Jansen Gomes

Jansen Gomes was born on October 20, 2001, in Brazil, into a household where Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was a way of life rather than a recreational pursuit. His father, Antônio Carlos "Bode", a BJJ black belt, cultivated an environment in which training on the mats felt as natural as any other childhood activity. His older brother, Jonata Gomes, a highly accomplished competitor in his own right, gave Jansen both a role model and a training partner from the outset — together, father and brother formed the twin pillars of inspiration that drew him into the gi before most children his age had settled on any sport.

The results of that early immersion were immediate and telling. Competing as a yellow belt in the Mirim age group — the youngest competitive category in the CBJJ system — Gomes claimed his first national title, announcing his precocious talent to the Brazilian BJJ community and setting the tone for everything that would follow.

Gomes's formation as an elite competitor was shaped by two complementary environments that together provided both community purpose and world-class technical instruction. Under the guidance of his father and coach Ricardo "Rico" Vieira, he became a central figure in Coach Rico's social project based in Cantagalo, Rio de Janeiro — a community-oriented program built around jiu-jitsu and designed to give local youth structured athletic and personal development. That grounding gave Gomes's competitive drive a broader context and a deeper sense of responsibility.

Simultaneously, Gomes trained at Fightzone Academy in Copacabana, the flagship training center of Checkmat, where he accessed the highest level of competitive preparation available in Brazil. This dual environment — one rooted in community, the other in elite performance — proved to be an unusually effective formula for building a well-rounded and mentally resilient athlete.

As Gomes advanced into the purple belt division, his training footprint expanded internationally. Traveling to the United States for major IBJJF events, he worked alongside prominent figures within the Checkmat network, including Leonardo Vieira and Lucas Leite. Those collaborations broadened his technical vocabulary and sharpened his understanding of high-level competition strategy at a critical stage of his development.

Gomes's ascent through the colored belt ranks stands as one of the most comprehensive competitive records produced by a Brazilian athlete of his generation. His dominance began in the teen and juvenile divisions, where he captured IBJJF World Championship titles in the absolute category in both 2017 and 2018, along with multiple IBJJF Brazilian National titles in 2013, 2014, and 2016. He also claimed gold at the 2018 IBJJF European Open and swept the American Nationals in both gi and no-gi formats in 2018, establishing himself as a global presence before entering the adult colored belt divisions.

The transition to adult competition only accelerated his trajectory. As a purple belt in 2019, Gomes won the IBJJF World Championship, the AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro, and the AJP Grand Slam in Los Angeles — a cross-circuit sweep that demonstrated his ability to perform across different competitive formats and rulesets. Consistent podium appearances at the IBJJF European Open, Pan Championship, and South American Championships throughout this period further affirmed his versatility and competitive range.

Entering the brown belt division, Gomes continued to collect titles at the sport's most prestigious events. In 2021, he won the IBJJF World Championship in both gi and no-gi formats, the IBJJF Pan Championship, and multiple American Nationals titles across gi and no-gi — results that confirmed his colored belt success was the product of a methodically built and technically sound competitive game, not a temporary streak.

The moment Jansen Gomes received his black belt carried the weight of a full competitive journey. In December 2021, standing atop the podium at the IBJJF World Championships after claiming the brown belt title, Gomes had the belt tied around his waist by his father, Antônio Carlos "Bode" — the same man who had first introduced him to jiu-jitsu as a child. The scene encapsulated the arc of a family-driven journey that began in a Rio de Janeiro community program and culminated on the sport's grandest stage.

Gomes wasted little time establishing himself among the elite at black belt. In 2022, he won the AJP Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro and claimed the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title in no-gi, signaling that the adjustment to the sport's highest level would demand little patience from those waiting to see him compete. The 2023 season brought further validation: Gomes won the 2023 IBJJF World Championship and the 2023 IBJJF European Open in back-to-back results that confirmed his standing among the top competitors in the Meio Pesado division. His performance at the 2024 IBJJF World Championship, where he reached the final of the absolute division, demonstrated a continued willingness to test himself across weight categories and an expanding competitive range that points toward sustained relevance at the highest level.

Competing for Checkmat and representing Brazil on the international circuit, Gomes carries forward both the technical legacy of his coaches and the personal legacy of a family for whom jiu-jitsu has always been far more than a competition.