Eduardo Avelar

Eduardo Avelar de Carvalho was born on February 19, 1997, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An athletic child drawn to movement and competition, he gravitated toward football (soccer) and skateboarding in his formative years — pursuits that cultivated the physical instincts and competitive drive that would later define his martial arts career.

At the age of 8, Avelar began training jiu-jitsu at the same gym where he was already practicing judo. For several years, he developed both disciplines simultaneously under coach Luis Carlos, building a well-rounded grappling foundation rooted in balance, timing, and body control. The dual-sport environment proved formative, giving Avelar a technical base that extended well beyond what either art might have offered alone.

When his judo coach departed the school, Eduardo channeled his full competitive energy into jiu-jitsu rather than stepping away from the sport. That decisive commitment marked the beginning of his singular focus on the art that would come to define his athletic identity.

Building a Foundation at Soul Fighters

Eduardo Avelar's belt progression unfolded within the Soul Fighters organization, one of Brazil's most respected competitive jiu-jitsu teams. From the outset of his BJJ journey through his brown belt, Luis Carlos — a black belt under Rafael Formiga, co-founder of Soul Fighters — served as his primary instructor. Under this guidance, Avelar developed the technical and competitive framework that would carry him to the international stage.

By the age of 16, Avelar had begun traveling outside Rio de Janeiro to test his game in competition. His international breakthrough arrived at 17, when he traveled to Portugal and won both the weight category and the open-weight division at the IBJJF European International Open as a blue belt. The performance announced him as one of the sport's most promising young lightweights.

Brown Belt Dominance and a World Stage Promotion

As Avelar advanced into the brown belt division, his training responsibilities were shared with Leandro Escobar — known as "Tatu" — a senior coach within Soul Fighters and leader of the Soul Fighters Headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. The dual mentorship proved highly productive. Avelar earned medals at the South American Championship, the CBJJ Brazilian Team Nationals, and the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, culminating in a second-place finish at the 2019 World Championship.

Standing on the podium at the "mundial" in June 2019, Eduardo Avelar received his black belt directly from coach Tatu — a milestone that marked both the end of his colored belt career and the opening of his chapter as a professional black belt competitor.

Establishing Black Belt Credentials

Eduardo Avelar competes in the Peso Leve division (76 kg / 168 lbs) on the IBJJF world circuit, representing Brazil internationally under the Double Five banner. He carried his colored belt reputation seamlessly into the black belt ranks, maintaining a consistent presence on IBJJF podiums from the moment he earned his promotion.

In 2019, Avelar made an immediate statement at the black belt level, reaching the podium at the IBJJF South American Championship No-Gi in the absolute division. At the 2021 IBJJF American Nationals, he claimed silver in his weight category and added a second podium finish in the absolute — echoing the dual-division competitiveness he had displayed as a blue belt in Europe years earlier.

2023 Season: A Career High Point

The 2023 season marked a defining stretch in Avelar's black belt career. At the 2023 IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi, he captured gold in his weight division — his first IBJJF black belt title at a major No-Gi tournament. He reinforced that result with a third-place finish at the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship, further establishing that his trajectory as a professional competitor mirrors the multi-divisional dominance he demonstrated throughout his formative years on the colored belt circuit.