Joao Assonitis

João Assonitis was born in April 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and developed his competitive instincts across a range of athletic pursuits from an early age. As a child, he competed in local football (soccer) tournaments before gravitating toward skating and surfing — pursuits that reflected both his athletic versatility and the vibrant culture of his hometown.

His entry into martial arts came through the striking disciplines. Between the ages of 10 and 13, Assonitis trained in boxing and Muay Thai, building a foundation in combat sports that would later inform his development as a grappler. The shift toward grappling was shaped by the men closest to him: his father holds a black belt in luta livre, and his stepfather holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu. With grappling embedded in his family environment, Assonitis gravitated naturally toward the ground game as the discipline he would pursue most seriously.

Assonitis began his formal jiu-jitsu education under Darwin Falcão at his gym in Rio de Janeiro, where he found both the technical instruction and the competitive environment needed to develop quickly. He wasted little time making his presence felt on the local tournament circuit, producing results that signaled his potential at the earliest stages of his training.

As he worked through the colored belt ranks, accumulating experience at blue and then purple belt, Assonitis sought a larger competitive platform to match his ambitions. At purple belt, he made the decision to join Rafael Formiga Barbosa's squad, Double Five — a team built around a strong culture of high-level competition. The move proved defining. Under Formiga's guidance, Assonitis earned both his brown and black belts, with his formal black belt promotion taking place in December 2023.

In a gesture that underscored his respect for his roots in the sport, Assonitis returned to his original instructor, Darwin Falcão, to also receive the black belt rank from him — a tribute to the mentor who first set him on the path.

Colored Belt Excellence

Throughout his time in the colored belt divisions, Assonitis established himself as one of the standout competitors on the IBJJF circuit, with his no-gi performances proving particularly impressive. At blue belt, he claimed gold at the IBJJF South American Championship in both 2019 and 2020, demonstrating a consistency that set him apart at that level. He also reached the final of the AJP Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro — finishing as runner-up — and earned a bronze medal at the 2020 IBJJF European Championship.

His purple belt campaign in 2022 brought further progress, as he advanced to the final of the IBJJF Pan Championship and again finished as runner-up — a result that reflected his growing competitive maturity. The brown belt chapter of his career, however, marked his most dominant stretch to that point. In 2023, Assonitis captured gold at both the IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi and the IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi at brown belt, back-to-back titles that confirmed his readiness for the elite black belt division.

Black Belt Debut and Title Defense

His transition to black belt competition, which began in 2024, validated that assessment. At the 2024 IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi, he claimed gold once more, successfully defending the title he had won the year prior at brown belt. A bronze medal at the 2024 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship further demonstrated his ability to perform at the highest level in his first year among the black belts.

Competing in the Peso Leve division at 76 kg (168 lbs), Assonitis has built a record of no-gi excellence that positions him as a consistent force in one of the sport's most competitive weight classes.