Matheus Luna

José Matheus Luna was born on February 21, 1995, in Recife, Brazil, and relocated with his family to Natal at the age of 8. It was there that Matheus and his twin brother Mathias Luna discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — a sport that would come to define both of their lives. A neighbor's influence introduced the brothers to the art at age 16, a chance encounter that set them on a path toward elite competition.

Their development took shape under coaches Fábio Rodrigues and Júlio e Rodrigo Salustino, who built the technical foundation that would allow Matheus to thrive at the sport's highest levels. Those formative years in Natal cultivated not only his skill set but also the competitive drive he and his twin brother would carry throughout their careers.

Matheus Luna's trajectory accelerated when he joined the Barreto Brothers Academy, a pivotal chapter in his evolution as a competitor and martial artist. The association brought him into the Checkmat orbit, where he trained under the direction of Ricardo Pantcho and Lucas Leite — two highly respected figures within the organization.

In 2017, Matheus and his twin brother Mathias Luna relocated to the United States in pursuit of higher-level competition, a move that reflected both their ambition and readiness to test themselves on a larger stage. The elevated training environment accelerated Matheus's growth considerably. Ricardo Pantcho awarded him his brown belt, and on August 24, 2019, Matheus received his black belt promotion — formalizing his standing among the elite of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Matheus Luna competes in the Meio Pesado division (88.30 kg / 195.0 lbs), representing the United States on the international stage. His record across multiple belt levels and tournament formats reflects a consistent ability to perform under pressure against the world's best grapplers.

Colored Belt Highlights

At the colored belt level, Matheus built one of the more impressive competitive résumés of his generation. He claimed gold at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2019 as a brown belt, demonstrating his versatility across both gi and no-gi formats. That same year, he reached the final of the IBJJF World Championship in the gi, earning silver and cementing his reputation as one of the top brown belts in the world. His consistency across multiple seasons was further evidenced by a silver medal at the IBJJF Pan Championship in 2017 as a purple belt, another silver at the Pan in 2019 as a brown belt, and bronze medals at the World Championship in both 2017 and 2018 at the purple belt level.

Black Belt Debut on the World Stage

Following his promotion, Matheus wasted no time establishing himself at the sport's highest tier. He earned a silver medal at the 2020 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the Meio Pesado division — a result that confirmed his colored belt success was the foundation of a career built to endure at the black belt level under the Checkmat banner.