Johnif Rocha

Johnif Rocha was born on May 27, 1998, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil — a region that has produced a remarkable concentration of elite grappling talent under the PSLPB Cicero Costha banner. His first organized sport was not jiu-jitsu but football (soccer), introduced during his primary school years through a physical education teacher named Karina Dias. She coached him on the football pitch and, just as significantly, ran an after-school jiu-jitsu program that would set the course of his life.

Dias convinced Rocha to give jiu-jitsu a try, and he began training in earnest in 2007 at the age of 9. What started as curiosity deepened into devotion. By age 12, the sport had become a consuming passion and the ambition to compete professionally had taken firm root. Rocha's story mirrors that of several elite grapplers to emerge from Amazonas through the PSLPB system — athletes who found their path to the world stage through early exposure to the sport in under-resourced environments, guided by dedicated local figures who recognized their potential.

At 15 years old and still a blue belt, Rocha took a bold, self-directed step: he reached out directly to Cícero Costha, one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's most accomplished coaches and the head of PSLPB Cicero Costha in São Paulo. Costha accepted him on a full scholarship — a decision that marked the beginning of Rocha's transformation from a promising regional talent into a world-class competitor.

The PSLPB environment is one of the sport's most demanding training grounds, with a particular tradition of excellence in the lighter weight divisions. Rocha thrived within it, and his progression through the colored belt ranks was defined by a string of major international titles.

Belt-by-Belt Title Run

At blue belt, Rocha claimed the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi title in 2016. His purple belt campaign delivered one of the most complete runs of any competitor in his weight class — winning both the 2018 IBJJF European Championship and the 2018 IBJJF World Championship in the same calendar year, alongside the ACBJJ European Championship. At brown belt, he maintained his dominant form by capturing the 2019 IBJJF Pan Championship and adding a second CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi gold to his record.

This sustained excellence across multiple belt levels and tournament formats demonstrated both Rocha's technical depth and the competitive consistency the PSLPB system demands. In November 2020, Cícero Costha promoted Rocha to black belt in São Paulo, Brazil — a recognition of everything he had built across more than a decade on the mats.

Rocha's black belt career places him in the Galo division — rooster weight, with a limit of 57.5 kg (127 lbs) — one of the most technically refined weight classes in the sport. The division has historically attracted jiu-jitsu's most precise and methodical competitors, and Rocha's colored belt résumé prepared him well for that environment.

In 2021, he made an immediate statement at the black belt level, earning 2nd place at the AJP Grand Slam Abu Dhabi, a premier event on the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu circuit. That same year, he finished 2nd at the AJP World Pro, further affirming his standing as a legitimate contender in the global rooster-weight landscape. These results, achieved in the early stages of his black belt career, established Rocha as a fighter with the technical foundation and competitive temperament to challenge for the sport's most prestigious titles. His background in both gi and no-gi competition — built consistently across blue, purple, and brown belt — gives him a versatility that translates well to the varied formats found at elite black belt level.

Rocha's trajectory took an unexpected international turn following his victories at the 2018 IBJJF European Championship. In the wake of that performance, he received a coaching offer from an academy in Switzerland — a rare opportunity for a competitor still active at purple belt. He accepted, and spent a significant period based in Switzerland, balancing the responsibilities of teaching with the demands of staying competitive on the world circuit.

Throughout this period, Rocha maintained regular travel to Brazil and the United States for training camps and tournaments, keeping his preparation connected to the highest levels of the sport. His time in Switzerland reflects a pattern seen among several elite PSLPB competitors who have leveraged international competition success into coaching roles abroad, extending the Costha methodology beyond Brazil's borders. This chapter ultimately served as the bridge between his decorated colored belt run and his black belt promotion by Cícero Costha in São Paulo in November 2020 — a homecoming for an athlete whose path had taken him from Amazonas to Europe and back again.