Marcelo Gomide

Marcelo Gomide Oliveira was born on August 21, 1992, in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais — a city with a rich martial arts culture that proved formative in shaping his athletic identity. Sports were woven into the fabric of his upbringing from an early age, with futsal and judo serving as his primary disciplines. He began training judo at age 7, developing the foundational movement patterns and competitive mindset that would later translate seamlessly to jiu-jitsu.

Despite genuine early promise on the judo mat, Marcelo's enthusiasm for martial arts gradually faded through his teenage years, and he eventually stepped away from competition entirely. He maintained a connection to combat sports through muay Thai, but the drive to compete had largely disappeared. It was not until age 18 — after developing a serious interest in mixed martial arts — that he found his way back onto the mats, this time in pursuit of ground fighting skills through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That first jiu-jitsu class marked the beginning of a journey that would carry him to the highest levels of international competition.

The most decisive early influence on Marcelo Gomide's BJJ career was his first coach, Erik Wanderley, widely regarded as one of Minas Gerais' foremost black belts. Wanderley did more than impart technique — he reignited the competitive fire that had dimmed during Marcelo's teenage years and guided him through every stage of development, from white belt through to black belt. That continuity of mentorship under a single coach across an entire belt progression is a rarity in modern jiu-jitsu and speaks to the depth of their relationship.

A pivotal phase arrived during Marcelo's purple belt years, when he made the deliberate decision to dedicate all available time outside his other obligations entirely to jiu-jitsu. This period of focused commitment accelerated his development and solidified the competitive habits that would define his career. Seeking broader exposure to elite-level training, Gomide also cross-trained at the Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte headquarters under Claudio Caloquinha and Sergio Benini, integrating the technical depth of one of the sport's most established teams into his game.

Marcelo competed at brown belt for more than two years, accumulating meaningful podium results at major international events before transitioning to the elite division. In June 2019, Erik Wanderley formally promoted Marcelo Gomide to black belt in a ceremony held at the Gracie Barra Mangabeiras Academy in Belo Horizonte — the same academy where both coach and student were teaching at the time.

Long before earning his black belt, Marcelo Gomide had established himself as a formidable presence in no-gi competition. As a brown belt, he reached the final of the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2017, earning silver, before returning the following year to claim gold at the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship — a result that signaled his readiness to compete at the highest level. He also made his mark in the gi format, placing 3rd at the IBJJF World Championship in 2016 as a purple belt and again in both 2018 and 2019 as a brown belt, along with a 3rd place finish at the IBJJF Pan Championship in 2018.

That momentum carried directly into his black belt debut year. In 2019, Gomide won both the IBJJF European Open No-Gi and the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi, while placing 3rd at the 2019 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship — a result that confirmed his standing as one of the division's most consistent elite-level no-gi competitors. Competing in the Super Pesado division at 100.50 kg / 222.0 lbs, Gomide combines the physicality expected of the weight class with the technical precision built across years of high-level competition. He represents Brazil on the international stage under the banner of Trinity.

Following his black belt promotion in June 2019, Marcelo Gomide wasted no time establishing himself across multiple international circuits. His regional dominance came into sharp focus in 2020, when he captured the IBJJF South American Championship title — a result he backed up with a silver medal at the same event in 2021, demonstrating sustained excellence at the continental level over consecutive years.

In 2022, Gomide extended his reach beyond South America by winning the IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship, adding a major continental title from a distinct region to his résumé and confirming his standing as an international-caliber competitor rather than simply a regional force. The arc of his black belt career reached a significant milestone in 2024, when he earned a bronze medal at the IBJJF World Championship — the sport's most prestigious gi event — marking his strongest World-level result to date and underscoring the continued progression of his game at the highest tier of competition. Across European, South American, Pan Pacific, and World-level events, Gomide's consistent podium presence reflects both the durability of his competitive approach and the quality of the foundation built under Erik Wanderley in Belo Horizonte.