Vinícius Pedrosa

Vinícius Pedrosa's martial arts journey began at age 7, when he was enrolled in judo — a decision that laid the foundation for a career spanning three grappling disciplines at the highest levels. Training under coaches Douglas Motta and Alfredo Dornelles at the Universidade Gama Filho (UGF) judo program, Pedrosa displayed a natural aptitude for the sport from the start. His youth competitive record was exceptional, earning him titles as Rio de Janeiro State Champion, Budokan Champion, and Brazilian National Champion, establishing him as one of the country's most promising young judokas.

In 1998, following years of consistent success on the competition floor, Pedrosa received his judo black belt — a recognition of both his technical growth and the titles he had accumulated throughout his formative years. By that point, however, judo was only one dimension of a demanding athletic life. Pedrosa had also committed to freestyle wrestling at the national level, representing Brazil's National Wrestling Squad for five years. Competing across judo, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu simultaneously, he forged a well-rounded grappling base that would come to define both his competitive identity and his approach to coaching.

Vinícius Pedrosa began his Brazilian jiu-jitsu training in 1993 under Júlio César Pereira, the founder of GF Team. Despite arriving on the mats already regarded as an accomplished judo competitor, Pedrosa trained with the adult BJJ team from day one — a reflection of GF Team's standards and his own competitive maturity. Senior teammates Marcos Bello and Alexandre Baraúna, who became close personal friends, played a significant role in shaping his development during those early years.

Progressing through the BJJ ranks under such demanding conditions took nearly a decade. Along the way, Pedrosa compiled meaningful results at the colored belt level. In 1999, competing as a purple belt, he claimed the CBJJ Brazilian National Championship — a result that signaled his readiness to perform among the sport's elite. The following year, at brown belt, he returned to the national stage and earned a runner-up finish. His BJJ black belt promotion came in 2002, marking the culmination of a long and rigorous journey through one of the sport's most respected programs.

Even before receiving his black belt, Pedrosa had begun sharing his knowledge on the mats. During his brown belt years, he transitioned into a coaching role, drawing widespread praise from peers and teammates for the quality of his instruction — early recognition that laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most respected coaching careers in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In 2018, when Júlio César Pereira relocated to the United States, GF Team's Meyer headquarters in Rio de Janeiro required a new leader capable of sustaining the academy's reputation as one of the sport's most productive training environments. Vinícius Pedrosa was appointed to fill that role — a decision that reflected both the organization's trust in him and the depth of his contributions over the preceding decades.

The Meyer headquarters has long stood among the world's premier gyms in terms of high-level competitive talent produced. Pedrosa stepped into the position carrying the institutional knowledge, personal history, and competitive pedigree to honor that legacy. His appointment represented a continuity of vision: a coach who came up through the same system, under the same founder, and who understood the culture and standards that had made the gym what it is. What began as a coaching role during his brown belt years reached its most prominent expression with this appointment, as Pedrosa took on responsibility for guiding the next generation of elite competitors through one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's most storied programs.

Following his black belt promotion in 2002, Vinícius Pedrosa remained active as a competitor well into the Masters divisions, building a record of consistent results across both gi and no-gi formats. In 2010, he claimed the CBJJ Brazilian National No-Gi Championship in the Master 1 division, and the following year repeated at the gi nationals in the same category — a back-to-back run that demonstrated his continued effectiveness on the competition floor while simultaneously developing his coaching career.

Pedrosa sustained his presence at the international level throughout the mid-2010s. In 2015, he captured the IBJJF International Masters & Seniors Championship in the Master 2 division, one of his most prestigious titles at the black belt level. In 2016, he competed at the UAEJJF Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro in the Master 1 category, earning a third-place finish. A year later, in 2017, he reached the final of the IBJJF Rio Winter International Open in the Master 2 division. Throughout this stretch of competition, Pedrosa competed in the featherweight category — the Peso Pluma division at 64 kg / 141.5 lbs — a weight class consistent with the disciplined approach to body management he had cultivated across years of competing in judo and freestyle wrestling.