Matheus Gonzaga

Matheus Evangelista Gonzaga was born on January 25, 1995, in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — a city tucked into the state's mountainous interior. His path to the mats was shaped early by his father, a former blue belt whose jiu-jitsu background planted the seeds that would eventually define Matheus's life and career.

In May 2005, at ten years old, Matheus began training BJJ under professor Geremias Maia. Rio de Janeiro's competitive training culture proved an ideal environment for his development, and his instincts as a competitor emerged quickly. Beginning in 2006, Matheus became a consistent presence at the FJJR Rio State Juvenile Championship, claiming titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Those early victories signaled the arrival of a serious athlete and forged the technical discipline and competitive mindset that would carry him to the sport's highest levels.

Building the Foundation

Matheus Gonzaga's journey to the black belt was marked by purposeful transitions between coaches and academies, each one expanding his technical range and competitive exposure. He began under Geremias Maia in Teresópolis before moving to Nova Barra academy to train under Alberto Rezende. At Academia Pitbull, he earned his purple belt — a milestone that reflected the growing sophistication of his game.

GF Team and the Leap to Elite Training

A turning point arrived when Rodolfo Vieira invited Matheus to join GF Team's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Training under master Julio César Pereira at one of Brazil's most decorated programs sharpened his technical edge and immersed him in the highest level of domestic competition.

Relocation to the United States and Black Belt Promotion

Seeking new challenges, Matheus relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, where he joined the BTT gym under Daniel Gazoni and trained alongside Bernardo Faria within the Alliance network. The combination of high-level training environments accelerated his evolution as a black belt prospect. On December 2, 2017, Daniel Gazoni formally promoted Matheus to the black belt, recognizing both his technical mastery and his competitive record.

Matheus subsequently relocated to San Diego, California, to train at Atos Headquarters under André Galvão, joining Atos Academy as the team he represents as a black belt competitor.

Blue Belt — Establishing a National Presence

Few competitors of his generation assembled a colored belt résumé as consistent and geographically diverse as Matheus Gonzaga's. After dominating Rio de Janeiro's juvenile circuit, he extended his reach to national and international stages with immediate results. At blue belt, he captured the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NoGi Juvenile title in 2011 and followed that with victory at the IBJJF Rio Open in 2012, cementing his reputation as one of Brazil's most promising young competitors.

Purple Belt — World-Class Recognition

The purple belt years brought Matheus to the world stage with distinction. In 2014, he traveled to Europe to compete at the IBJJF European Open, finishing 2nd, and later that year earned 3rd place at the IBJJF World Championship — a result that confirmed his standing among the elite of his division. He returned to the World Championship in 2015 and claimed 1st place, one of the most coveted titles in the sport. That same year, he swept both the IBJJF New York Spring Open and the IBJJF New York Spring No-Gi Open, demonstrating dominance across gi and no-gi formats alike.

Brown Belt — Sustaining Momentum

As a brown belt, Matheus maintained his competitive sharpness, winning the IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro in 2015 and the IBJJF Miami Spring Open in 2016. These performances reinforced his standing as one of the sport's most exciting rising talents, setting high expectations for his transition to black belt competition.

Matheus Gonzaga competes in the Peso Pluma division at black belt, a weight class capped at 64 kg (141.5 lbs) where speed, precision, and technical refinement separate the elite from the rest. His move to the United States — first to Massachusetts, then to San Diego — coincided with his promotion and set the stage for a strong debut at the black belt level.

In 2018, his first full year as a black belt competitor, Matheus demonstrated that the promise of his colored belt career translated effectively to the sport's highest tier. He claimed gold at the 2018 IBJJF New York Spring Open and the 2018 IBJJF Boston Summer Open, and reached the podium at the 2018 IBJJF Boston Spring Open with a 2nd place finish. He also earned 3rd place at the IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi. Taken together, those results across a single competitive season established Matheus Gonzaga as a credible and dangerous force in the black belt Peso Pluma division.