Guilherme Cypriano

Guilherme Carmo Cypriano was born in May 2000 in São Paulo, Brazil, spending his earliest years in the Mooca neighborhood before his family relocated to Araraquara, a city in the interior of São Paulo state. It was there that Cypriano first encountered jiu-jitsu at age 13 — not through a conventional academy, but through the Bushido workgroup, a community social project led by André Vicentin. That grassroots introduction, rooted in accessibility over commerce, gave Cypriano a foundation shaped as much by community as by competition.

Cypriano's early development unfolded entirely under André Vicentin, who guided him through his white and blue belt years within the Bushido workgroup. As his competitive ambitions grew, Cypriano made the significant move to Cicero Costha — at the time one of the most internationally recognized talent-producing teams in the sport — where Cicero Costha awarded him his purple belt directly. Even as Cypriano trained across different environments and worked with various instructors, Costha remained a key advisor throughout his competitive development, with subsequent promotions carrying his endorsement.

Fernando Zullick awarded Cypriano his brown belt in memorable fashion: the promotion came on the podium following a standout performance at the 2022 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, a moment that captured how competitive achievement and belt recognition can converge in BJJ culture. On July 13, 2023, André Vicentin — the instructor who had first placed Cypriano on the mats a decade earlier — awarded him his black belt, completing a full-circle journey back to his original mentor.

His lineage traces through a distinguished Brazilian line: Carlos Gracie > George Gracie > Octávio de Almeida > Mauro Pacífico > André Vicentin > Guilherme Cypriano.

Cypriano's colored belt career established him as one of the more accomplished competitors of his generation in the heavier divisions. His earliest recorded international podium came at the 2018 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, where he finished second at blue belt. A year later, at the 2019 IBJJF World Championship, he claimed gold at blue belt — an early signal that his trajectory pointed toward elite competition.

The purple belt years brought a sustained run of international results. At the 2021 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, he took silver in the weight division and bronze in the absolute; later that year, the 2021 IBJJF World Championship yielded bronze medals in both weight and absolute. The defining performance of his colored belt career came at the 2022 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, where Cypriano captured gold in both the weight and absolute divisions at purple belt — a double-gold result that earned him an on-the-podium promotion to brown belt from Fernando Zullick.

His brown belt campaign, though brief, added further depth to his résumé. He claimed bronze at the 2022 IBJJF World Championship and silver at the 2023 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals before André Vicentin elevated him to black belt in July 2023.

At black belt, Cypriano competes for Checkmat in the Pesadissimo division — the super-heavyweight category for athletes over 100.50 kg (222.0 lbs) — where the margin for error against elite opposition is characteristically narrow. His black belt campaign has been marked by active international competition as he works to establish himself among the division's top competitors.

At the 2025 IBJJF European Championship, Cypriano advanced through the super-heavyweight bracket to the semi-finals, where he fell to Windson Torres by advantage in a scoreless match (0×0 pts). The semi-final loss did not result in a podium finish under IBJJF rules. He returned to the podium at the 2026 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, earning bronze at adult black belt — his first verified black belt medal at a major IBJJF event.

As of August 30, 2026, Cypriano's recorded black belt grappling record stands at 23 wins and 28 losses across 51 bouts, a volume that reflects consistent engagement against high-level super-heavyweight competition on the international circuit.

Cypriano's game is built around the Open Guard, a positionally demanding foundation that suits larger athletes willing to operate from the bottom and generate offense through sweeps and leg entanglements. Playing open guard at super-heavyweight requires both technical precision and physical confidence — attributes Cypriano has developed across years of high-level competition.

His submission offense centers on back attacks: five of his eight submission victories have come via choke from the back, making back takes his primary finishing mechanism. Two triangle choke finishes and a wristlock round out a submission toolbox that, while selective in variety, reflects a clear strategic hierarchy. His twelve points-based wins suggest a patient, position-first approach — one in which guard recovery and sweep sequences accumulate scoring advantages rather than force premature submission attempts.

On the defensive side, chokes from the back account for four of his submission losses, a symmetry that underscores the central role back control plays in super-heavyweight exchanges at the elite level. The spread of other submission losses — including a toe hold, a triangle armlock, and an armbar among others — is consistent with the technical diversity encountered at the top of the Pesadissimo division.