Nicholas Meregali was born on May 27, 1994, and grew up in Santo Antônio, Brazil. His path to jiu-jitsu began not in a gym but in his own living room — his younger brother was the first in the family to take up the art, and each day after practice would eagerly test newly learned techniques on Nicholas. What began as brotherly roughhousing gradually ignited a genuine fascination with the martial art, and Meregali joined the ACJJ academy in Santo Antônio at the age of 16.

Under the guidance of instructor Jeferson Adan, Meregali's natural grappling talent emerged quickly. He accumulated state-level titles at a rapid pace and captured a Brazilian National title as a blue belt — early indicators of a competitive ceiling that would prove extraordinarily high. Even as his career carried him far from Santo Antônio, Meregali maintained a deep respect for Adan, returning to his original academy regularly throughout the years that followed.

By September 2013, Meregali recognized that continued growth required a more demanding competitive environment. He relocated to Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, to train full time under Mario Reis — one of the most accomplished athletes southern Brazil had produced. The move proved transformative, elevating every dimension of his game while he continued to visit Adan and honor the foundation his first instructor had built.

The results across the colored belt divisions were historic. At purple belt, Meregali claimed IBJJF World titles in 2014 and 2015, alongside IBJJF Pan Championship gold and Abu Dhabi Pro titles in both years. The run extended without interruption into his brown belt campaign, where he captured double gold at the IBJJF World Championship in 2015 and repeated the feat in 2016 — making him a five-time colored-belt world champion before ever reaching black belt. During this period, he was widely regarded as the premier gi competitor among colored belts in the world. His black belt was awarded jointly by Mario Reis and Jeferson Adan in December 2016, a ceremony that honored both mentors who had shaped his rise.

Representing Alliance, Meregali wasted no time establishing himself among the elite black belt competitors in the world. He captured the IBJJF World Championship in 2017 and again in 2019, building a reputation for a submission-heavy style that was as aggressive as it was technically sophisticated. Finishing approximately 71% of his black belt matches by submission, he imposed a level of finishing pressure that distinguished him even in elite fields.

Early black belt refinements included a third-place finish at the 2018 IBJJF World Championship and the 2017 Pan American Championship — natural adjustments to the sport's highest competitive level. By 2018 and 2019, Brazilian National titles at CBJJ reinforced his domestic dominance, and a BJJ Stars Grand Prix title in 2019 added further weight to a résumé already among the most impressive in active competition.

The 2022 IBJJF season delivered perhaps his most complete gi performance. Meregali captured the Absolute division title at the 2022 IBJJF World Championship — his first Absolute crown — alongside a silver in his weight division final. The combination of a third weight-division world title and his first Absolute gold confirmed his status as the defining gi competitor of his generation.

In 2022, Meregali made one of the most consequential decisions of his career: relocating to Austin, Texas to join New Wave Jiu Jitsu and train under John Danaher. The move signaled a full commitment to no-gi grappling alongside teammates that included Gordon Ryan, placing Meregali inside one of the sport's most analytically rigorous training environments.

His no-gi debut came at Who's Number One on March 25, 2022, where he submitted Arnaldo Maidana by armbar — his first no-gi competitive appearance before ever entering a major no-gi tournament. The transition accelerated rapidly from there. Meregali credited Danaher's coaching with unlocking a new dimension in his game, specifically citing improvements in grip control, tactical decision-making, positional dominance, and defensive positioning. The structured analytical system at New Wave simultaneously reinforced his gi game, illustrating the dual benefit of Danaher's methodology across formats.

Meregali arrived at 2022 ADCC World Championship with only a handful of no-gi competition appearances to his name, making what followed all the more remarkable. In the -99kg division, he reached the podium to claim bronze in his first major no-gi tournament — an immediate validation of his cross-format potential.

The absolute division told an equally compelling story. Meregali advanced through the bracket before meeting Craig Jones in the semifinals. The match ended scoreless at 0-0, with Jones taking the win on judges' decision — a narrow margin that ended Meregali's run at that stage. Through the repechage, he fought back to the absolute final, where he faced Yuri Simoes. Simoes claimed absolute gold, with Meregali earning silver. The double podium — bronze at -99kg and silver in the absolute — at his first major no-gi tournament cemented Meregali as a legitimate dual-threat competitor and announced his arrival in the no-gi world on the grandest possible stage.

Following his 2022 IBJJF Absolute title and ADCC double podium, Meregali announced he would step away from IBJJF tournament competition to focus exclusively on professional superfights. The decision repositioned him at the center of the sport's most high-profile events — and he delivered consistently.

He headlined WNO's first-ever gi match, submitting Pedro Marinho with a mounted triangle. At UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4, he faced Roberto Abreu in a match that extended into EBI overtime before Meregali secured the armbar finish — a result that demonstrated his composure under extended pressure. At WNO 19, he submitted arch-rival Kaynan Duarte by choke in a no-gi match, completing a dominant year across both formats.

Meregali also won the IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix in 2023 and claimed double gold — weight and absolute divisions — at the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship, demonstrating he remained the standard-bearer in gi competition even while prioritizing the superfight circuit. JitsMagazine recognized his accomplishments that year by awarding him Male Grappler of the Year (Gi) for 2023.

Meregali entered the 2024 ADCC World Championship as one of the top favorites in the -99kg division. What transpired was one of the event's most shocking outcomes. In the quarterfinals, Michael Pixley — a significant underdog — threw Meregali repeatedly before catching him in a D'arce choke, ending his run in one of the tournament's defining upsets.

The physical toll was severe. The final throw caused a catastrophic shoulder dislocation: complete tears of both the anterior and posterior labrum, along with damage to multiple tendons. Surgery was required, forcing Meregali to withdraw from the absolute division and pause competition entirely through early 2025. The layoff ultimately extended to 17 months and encompassed four total surgeries — two on the shoulder, plus separate operations on his knee and elbow.

In later interviews, Meregali reflected on the loss not only as a physical setback but as a tactical failure rooted in overconfidence — an assessment consistent with the self-analytical framework he has developed around four pillars: mental strength, tactical awareness, technical skill, and physical conditioning. In his view, the ADCC 2024 quarterfinal represented a breakdown in the tactical domain rather than a purely physical misfortune — a correctable error, not an irreversible one.

On February 12, 2026, Meregali returned to competition at UFC BJJ 5, facing Nicholas (Nico) Maglicic — his first match after 17 months away from the mats. The return coincided with a new promotional partnership: Meregali signed a non-exclusive contract with UFC BJJ, preserving flexibility across the competitive landscape.

As of February 2026, Meregali walks around at approximately 220 lbs (100 kg) and outlined plans to compete at UFC BJJ's 205 lbs (93 kg) and above-205 lbs (93+ kg) divisions, with four competitions targeted by late summer 2026. He praised UFC BJJ's incentive-based, metrics-driven competitive model and contrasted it favorably with other promotions, while publicly criticizing the Craig Jones Invitational as a divisive force within the industry. At the time of his return, UFC BJJ had discussed implementing anti-doping testing in 2026, though the scope and out-of-competition parameters remained undefined.

Meregali articulates a clear four-pillar framework for jiu-jitsu excellence: mental strength, tactical awareness, technical skill, and physical conditioning. By his own assessment, mental fortitude and technical execution have been consistent strengths throughout his career. The areas requiring development, he acknowledges, were tactical maturity and physical projection — particularly during his earlier years, when he described himself as "skinny and frail." He has also stated that he was against anabolic steroid use during that period, attributing some early losses directly to a lack of physical presence rather than any gap in technique.

Training under John Danaher at New Wave Jiu Jitsu addressed both deficiencies in structured fashion. Meregali credits the American training environment with transformative gains in grip control, tactical decision-making, positional dominance, and defensive positioning — concrete improvements that accelerated his no-gi development while reinforcing his gi game simultaneously. The ADCC 2024 shoulder injury, which he frames as a tactical error driven by overconfidence, fits within this same analytical lens: a correctable mistake that his evolving tactical maturity will prevent from recurring.

Nicholas Meregali stands among the greatest gi competitors in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Three IBJJF black belt World titles — including an Absolute crown — combined with five colored-belt World Championships place him in the sport's most exclusive company. A submission rate of approximately 71% across black belt competition defines a competitive identity built on finishing rather than point accumulation, and has made him a distinctive force in every event he has entered.

His 2022 calendar stands as one of the most remarkable format crossovers in modern grappling: a third IBJJF World title and first Absolute crown in the gi, followed by an ADCC double podium in his first major no-gi tournament — all within the same year. The transition from gi supremacy to legitimate no-gi contender within months validated both his adaptability and the depth of his underlying grappling intelligence.

Within New Wave Jiu Jitsu, Meregali has grown into a senior mentorship role, working alongside John Danaher's analytical framework to contribute to the development of younger team members. His influence within the team extends well beyond his own competitive performances, reflecting a maturation that mirrors his evolution as an athlete. With championship ambitions in UFC BJJ's divisional structure driving his return and a career defined by relentless finishing across both formats, Meregali's place in the sport's all-time conversation remains firmly established.