Alef Brito

Alef Brito Morais was born on January 19, 1995, in Caxias, a municipality in the state of Maranhão in Northeast Brazil. As an infant, he relocated to the neighboring town of Buriticupu, where he spent his formative years and developed his earliest sporting passions. Like many Brazilian children, Alef's athletic identity took shape through football (soccer), which he played competitively for several years. He also explored the martial arts through capoeira and taekwondo — disciplines that instilled body awareness and physical discipline that would later translate directly to his work on the mats.

Around the age of 11 or 12, Brito was introduced to jiu-jitsu by friends already training under local coaches Wellyton Menezes and Rildo Paiva. In those early years, BJJ was one interest among many, and his training schedule reflected that. The shift came around age 15, when Alef set more ambitious competitive goals and began dedicating himself to the sport with genuine seriousness.

Even as his commitment to jiu-jitsu deepened, Brito pursued his education in parallel. He relocated to São Luís, the state capital of Maranhão, to complete a degree in accounting. The move proved fortuitous on both fronts: coach Wellyton Menezes had also established a presence in the city around the same time, allowing Alef to maintain the continuity of his training while navigating university life without interruption.

Throughout his belt progression, Brito benefited from the steady mentorship of Wellyton Menezes and Rildo Paiva, who had guided him since his earliest days in Buriticupu. When he arrived in São Luís as a purple belt, Wellyton Menezes was already active in the city, and Rildo Paiva soon followed — reuniting the coaching team that had shaped his development from the start. That continuity of instruction gave Brito a stable technical foundation even as his competitive environment expanded.

Colored Belt Highlights

Brito's colored belt career was defined by consistent performances at Brazil's most prestigious competitions. At purple belt, he captured gold at the IBJJF Brazilian Nationals in 2014, signaling early on that he possessed the competitive instincts of a future champion. His brown belt years were particularly prolific: he claimed the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title in 2016, won the CBJJE World Championship that same year, and traveled internationally to take the ACB North America Championship in 2018 — finishing as runner-up at the ACB World Championship the same year. Accumulated across years of disciplined competition, these results painted a clear picture of an athlete ready for the sport's highest level.

Black Belt Promotion and New Alliances

On July 14, 2018, Alef Brito received his black belt from Wellyton Menezes, Rildo Paiva, and Marcos Santana, who served as the overseer of the promotion. Around this period, Brito also began working extensively with Osvaldo Moizinho, deepening his connection to the Ares JJ organization and positioning himself within one of the sport's most competitive training environments for the challenges ahead.

Brito announced himself emphatically on the black belt stage in 2019, when his performance at the Copa Podio Lightweight Grand Prix drew attention across the international BJJ community. The defining moment came when he submitted Tommy Langaker — a World Championship silver medalist — demonstrating that his technical precision and finishing ability translated seamlessly to elite competition.

2019–2020 IBJJF Dominance

Building on that momentum, Brito surged through the IBJJF circuit in 2019, capturing gold at the IBJJF American Nationals, the IBJJF Orlando Spring Open, and the IBJJF San Jose Open. He also claimed the Coliseum Grand Prix title that year, establishing himself as one of the most formidable lightweights on the international scene. The 2020 IBJJF American Nationals brought another gold medal, confirming that his breakout year reflected sustained competitive excellence rather than a single hot streak.

Brito continued to test himself at the highest levels in the years that followed, earning a third-place finish at the IBJJF American Nationals in 2023. Competing in the Peso Leve division (76 kg / 168 lbs) and representing Brazil under the Ares JJ banner, Alef Brito stands as one of the most accomplished lightweights to emerge from Maranhão — carrying the influence of coaches Wellyton Menezes, Rildo Paiva, and Marcos Santana into every competition he enters.