Juan Lopes

Juan Lopes was born on July 2, 1985, in Duque de Caxias — a working-class city on Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil. A city with deep roots in martial arts culture, Duque de Caxias provided the formative backdrop for what would become a lifelong dedication to jiu-jitsu.

As a child, Lopes was extraordinarily active, and he recognized early that his abundant energy needed direction. At 13, in 1999, he channeled that drive into something disciplined and purposeful, beginning his jiu-jitsu journey with the conviction that structured competition could serve as a vehicle for personal excellence. That early intuition proved prescient — the discipline he cultivated as a teenager in Duque de Caxias would carry him to podiums across three continents.

From his very first class, Juan Lopes trained under a single instructor: Victor Hugo. This loyalty to one coach across his entire belt career — from white belt through black belt — represents an increasingly uncommon path in modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where athletes frequently change academies and affiliations in pursuit of competitive advantage or professional opportunity.

Rooster Weight Precision

The journey from white to black belt under Victor Hugo spanned approximately ten years — a period of steady, thorough development rather than rapid advancement. Throughout this time, Lopes competed in the rooster weight division (Peso Galo, 57.5 kg / 127 lbs), one of the most technical and demanding weight categories in BJJ. At rooster weight, marginal differences in timing, leverage, and positional awareness are routinely decisive, and Lopes refined that precision across years of tournament experience.

The sporting success Lopes accumulated during his belt progression served a dual purpose: it validated his technical growth under Victor Hugo, and it established the credibility that would later underpin his own coaching career. By the time he received his black belt, Lopes had already built a reputation as one of the more reliable competitors in his weight class at the regional and national level.

Juan Lopes built his competitive résumé across both the adult and master divisions of the IBJJF and CBJJ tournament circuits, demonstrating a longevity and consistency of performance that few athletes sustain across multiple competitive eras.

2016: Breakthrough Season

The 2016 competitive season marked a defining year for Lopes. He claimed gold at the 2016 IBJJF Rio Winter International Open and followed that performance with another championship at the 2016 IBJJF Curitiba International Open. At the 2016 CBJJ Brazilian National Championship — one of the most competitive domestic tournaments in the sport — he earned a silver medal, underscoring his standing among Brazil's elite rooster weights. His performances across that calendar year earned him a placement on BJJ Heroes' 2016 End of Year Ranking, recognizing his position among jiu-jitsu's top athletes for that season.

2017: Versatility on the International Stage

The 2017 season demonstrated Lopes' range across formats and geographies. He captured gold at the 2017 IBJJF European No-Gi Open, confirming his effectiveness in no-gi competition alongside his gi achievements, and added another title at the 2017 IBJJF Rome International Open. That year also marked his Masters World Championship debut, where he earned a bronze medal — a strong first appearance on that stage.

2018: Masters World Silver

In 2018, Lopes returned to the Masters Worlds and improved upon his previous result, claiming a silver medal at the IBJJF Masters World Championship in the Master 1 division. The progression from third place in 2017 to second in 2018 reflected continued development and confirmed his standing as one of the elite competitors in his weight and age category on the international circuit.

Juan Lopes serves as the head coach of Prime Team — known also as PRM Team — a grappling association based in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro. His decision to establish and lead a team in his hometown reflects a genuine commitment to developing local talent in a region that has long contributed to the broader culture of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

What distinguishes Lopes' trajectory is the deliberate balance he has maintained between his roles as competitor and coach. Throughout his adult career, he sustained a profession outside jiu-jitsu while pursuing excellence on both the competitive circuit and the coaching floor — a combination that stands in contrast to the increasingly professionalized, full-time model that defines modern elite BJJ. This dual commitment speaks to the depth of his investment in the sport as something beyond a livelihood.

The arc from student under Victor Hugo to head coach of his own team in Duque de Caxias represents a complete cycle of martial arts mentorship: absorbing instruction, applying it under competitive pressure, and ultimately transmitting it to the next generation. In building Prime Team, Lopes has extended the lineage of knowledge passed to him, rooting it in the same city where his journey began on the mats in 1999.