Alain Pozo

Alain Pozo was born on February 1, 1974, in Quito, Ecuador, but relocated to Recife, the capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, as an infant. It was in Recife that Pozo spent his formative years and discovered the martial art that would come to define his life. Combat sports entered the picture early — his uncle, a former amateur boxer, ran informal training sessions out of a garage, coaching Alain and his friends with a discipline and physicality that would later translate seamlessly to the mats.

Growing up in Recife during the 1980s and early 1990s, Pozo came of age in a region where jiu-jitsu was virtually unknown. The art had yet to spread northward from its strongholds in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, leaving the grappling revolution quietly reshaping Brazilian martial arts culture well beyond his daily life. The competitive drive ignited by his uncle's boxing sessions, however, planted a seed that would find its fullest expression once jiu-jitsu arrived on his doorstep.

Pozo began training jiu-jitsu in 1996, making him one of the earliest students of what would become the Zé Radiola academy in Recife. His introduction to the art came through casual, almost unlikely circumstances — a friend had been grappling at a new class opened by Zé Radiola, a beloved local surfing icon who had started teaching jiu-jitsu in his backyard. The classes were led by Charles dos Anjos, then a brown belt and the academy's primary instructor.

Pozo's first impression was deeply skeptical. With no striking and competitors appearing simply tangled on the ground, the system seemed unconvincing to someone shaped by boxing. What persuaded him to try was Radiola's personal charisma and his family's connection to the Pozo household. That first class proved transformative — Pozo was submitted by novices and walked away with an entirely new respect for jiu-jitsu's effectiveness. His doubts dissolved on the spot.

Progress under Charles dos Anjos came quickly. Approximately ten months into his training, dos Anjos spotted Pozo demonstrating a technique to a fellow blue belt, called him over without ceremony, and awarded him the promotion on the spot. The moment crystallized a serious competitive identity. Notably, Pozo's early development predated Zé Radiola's formal affiliation with Gracie Barra, placing him among the founding-era students of what was then a grassroots, backyard operation.

Pozo's path from blue belt to black unfolded across three continents and nearly two decades. After his foundational years under Charles dos Anjos in Recife, he traveled to London, where he trained alongside Nelson Solari and Wilson Junior. It was Wilson Junior who awarded Pozo his purple belt, establishing a mentorship that would prove enduring.

Pozo subsequently settled in Florida, spending approximately four years at F2 Fight Team — an MMA-oriented facility with a strong no-gi grappling foundation. The environment diversified his game considerably, layering wrestling and submission grappling over the technical jiu-jitsu base he had built in Brazil and London, and exposing him to a wide range of American fighters and training methodologies.

In April 2009, Pozo traveled to London to visit Wilson Junior and found the BJJ landscape in the United Kingdom dramatically transformed during his absence. Recognizing an opportunity to contribute to a growing scene, he chose to remain — a decision that set the coaching chapter of his career in motion. Pozo received his black belt in December 2013, awarded by Wilson Junior, who served as head coach of Carlson Gracie UK. The promotion formally recognized a journey that had taken him from a Recife backyard to the heart of British jiu-jitsu.

Pozo's coaching career in England took root through a fortuitous connection with UFC fighter Claudio Silva, who had been running an academy in Colchester, Essex. When Silva prepared to depart, he offered the position to Pozo — a trusted friend — who accepted. What began as an opportunistic transition quickly became a genuine vocation.

Operating initially under the Carlson Gracie Essex banner, Pozo built the Colchester gym into one of the most respected BJJ academies in the United Kingdom. Working from a modest facility in a town removed from London's concentrated martial arts scene, he invested deeply in his students and cultivated a team culture that earned widespread praise across British BJJ circles. Among the competitors he developed were Taylor Pearlman, James Costa, and Janis Rietskins — grapplers whose performances came to reflect the quality of instruction Pozo brought to his program.

In 2017, Pozo departed Carlson Gracie UK to join his original instructor Zé Radiola and launch the first ZR Team affiliate in the United Kingdom. The transition carried deep personal significance, reconnecting Pozo with the lineage of his earliest jiu-jitsu training and extending the reach of one of Brazil's most storied regional programs to British soil. Pozo serves as head coach of ZR Team UK, continuing to develop competitors and carry forward the legacy built in that Recife backyard decades earlier.

Alain Pozo competed with consistency and ambition across the purple, brown, and black belt divisions, accumulating titles through IBJJF, NAGA, and domestic UK competitions. His competitive record reflects both technical quality and the resilience of an athlete who balanced training demands with coaching responsibilities over many years.

Purple Belt

Pozo established his international credentials early at purple belt. He reached the podium at NAGA Paris in 2011, claiming silver in both the Gi and No-Gi divisions, and earned a bronze medal at the 2011 IBJJF European Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Lisbon — a result that signaled his readiness for elite competition. He also claimed the Atlantic Cup title at purple belt, reflecting a consistent competitive output throughout that phase of his development.

Brown Belt

The brown belt years delivered Pozo's most prominent international result. At the 2012 IBJJF European Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Lisbon, he won gold — the defining competitive achievement of his pre-black belt career. That same year, he claimed the NAGA Paris brown belt Gi division title, confirming that his 2012 run stood among the strongest of his competitive life.

Black Belt

After receiving his black belt in December 2013, Pozo continued competing with purpose. He claimed black belt superfight victories at both the Dorset & Hants Open and the Manchester Open in 2014, before delivering a standout performance in 2015 — winning the London Open Master 3 title and the European No-Gi Master 3 title. Those results demonstrated his competitive longevity and the technical depth he had cultivated across the featherweight division over a career spanning three belt levels and three continents.