Marcelo Martins

Marcelo "Capitão" Martins was born on May 8, 1966, in Santos, a storied coastal city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Santos occupies a singular place in Brazilian sports culture — home to Latin America's largest port, the city has long been a hub of commerce, movement, and community life. It has produced some of Brazil's most celebrated athletes, and its character would leave a lasting imprint on Marcelo's own path in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Marcelo came to BJJ later than most, first stepping onto the mats at the age of 28 in October 1994. That initial exposure was brief, but the seed had been planted. He returned to training in 1995, this time committing fully to the discipline under Élcio Figueiredo at Clube Estrela de Ouro in Santos. Master Figueiredo provided a rigorous technical foundation rooted in traditional BJJ values, and it was under his guidance that Marcelo spent the better part of his formative years developing his game.

The road from white belt to black belt spanned more than fifteen years of consistent, dedicated training. On February 19, 2011, Marcelo received his black belt — a milestone that reflected not only technical mastery, but an extraordinary commitment to the art across the full arc of adult life.

Throughout the majority of his BJJ journey, Marcelo Martins maintained a demanding professional career entirely outside of martial arts. For over two decades, he worked as a customs broker at the Port of Santos — Latin America's largest and busiest port, handling a significant share of Brazil's international trade volume. The role demanded precision, regulatory expertise, and consistency — qualities that mirrored his approach to training.

Balancing a full-time professional career with serious BJJ training and competition is no small feat. Marcelo's trajectory stands as a compelling example of what dedicated practitioners outside the professional fighting world can achieve. Rather than training as a livelihood, he pursued black belt-level mastery and Masters division competition on the margins of a full working life — a testament to both discipline and a deep passion for the sport.

In addition to his work at the docks, Marcelo maintained close involvement with Full-Fighter, a Brazilian combat sports brand, further integrating his identity as a professional with his presence in the BJJ and combat sports community. That dual engagement illustrated how thoroughly the sport had become woven into his life beyond the competition mat.

Marcelo Martins has built an impressive record as an active competitor in the Masters division, operating primarily in the Master 4 and Master 5 age brackets and competing at Peso Médio (middleweight) at approximately 82.3 kg / 181.5 lbs. His competition career spans multiple years of consistent international engagement, particularly across the IBJJF circuit.

Domestic and International Gold

Among his most significant domestic achievements was the IBJJF South America Masters Championship title in 2017 at Master 5 — a victory that carried particular meaning given his Brazilian roots. On the international stage, Marcelo accumulated gold medals at IBJJF International Opens across some of the most competitive markets in the United States, including San Diego, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta, with multiple victories across both 2017 and 2018. His success at the 2017 IBJJF Rio Winter International Open further demonstrated that his competitive output extended well beyond events abroad.

His reach extended into no-gi competition as well. Marcelo claimed gold at both the IBJJF New York International No-Gi Open and the IBJJF Dallas Spring No-Gi International Open in 2017, signaling a well-rounded competitive approach that transcended any single ruleset.

World-Class Podium Appearances

At the IBJJF World Masters Championship in 2016, Marcelo earned a third-place finish in the Master 4 bracket — a result that underscored his standing among the best age-division competitors in the world. He also recorded a podium appearance at the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu Tour in Los Angeles in 2015 at the Masters level, reflecting an ability to compete and place across different organizations. Consistent runner-up finishes at the IBJJF Pan American Championship in both 2017 and 2018 at Master 5 further cemented his status as one of the more reliable performers in his division.

Marcelo Martins trains and competes under the banner of Checkmat, one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teams in the world. His affiliation with Checkmat proved especially significant in the context of his travels to the United States, where the team's network provided consistent, high-level training environments during competition preparation.

Of particular importance to his development was time spent training at Checkmat headquarters under coach Leonardo Vieira. Exposure to Vieira's coaching proved transformative — Marcelo's competition record showed measurable improvement following those sessions, a direct reflection of the quality of instruction and the competitive culture that elite team environments foster.

His relationship with Checkmat illustrates a broader pattern familiar to Masters division competitors who maintain roots in Brazil while pursuing an active international schedule. By bridging his foundational training under Élcio Figueiredo in Santos with the high-performance environment at Checkmat HQ, Marcelo demonstrated how experienced practitioners can continue to evolve technically well into their later competitive years — a meaningful example of how world-class affiliation and elite coaching can sharpen even a seasoned black belt's competitive edge.