Matheus Diniz

Matheus grew up in Formiga, Brazil, where he practised capoeira before beginning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a teenager. He later moved away from home to pursue training more seriously, eventually joining Marcelo Garcia's academy in New York. Marcelo awarded him his black belt in 2015. Matheus reached the highest level of international competition when he won the medium-heavyweight division at the 2019 ADCC World Championships. The victory established him among the world's leading submission grapplers and remains the defining achievement of his competitive career.