Alex Munis

Alex Munis was born in 1994 in Panorama, a city in the interior of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The most formative influence on Alex and his brothers, Anderson Munis and Erich Munis, was their father, who instilled in all three a deep appreciation for sports and martial arts from an early age. That shared foundation would eventually shape the careers of all three siblings on the international jiu-jitsu circuit.

In 2013, Alex relocated to the nearby city of Três Lagoas to work alongside his father. There, he discovered a jiu-jitsu academy affiliated with Nova União and Clube Feijão, and it was within those walls that his competitive journey began in earnest. As the eldest of the three brothers, Alex blazed the trail — his siblings later followed him into the sport, drawing direct inspiration from the path he had already started walking.

As blue belts, Alex, Anderson, and Erich made a collective decision to pursue jiu-jitsu as a professional endeavor rather than a hobby. Alex's existing ties to Clube Feijão — one of Brazil's most prolific producers of high-level grappling talent — opened the door for all three brothers to apply for a scholarship at the team's headquarters in Maringá, Paraná. All three were accepted. Alex and Anderson made the move first, with the youngest brother, Erich, joining them the following year.

Under the guidance of Rodrigo Feijão, the Munis brothers underwent a rapid transformation. Athletes who had grown up training in a small inland city quickly developed into recognized prospects on the national and international circuit, earning that reputation through standout purple belt campaigns. Alex distinguished himself most sharply during this period, claiming gold at the 2017 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the 2017 UAEJJF Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro at purple belt, while also reaching the final of the 2017 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Despite those results, financial hardship remained a constant challenge. The brothers frequently relied on crowdfunding-style social media campaigns simply to cover tournament entry fees and travel costs — a reality that underscored how difficult it was, even for rising stars, to sustain a professional career in jiu-jitsu without institutional backing.

The turning point came when one of those social media fundraising appeals caught the attention of Israel Bahiense, a representative of the Dream Art project. Dream Art was a newly established training center built around a singular purpose: to identify, support, and develop professional-level BJJ athletes in a fully dedicated environment. Recognizing the potential in all three Munis brothers, the project brought them on board under its umbrella.

The move to Dream Art — operating as part of the Dream Art / Alliance Academy coalition — proved to be a watershed moment in Alex's career. The structured, professional environment allowed him to compete at the highest levels without the financial strain that had previously weighed on his development, and the results followed swiftly.

On September 28, 2020, Alex, Anderson, and Erich received their black belts together in a joint ceremony presided over by Isaque Bahiense and Gabriel Figueiró, the team leaders of Dream Art. The simultaneous promotion of all three brothers marked the culmination of years of sacrifice and dedication — a journey that had carried them from Panorama's obscurity to the edge of jiu-jitsu's elite tier.

Alex announced himself to the broader jiu-jitsu world with a pair of back-to-back final appearances that few athletes achieve across consecutive belt levels. At the 2020 Copa Podio Lightweight Grand Prix, competing as a brown belt, he fought his way to the final and earned a silver medal — a result that placed him firmly among the sport's most closely watched prospects heading into his black belt career.

That momentum carried directly into his black belt debut. Later in 2020, Alex returned to the Copa Podio format and again reached the grand prix final, this time at middleweight, claiming another silver medal. Back-to-back runner-up finishes across two different belt levels in the same calendar year underscored both his consistency and his readiness to compete at the sport's highest level from the moment he received his black belt.

In 2021, Alex continued to build on that foundation. He captured gold at the AJP South America Continental Pro, a title that confirmed his standing among the upper echelon of black belt middleweights. Podium finishes at the AJP Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro and the IBJJF South American Championship that same year added further depth to his black belt résumé. Alex competes in the Peso Médio division, with a competition weight of 82.30 kg (181.5 lbs).

Long before his black belt promotion, Alex Munis had already assembled a competition record that signaled his long-term potential. At blue belt, he won the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals in 2015 — an early indicator that his performances in Três Lagoas reflected genuine talent rather than limited regional competition.

At purple belt, Alex reached a level of consistency that few athletes match at that stage of development. In 2017 alone, he claimed double gold — winning both the IBJJF Pan Championship and the UAEJJF Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro — before reaching the final of the IBJJF World Championship in the same year. His international exposure continued into 2018 with a podium finish at the UAEJJF World Pro, and into 2019 with a silver medal at the IBJJF European Open.

The transition to brown belt brought further titles, most notably the IBJJF South American Championship in 2019, before his exceptional run at the 2020 Copa Podio Lightweight Grand Prix closed out a colored belt career built systematically and convincingly across multiple continents and organizations.