, had been invited to ADCC 2015 in São Paulo; he said he would train with Robert Drysdale in Las Vegas several times a week and had opened his academy to anyone who wanted to train for free, provided they weighed over 90 kg and were at least a purple belt.

      Where in the source: First paragraph and his quote — 'treinar de graça'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Vinny Magalhães joins GMA member team Zenith JJ', 8 September 2015.(opens in a new tab)

    • In September 2015 Graciemag reported that Magalhães had joined Zenith JJ, the team founded by Robert Drysdale and Rodrigo Cavaca, noting that like Drysdale he was based in Las Vegas.

      Where in the source: Body text — 'based in Las Vegas'

      Accessed:

  • Phil Jones, 'Vinny Magalhaes Added To ADCC Hall Of Fame 2024 Class', Jitsmagazine, 1 February 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • Jitsmagazine reported on 1 February 2024 that Magalhães had been named to the ADCC Hall of Fame's 2024 class, to be inducted at ADCC 2024; it summarised his ADCC career as two bronzes on his debut in 2009 (losing only to Xande Ribeiro and Bráulio Estima), over-99 kg gold in 2011 with a final win over Fabrício Werdum, a 1–1 record at his weight in 2013, over-99 kg bronze in 2015, and appearances through 2022 — a 19–9 record with one gold and three bronze medals over 14 years.

      Where in the source: Article body, first to fourth paragraphs — 'a 19-9 record'

      Accessed:

  • Sherdog, fighter page 'Vinny Magalhaes', read 29 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Sherdog's fighter database lists Vinny Magalhães (spelled 'Magalhaes', nickname 'Pezao') as born on 2 July 1984, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a light heavyweight with a professional MMA record of 19 wins (15 by submission), 12 losses and 2 no contests, and gives his association as Syndicate MMA.

      Where in the source: Fighter header (age/birth date, location) and win/loss summary; association field

      Accessed:

  • Mike Whitman, 'Former M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion Vinny Magalhaes Returns to UFC', Sherdog, 17 July 2012.(opens in a new tab)

    • Sherdog reported on 17 July 2012 that Magalhães, 28, had signed a new UFC contract after going 7–1 since leaving the promotion, a run that included winning the M-1 Global light heavyweight title by submitting Viktor Nemkov in April 2011 and defending it against Mikhail Zayats; Sherdog described him as regarded as one of the world's best submission grapplers, citing world championship golds in 2002 and 2005, the 2007 no-gi world title and his 2011 ADCC final win over Fabrício Werdum after escaping a deep armbar attempt.

      Where in the source: Article body, second to fifth paragraphs — 'one of the world's best submission grapplers'

      Accessed:

  • Jason Burgos, 'The Renewed Passion of Vinny Magalhaes', Sherdog, 23 December 2018.(opens in a new tab)

    • Before the 2018 PFL final, Magalhães told Sherdog that the league's format let him train as he had for jiu-jitsu, with no days off, and Sherdog reported his belief that the irregular schedule of his earlier MMA career, which kept him away from the gym for long periods, had held him back; he said he now loved fighting and that nothing would make him go back to jiu-jitsu and train with the same motivation as for an MMA fight. Sherdog noted four straight first-round finishes that season and described him as a Syndicate MMA representative.

      Where in the source: Quotes in the second to fourth paragraphs and near the end — 'I love fighting these days'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'The credentials of Chael Sonnen's Jiu-Jitsu coach', 3 April 2012.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported in April 2012 that Magalhães, a Gracie Tijuca black belt, withdrew from the IBJJF World Championship to go to Oregon and help Chael Sonnen prepare for his planned UFC title fight with Anderson Silva.

      Where in the source: First two paragraphs — 'going to Oregon'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Metamoris: do you think you can take Vinny Magalhães and win $10K?', 17 November 2014.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported in November 2014 that after his scheduled Metamoris 5 opponent Kevin Casey was injured, the organisers opened the place to any black belt who applied and was accepted, offering 10,000 dollars to anyone who could beat Magalhães in the 20-minute, submission-only match.

      Where in the source: Second to fifth paragraphs — '20-minute-submission-only match'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Garry Tonon defeats Vinny Magalhães for third EBI title', 7 November 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • At EBI 9 in November 2016, Magalhães reached the final of the 16-man medium-heavyweight tournament by beating Tom Breese, Elliot Kelly and Matt Kirchwehm (by kimura), and lost the final to Garry Tonon after two overtimes.

      Where in the source: Third and fourth paragraphs — 'two overtimes'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Vinny Magalhães wins double gold at Houston Open', 14 February 2017.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported in February 2017 that Magalhães won both the super-heavyweight division and the absolute at the IBJJF Houston Open, beating featherweight winner Samir Chantre in the absolute final.

      Where in the source: First paragraph — 'the big winner'; the article's complete-results link points to the IBJJF results database (ibjjfdb.com)

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2019ADCC 2019Source: adcombat.com-99 kgNo-giVerified4th place-99 kgNo-giVerified
2015ADCC 2015Source: adcombat.com+99 kgNo-giVerified3rd place+99 kgNo-giVerified
2011ADCC 2011Source: adcombat.com+99 kgNo-giVerified1st place+99 kgNo-giVerified
2009ADCC 2009Source: adcombat.com-99 kgNo-giVerified3rd place-99 kgNo-giVerified

Lineage

View in lineage tree

Trained under