Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis was born on January 6, 1985, in Januária, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and relocated to São Paulo as a toddler, where he spent his formative years. His introduction to martial arts came at age 10 through kickboxing, a passion sparked by the action films of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee. While the striking arts provided an early foundation, Reis was quickly drawn toward the ground game, prompting him to take up judo shortly after. On the mat, he consistently gravitated toward groundwork over throws and standing exchanges — a preference that would come to define his martial arts identity.

Recognizing that his instincts pointed firmly toward ground fighting, Reis made a deliberate choice at age 13 to add Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to his training regimen. He began studying under coach Ernesto Luciano Bandeira, whose instruction gave him a formal framework for the grappling skills he had already begun developing through judo. This convergence of kickboxing, judo, and BJJ during his teenage years laid the technical groundwork for a competitive career that would eventually take him across continents.

As Reis developed as a grappler, he made G13 in São Paulo his competitive home, aligning himself with one of Brazil's well-regarded BJJ academies. Under the guidance of Roberto Godoi, the team's founder and head instructor, Reis earned every belt from white through black — a testament to both his athletic growth and the continuity of his training environment.

Purple and Brown Belt Milestones

His years competing for G13 produced a consistent record of results at national and international levels. At purple belt, he reached the podium at the World Championship in 2002 and 2003, and claimed third place at the Brazilian National Championship in 2003. His performances sharpened considerably at brown belt — he captured the São Paulo State Championship in 2004 and, that same year, claimed the World Championship title at brown belt, one of the sport's most fiercely contested divisions. A second-place finish at the Brazilian National Championship in 2004 further underscored his dominance at that stage of his development.

Black Belt Promotion

On November 10, 2004, Roberto Godoi awarded Reis his black belt, formalizing his standing as a complete practitioner and closing a chapter defined by systematic progress through the ranks of one of São Paulo's prominent academies.

In a striking confluence of personal milestones, Reis relocated to Philadelphia on the very day he received his black belt, having accepted an opportunity to serve as a grappling instructor at a local gym whose owner was seeking qualified coaching talent. The move marked an immediate transition from competitive athlete in Brazil to professional instructor and competitor in a new country.

Establishing Dominance on the No-Gi Circuit

Establishing himself across the Tri-State area and Delaware Valley, Reis built a strong reputation on the No-Gi circuit, competing regularly in regional tournaments and delivering results that spoke clearly to his elite grappling credentials. He won the Grapplers Quest Championship in 2006, followed by the Extreme Grappling Open Pro Division Championship in 2007, the Copa Atlântica Championship in 2007, and the Arizona Open Championship in 2007. He continued to perform at the gi level as well, earning second place at the Brazilian National Championship in 2005 and 2007 at black belt, and third place at the Pan American Championship in 2006.

Transitioning to Mixed Martial Arts

The success Reis accumulated on the grappling circuit naturally positioned him for a transition into mixed martial arts. Leveraging his elite ground game and the competitive edge developed over years of high-level tournament competition, he made his MMA debut in 2007 at Extreme Challenge in New Jersey — opening a new competitive chapter built squarely on the grappling foundation he had spent nearly two decades constructing.