Alexandre Cavaliere

Alexandre Cavaliere was born on August 9, 1987, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and gravitated toward physical activity from an early age. Before finding his way to the mats, he cycled through swimming at age 6, followed by basketball, soccer, and karate — building an athletic foundation that would serve him well throughout his martial arts career.

Growing up in the South Zone (Zona Sul) of Rio de Janeiro, Cavaliere came of age during a period when Murilo Bustamante was already a celebrated figure in the local community, widely regarded as one of Brazil's most electrifying vale-tudo competitors. That admiration ran deep in the neighborhood. Acting on it, his stepfather enrolled the nine-year-old Alexandre in Bustamante's well-known kids' jiu-jitsu classes in the Leblon neighborhood. Training under Bustamante's guidance at what would evolve into Brazilian Top Team (BTT), Cavaliere had his first meaningful competitive experiences during this formative period — claiming the prestigious Copa Company title and earning a 2nd place finish at the Brazilian Nationals as a yellow belt. Those results hinted at the talent developing beneath the surface. He trained under Bustamante's direction until the age of 13.

Despite his early promise, Cavaliere stepped away from jiu-jitsu in his early teens. The years that followed were marked by street fighting and disruptive behavior — the structure and direction the sport had once provided replaced by a void that manifested in destructive ways throughout his adolescence.

The turning point came around his 19th birthday, when Cavaliere made a deliberate decision to return to martial arts and redirect his life. By that time, he was living in Recreio dos Bandeirantes in the western part of Rio de Janeiro, far from BTT's base of operations. Rather than making the long commute across the city, he joined the nearby academy run by Master José Honório — father of Victor Honório — where he genuinely reconnected with jiu-jitsu and began competing again. The environment reignited his passion for grappling, and the addition of kickboxing training during this period sparked a growing interest in mixed martial arts. Cavaliere's story from this era stands as a compelling testament to jiu-jitsu's well-documented capacity for personal transformation.

With ambitions in MMA taking shape, Cavaliere sought out Roberto Correa — widely known as "Gordo" — whose academy housed one of Rio's more respected MMA programs. The move brought him under the BJJ coaching of both Correa and Paulo Perrota, known in grappling circles as "Rabicó," and it was under this duo that Cavaliere's development as a competitor truly accelerated.

Progressing through the colored belt ranks, Cavaliere distinguished himself as one of the more dangerous grapplers in his division — scoring victories over notable names including Paulo Miyao, Ronaldo Cândido, and Alan Nuguete. He earned a 3rd place finish at the IBJJF Rio Open in 2010, followed by a 2nd place result at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals in 2011, both at purple belt. Those performances reinforced his standing within the competitive BJJ community and underscored a game capable of operating at the sport's highest level.

Despite his growing reputation, financial hardship forced Cavaliere to step back from international competition in 2013, cutting short a rising trajectory. He continued to develop on the mats, however, and in December 2014, Correa and Perrota awarded him his black belt — a milestone that recognized not only his technical evolution, but his perseverance through adversity.

Cavaliere's return to the international stage in 2016 was made possible in part through the support of his original mentor, Murilo Bustamante, who helped facilitate his comeback after years away from high-level competition. The timing could not have been more dramatic. Entering the 2016 UAEJJF Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro, Cavaliere delivered a performance that immediately reintroduced him to the global BJJ conversation — defeating elite-level grapplers en route to a gold medal in the Peso Médio division (82.30 kg / 181.5 lbs). The victory resonated broadly within the sport, both for the quality of his jiu-jitsu and for the narrative behind it: a competitor who had stepped away for financial reasons returning to defeat some of the best in the world.

The Grand Slam gold proved to be no isolated result. In 2017, Cavaliere claimed 1st place at the Gracie Pro Challenge while also earning podium finishes at the IBJJF Brasília Open and the IBJJF Brasília No-Gi Open. In 2018, he took gold at the IBJJF Salvador Fall Open alongside runner-up finishes at the IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro and the IBJJF Curitiba Open. Taken together, these results confirmed his standing as a consistent and dangerous presence at the top of the middleweight division.

Cavaliere's path to Alliance began at the 2017 IBJJF European Open, where he forged genuine connections with coaches Alexandre Gigi, Michael Langhi, and Fábio Gurgel. Those relationships proved consequential — Cavaliere received an invitation to train with Alliance, the 11-time world champion team, an offer he accepted without hesitation.

Joining Alliance in 2017 as one of the team's middleweights, the affiliation represented one of the most significant chapters of his career. Stepping into an organization with Alliance's history and infrastructure placed Cavaliere alongside some of the sport's most accomplished practitioners, within a system purpose-built for producing world-class competitors. The move marked a natural evolution for an athlete whose journey — from the streets of Rio de Janeiro to the podiums of international competition — had already demonstrated both the depth of his resilience and the full scope of his ability.