Manuel Ribamar Filho

Manuel Ribamar was born on September 22, 1993, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, into an athletic upbringing that spanned football (soccer), judo, capoeira, and skating. That diverse sporting foundation instilled the physicality and coordination that would later define his presence on the mats.

Ribamar's entry into grappling came through family rather than a formal gym. Around the age of 12, he began spending more time with his older brother, Bosco Junior, then a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, who regularly hosted informal sparring sessions at their home on an improvised mat. Those rolls proved captivating enough that Bosco eventually took his younger brother to a shopping center, gifted him his first gi, and brought him to his first official class at the academy of Itamar Coty.

Though Ribamar trained under coach Coty, it was Orley Lobato who guided his earliest formal development — taking him from white all the way to orange belt. When Bosco Junior left Lobato's gym to co-found his own team alongside veteran coach Agenor Alvez, Manuel followed his brother's lead. The venture proved short-lived; a lack of student commitment and unpaid monthly fees forced the team to close not long after opening.

The closure of his brother's academy introduced Ribamar to one of the most formative figures in his early career: Faustino Neto, widely known by his nickname 'Pina' — a historic and deeply respected name within the BJJ community of Manaus. Under Master Pina's guidance, Ribamar earned both his blue and purple belts, steadily sharpening the competitive instincts that had driven him to the sport from the start.

Recognizing his student's potential, Master Pina arranged an opportunity for Ribamar to travel to Europe and train at Anderson Pereira's Icon Jiu-Jitsu academy. The experience proved enriching and eye-opening, but it was cut short by a knee injury that forced him to return to Brazil. Without the financial means to cover the required surgery, Ribamar spent 15 months away from the mats, working steadily to accumulate the funds needed for his treatment.

That extended absence, difficult as it was, became a turning point. The injury, the recovery, and the sacrifice demanded to return to competition sharpened his resolve and clarified his priorities. When he finally returned to full health, his commitment to jiu-jitsu had become total and unconditional.

Determined to pursue jiu-jitsu at the highest possible level, Ribamar made a defining decision upon his recovery: he sold all of his belongings and relocated from Amazonas to São Paulo, joining PSLPB Cicero Costha — the Projecto Social Lutando Pelo Bem academy run by Cicero Costha. The move represented both a clean break and a significant bet on himself.

The environment at PSLPB delivered everything Ribamar had sought. Training daily alongside elite competitors including the Miyao Brothers, Leandro Lo, Yago de Souza, and Wellington Alemao, he immersed himself in a culture of excellence that rapidly accelerated his development. It was within this group that his grappling style truly took shape — blending the deep technical system of PSLPB with his own naturally aggressive competitive instincts.

The results followed swiftly. Ribamar captured the IBJJF South American Championship at brown belt in both 2013 and 2014, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous competitors in his weight class at the colored belt level. The crowning achievement of his time in São Paulo arrived in 2015, when he won the IBJJF World Championship at brown belt — a result that validated the sacrifices he had made to reach that stage and signaled his readiness for the sport's highest level.

In 2015, Ribamar traveled to the United States to compete at the Pan American Championship, but the tournament ended with a disappointing early exit. Rather than returning to Brazil, he remained in the US thanks to the intervention of Rodrigo Pinheiro, who provided critical financial and logistical support and invited Ribamar into his competition camp ahead of the World Championship the following month.

The investment proved decisive. Ribamar delivered a dominant performance at the IBJJF World Championship, claiming gold at brown belt in a result that announced him as a force at any level of competition. With full authorization from Cicero Costha, Master Rodrigo Pinheiro promoted Ribamar to black belt — marking the formal beginning of his career at the sport's highest rank.

Ribamar chose to remain in the United States after receiving his black belt, establishing his competitive base there and continuing to represent Rodrigo Pinheiro within the Texas region. The US would serve as the primary stage for the next chapter of his career.

From the second semester of 2016, Ribamar began representing New School Brotherhood, a team formed by former PSLPB athletes who had departed that academy. The transition reflected the evolving landscape of his personal connections within the sport. As he explained in November 2016, many of his closest training partners from PSLPB had moved on to train with Leandro Lo, and Brotherhood had become the environment where he felt most at home. He continued to represent Rodrigo Pinheiro in the Texas region while competing internationally under the Brotherhood banner.

At black belt, Ribamar built a résumé that cemented his standing as one of the elite 82kg (Peso Médio) competitors of his generation. He claimed multiple IBJJF Austin Open titles across 2015, 2016, and 2018, reflecting consistent dominance on the US circuit. On the international stage, he won the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2019, captured gold at the 2020 IBJJF European Open, and secured the IBJJF Pan Championship in 2022. A UAEJJF Grand Slam title in Los Angeles in 2019 further demonstrated his versatility across competitive formats.

Through the team affiliations, coaching relationships, and personal sacrifices that defined his journey from Amazonas to the top of the international circuit, Ribamar's story stands as a testament to resilience and unwavering commitment — from informal rolls on a homemade mat to gold medals on the world stage.