Luiz Paulo Medeiros

Luiz Paulo Carneiro Medeiros was born on July 15, 1998, in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Raised in one of South America's most distinctive urban environments, he spent his early years as a committed football (soccer) player, with the sport anchoring his athletic ambitions. That trajectory shifted decisively at the age of 12, when an encounter through a friend introduced him to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and redirected his competitive drive toward the mats.

His first and only formative instructor was Melqui Galvão, under whose guidance Luiz Paulo completed the full belt journey from white to black belt. Galvão proved to be more than a technical coach — he instilled the mindset and discipline required to pursue jiu-jitsu as a professional vocation. Acting on his coach's counsel, Luiz Paulo also took up judo and wrestling as complementary disciplines, building the well-rounded grappling base that would later serve him on the international circuit.

Luiz Paulo's colored belt career established him as one of the most promising competitors of his generation, with a résumé that grew steadily more impressive at every stage.

Blue and Purple Belt Milestones

His blue belt campaign offered an early glimpse of his ceiling: in 2017, he reached the final of both the IBJJF World Championship and the IBJJF Pan Championship, signaling his capacity to perform at the sport's highest levels from a young age. The trajectory continued upward through purple belt, where he claimed gold at the 2019 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals — one of the most competitive domestic tournaments in BJJ — and added the IBJJF South Brazilian Championship title the same year.

Brown Belt and Black Belt Promotion

By the time he reached brown belt, Luiz Paulo was operating at a genuinely international level. In 2020, he won the UAEJJF Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi and reached the final of the IBJJF South American Championship, demonstrating the consistency that would define his competitive approach. On October 15, 2020, Melqui Galvão awarded Luiz Paulo his black belt — a milestone that formalized what his colored belt results had long indicated: he was ready to compete among the sport's elite. Throughout this period, he competed under the Dream Art banner, the Manaus-based project that remained central to his identity as a competitor.

Luiz Paulo wasted little time making an impact at the black belt level. Competing in the Peso Leve division at 76 kg (168 lbs), he demonstrated the ability to perform at the highest level in both gi and submission wrestling formats.

AJP Grand Slam Dominance

His early black belt years were defined by a string of AJP Grand Slam victories that announced his arrival on the global stage. In 2021, he claimed gold at both the AJP Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi and the AJP Grand Slam in Moscow, establishing himself as a consistent podium presence on the circuit's most prestigious events. Further Grand Slam victories followed in Rio de Janeiro in 2023 and Rome in 2024, underscoring his durability and adaptability across different competitive environments. Alongside those results, multiple podium finishes at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals and IBJJF South American Championship between 2022 and 2024 reinforced his standing among the elite in his weight class.

World Championship Bronze and ADCC Trials Victory

The peak of his black belt career came in 2024, when he secured a bronze medal at the IBJJF World Championship — the most prestigious event in gi jiu-jitsu — and, most significantly, won the ADCC South American Trials. That Trials victory earned him a coveted invitation to the ADCC World Championship, the sport's most celebrated submission grappling event, and represented the clearest validation of his abilities across rule sets.

In August 2023, Luiz Paulo ended his long-standing coaching relationship with Melqui Galvão in what was described as a contentious parting of ways. The separation carried particular weight given that Galvão had been his sole instructor since the age of 12, shepherding every phase of his development from his first steps on the mats through to his black belt promotion. For a competitor whose entire athletic identity had been shaped within a single coaching relationship, the split represented a significant personal and professional transition.

Following the separation, Luiz Paulo continued competing under the Dream Art – Manaus / Alliance banner, maintaining his affiliation with the broader team structure that had supported his career. What followed proved telling: rather than experiencing a dip in performance, he produced some of the strongest results of his black belt career, including his ADCC South American Trials victory and his World Championship bronze medal in 2024. The ability to sustain — and even elevate — his competitive output through a period of significant personal upheaval speaks to the maturity and resilience that have come to define his approach to the sport.