Carlos José Junior

Born in October 1999 in São Paulo, Brazil, Carlos José Junior arrived at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu not through family tradition or early exposure, but through a moment of pure curiosity. As a teenager, he noticed a pair of neighbors sporting cauliflower ears — the unmistakable badge of a life spent grappling. Intrigued, he approached them to learn more. One of those neighbors was Guilherme Carturan, a black belt instructor who invited the young Paulistano to attend one of his classes. Junior accepted, stepping onto the mats for the first time and setting in motion a trajectory that would carry him to the highest levels of international competition.

Junior's early development unfolded under the guidance of multiple instructors, each leaving a distinct imprint on his game. He began with Guilherme Carturan before transitioning to Fábio Gaúcho, who shepherded his progression from white belt all the way through to brown. Fábio Gaúcho operated an affiliate of the Almeida JJ team in São Paulo, and within that environment, Junior evolved into one of the most formidable brown belts in the state.

As his talent signaled potential beyond the regional stage, Junior made a deliberate move to seek training commensurate with his ambitions. He joined Alliance headquarters in São Paulo — widely regarded as one of the sport's most dominant squads — coming under the direction of head coach Michael Langhi. The transition proved transformative, providing the infrastructure, competition exposure, and technical refinement necessary to fulfill his potential. On July 3, 2024, that journey through the colored belt ranks culminated when Carlos José Junior received his black belt under the Alliance banner.

As a brown belt, Junior established himself as one of the most consistent performers on the international schedule, accumulating podium finishes across multiple continents and marquee events. His campaign reached its peak at the 2024 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship, where he captured gold in the brown belt division — a result that affirmed his standing among the elite of his category. That same year, he demonstrated his competitive depth by reaching the final of the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, earning silver on home soil.

His performances extended well beyond the Americas. A bronze medal at the 2024 IBJJF World Championship — the most prestigious event on the IBJJF calendar — combined with a bronze at the 2024 IBJJF European Championship underscored his ability to podium across different competitive environments and talent pools. Junior's consistency had already been on display in 2023, when he claimed bronze at the IBJJF South American Championship. Taken together, these results across multiple seasons and continents built a compelling case that Junior had outgrown the colored belt ranks and was primed for the black belt stage.