Alexandre Vieira

Alexandre Vieira was born on April 12, 1990, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in the Zona Sul's world-renowned Copacabana district — an upbringing that immersed him in the city's vibrant cultural and martial arts landscape. His first encounter with combat sports came through capoeira, which he began practicing at age 5 and continued through age 15. Among the coaches who shaped that decade of training, none left a deeper impression than Master Rodrigo Escorpião, who imparted not only technical skill but also the rich historical and cultural traditions of the art.

Vieira's path toward grappling opened at age 7, when Marcelo Saporito — a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the legendary Carlson Gracie — approached him after a capoeira class. Recognizing unusual potential in the young Vieira, Saporito offered him a place in his kids' BJJ program on a scholarship, marking the beginning of a lifelong relationship with grappling.

Vieira's early BJJ progression moved through several formative environments. As a yellow belt, he transitioned to the Bushidô Academy run by Flávio Nobre, an affiliate school connected to Master Paulo Maurício Strauch. When Bushidô eventually closed, Vieira moved directly to Strauch's headquarters, where he continued developing under one of Brazil's most respected BJJ instructors.

Alexandre Vieira's martial arts education was never confined to a single discipline. At 15, he added kickboxing to his weekly training regimen, competing under full contact rules alongside his BJJ practice. His dedication to the striking art ran deep enough that he eventually earned a black belt in kickboxing as well, building a well-rounded combat sports foundation that would later inform his grappling game.

Although Vieira had not initially envisioned a career in mixed martial arts, his combined grappling and striking background made the transition a natural one. His MMA debut came in 2012 under the WOCS MMA promotion, where he finished his opponent decisively despite minimal specific cage preparation. Veteran MMA fighter Alexandre Pimentel, known as "Pulga," stood across from him that evening and was impressed enough to invite Vieira to train at BTT headquarters as a preparation partner for an upcoming fight.

The visit to BTT proved to be a turning point. Meeting team leader Murilo Bustamante convinced Vieira that the Brazilian Top Team environment was where his development should continue. He made the decision to leave Academia Strauch and join BTT as a brown belt. On December 17, 2014, Bustamante promoted Vieira to the rank of black belt — the culmination of a journey that had begun on the capoeira floors of Copacabana nearly two decades earlier. With that milestone reached, Vieira set aside the pursuit of a professional MMA career and chose to dedicate himself entirely to grappling competition, a decision that would define the next chapter of his athletic life.

A Style Built on Creativity and Pressure

Alexandre Vieira has established himself as one of the most distinctive and entertaining competitors in contemporary submission grappling. His offense-first approach — marked by creative entries, unexpected angles, and a relentless pursuit of the finish — earned him widespread recognition from respected media platforms including BJJ Scout and FloGrappling, both of which spotlighted his style as something genuinely uncommon in the sport. Where many competitors default to point management and positional control, Vieira consistently seeks the submission, making each match an event in itself.

The Loop Choke That Defined a Career

No single moment crystallized Vieira's identity as a competitor more than his loop choke finish against Tomoshige Sera at the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour in Tokyo in 2017. Executed with precision and flair, the Loop Choke became one of the most celebrated highlight finishes in modern BJJ — circulating widely across the grappling community and cementing Vieira's status as a must-watch athlete. The submission was a perfect expression of the inventive, high-risk game he had spent years developing: an attack that required both technical mastery and the competitive boldness to attempt it on the biggest stage.

Titles and Credentials Across Gi and No-Gi

Vieira competes in the Peso Pena division (70 kg / 154.5 lbs) and has demonstrated consistent excellence across both gi and no-gi formats. His no-gi credentials were established before his black belt: he claimed gold at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in 2014 as a brown belt and captured the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi title in 2013 at the same rank — achievements that foreshadowed his black belt success. As a black belt, he has claimed titles at the IBJJF Rio Open in 2019, the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi in 2019, and the UAEJJF Grand Slam No-Gi in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, while also reaching the podium at the UAEJJF Grand Slam in Tokyo in 2017 — the same event that produced his famous loop choke. Competing as a representative of BTT on the international circuit, Vieira carries forward the legacy of one of Brazil's most storied fight organizations while continuing to push the creative boundaries of submission grappling.