Fernando Di Piero Soluco

Fernando Di Piero Soluco, born on May 12, 1980, in Brazil and known by the nickname "Soluço," laid the foundation of his martial arts career with remarkable early dedication. He began training Judo at just 4 years old, displaying a natural aptitude for grappling that defined his childhood and adolescence. By 17, he had earned a Judo black belt — the product of over a decade of disciplined mat work and technical refinement.

A defining moment arrived at age 13, when Fernando witnessed Royce Gracie compete at UFC 1. The performance ignited his passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and set his path in motion. He joined the academy of Roberto Lage, earning his blue and purple belts under Lage's instruction before transitioning at 17 to Fabio Gurgel's Alliance academy. There, his development accelerated sharply. Under Gurgel's guidance, Fernando earned his brown and black belts, with the black belt awarded by the close of 2003.

Fernando Di Piero Soluco assembled an impressive competitive résumé as a brown belt under the Alliance banner, competing primarily in the Peso Pesado division at 94kg/207lbs. His most significant achievement came in 2003, when he claimed the CBJJ Brazilian National Championship title in the absolute division — a result that placed him firmly among Brazil's elite grapplers at that level.

The 2003 season proved to be his most productive overall. Fernando reached the final of the IBJJF Pan American Championship at brown belt and secured a bronze medal at the IBJJF World Championship, building on a third-place finish he had earned at that same event in 2002. Runner-up finishes at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals in both 2002 and 2003 further reflected his consistency across top-tier IBJJF and CBJJ competition.

Following his black belt promotion, Fernando maintained his presence on the international circuit. He earned runner-up finishes at the IBJJF European Open in 2005 and again in 2010, along with a third-place finish in the absolute division at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals in 2006 — a testament to his durability and continued competitive drive at the highest levels.

Fernando Di Piero Soluco's transition into coaching began well before he opened his own academy. He first developed his teaching instincts by assisting his Judo instructor during classes, and later contributed to Fabio Gurgel's children's program at Alliance headquarters. While still a brown belt, he opened his first Jiu-Jitsu academy — an early signal of his commitment to spreading the art beyond competition.

In 2006, Fernando relocated to Ecuador, where he established one of the country's first Alliance franchise academies. The move was aided by his close friend Freddy Sukata, who had previously introduced BJJ to Ecuador and cultivated a receptive martial arts community. Building on that groundwork, Fernando dedicated himself to developing BJJ as a legitimate discipline within the country.

His coaching efforts produced tangible results. Francisco Iturralde and Leonardo Iturralde stand among the notable practitioners to emerge from his Ecuadorian program, representing the real-world impact of his instruction. Fernando competes representing Ecuador, a reflection of his deep integration into the nation's martial arts landscape.

Alongside his coaching and academy-building responsibilities, Fernando Di Piero Soluco pursued mixed martial arts competition as a deliberate vehicle for promoting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Ecuador. Competing across multiple MMA tournaments and events, he used his visibility as a fighter to demonstrate BJJ's effectiveness as a combat system in a market where the sport was still finding its footing.

By stepping into the roles of competitor, coach, and promoter simultaneously, Fernando worked to build an Ecuadorian martial arts community that recognized Jiu-Jitsu as both a competitive sport and a practical self-defense discipline. His willingness to compete in MMA echoed the same conviction that had drawn him to BJJ after watching Royce Gracie showcase the art's power on the world stage — a full-circle commitment to proving Jiu-Jitsu's value through action.