Roberto Godoi was born on July 3, 1974, in São Paulo, Brazil, coming of age at a moment when the city's grappling scene was rapidly evolving into one of the most competitive BJJ environments in the world. He began training in 1988 under Marcelo Behring, a prominent figure whose technical foundation left a lasting impression on the young Godoi and established the groundwork for what would become a decades-long competitive career.

When Marcelo Behring relocated to Australia, Godoi continued his development under Waldomiro Perez, maintaining training continuity and deepening his technical education within the São Paulo circuit. This transition proved formative — Perez would later become both a mentor and a key partner in Godoi's early academy ventures. The São Paulo grappling culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s, defined by hard training, frequent inter-gym competition, and a spirit of technical innovation, played a central role in shaping Godoi's identity as both a competitor and a future coach.

Godoi's path from competitor to institution-builder began in 1994, when he partnered with Waldomiro Perez and Jorge Patino to open a Cia Paulista affiliate school in São Paulo. The collaboration brought together three influential regional figures and quickly established the affiliate as a credible training center within the broader Cia Paulista network.

After departing from Cia Paulista, Godoi and Jorge Patino co-founded Academia Macaco/Godoi in 1996. The academy grew into one of the most successful BJJ schools in the São Paulo region, producing competitive athletes and earning a strong reputation across the Brazilian grappling circuit. For nearly five years, the partnership stood as one of the most productive coaching collaborations the city had seen.

In 2001, financial disagreements dissolved the partnership, prompting Godoi to establish his own independent academy. Much of the original Macaco/Godoi roster followed him into the new venture, providing an immediate competitive foundation. That academy evolved into G13 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which grew into one of the strongest and most respected BJJ teams operating out of São Paulo. Godoi runs the G13 academy in São Paulo and conducts seminars worldwide, extending the team's reach well beyond the regional circuit.

The professional relationship between Roberto Godoi and Jorge Patino — widely known as "Macaco" — ranked among the most productive coaching partnerships in São Paulo BJJ during the late 1990s. Their combined influence at Academia Macaco/Godoi elevated the team to regional prominence, making their eventual split in 2001 all the more significant.

The dissolution over financial disagreements transformed a collaborative bond into one of the sport's most notable regional rivalries. Rather than simply parting ways, Godoi and Jorge Patino became direct competitors across both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, raising the profile of both athletes and generating considerable attention within the São Paulo grappling community. The fact that their rivalry extended across multiple combat sports formats underscored the personal stakes involved and lent their confrontations a weight that transcended individual results.

The competitive tension between G13 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Jorge Patino's team became a defining storyline in São Paulo BJJ for years following the split. The rivalry stands as a formative episode in the development of the regional scene, illustrating how shared training, shared success, and eventual division can shape competitive landscapes in ways that far outlast any single match.

Adult World and Pan Championship Results

Godoi's adult career placed him among the elite practitioners of his generation in the Pesado division. He earned three IBJJF World Championship bronze medals at the adult level — in 1997, 2000, and 2002 — a run of consistent podium finishes achieved against the highest level of international competition.

At the IBJJF Pan Championship, Godoi's adult record was both varied and distinguished. He claimed silver in 1997, bronze in 2001, 2002, and 2004, and reached the peak of his adult Pan career in 2000 by capturing Pan Championship gold — a title that reinforced his reputation as one of the premier heavyweights on the São Paulo circuit.

Expanding Into No-Gi and Masters Competition

Godoi's versatility across formats became evident in 2008, when he captured the IBJJF No-Gi World title in the Master division, demonstrating that his competitive excellence extended beyond the gi. Across his full career, he accumulated 15 total Pan Championship titles spanning adult and multiple Masters divisions — a volume of success that speaks to both his technical consistency and his remarkable competitive longevity.

His IBJJF World Masters titles in 2014 in the Master 2 division and in 2016 in the Master 3 division confirmed that elite-level performance defined the second chapter of his competitive life just as much as the first. The arc of his career — from adult World podiums in the late 1990s to Masters World titles nearly two decades later — represents an unusually long and decorated timeline in high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

A Record Built Across Divisions and Organizations

Godoi's transition into Masters competition produced one of the most decorated Masters records in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His success spanned the Master 1, Master 2, and Master 3 divisions and crossed multiple organizations — he claimed IBJJF Master & Seniors International titles in 2008 as a Master and in 2011 and 2012 in the Master 2 division, while also building a substantial CBJJ Brazilian National Championship record across adult and multiple Masters categories.

World Masters Podiums and Championship Conversions

At the IBJJF World Masters Championship, Godoi demonstrated sustained competitive intensity by earning silver medals in 2013, 2014, and 2015 in the Master 2 division before converting that consistency into gold in 2014 and again in 2016 in the Master 3 division. This pattern — years of podium appearances punctuated by championship victories — reflects a competitor who maintained world-class performance standards across a span of time that most athletes never approach.

Competing at international Masters events well into his 40s, Godoi reinforced G13 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's identity as a competition-oriented team at every level, with its founder continuing to lead by example on the mat long after the academy's founding. His ability to remain a serious international competitor from the late 1990s adult circuit through the 2010s Masters scene represents rare and genuine longevity in high-level BJJ.