Bruno Almeida Alves - BJJ Maestro & World Champion!

1. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Details

2. Bruno Almeida Alves’s BJJ Biography

“I believe that everyone who trains jiu-jitsu becomes a better person. Jiu-Jitsu has changed my life and can do the same for you. You just have to believe.”
(Bruno Almeida Alves)

With this firm belief, Alves has aced all areas of his life. The humble champion believes that jiu-jitsu has changed his life. Actually, his inherent power and strong will allowed him to change for the better. The fighter-turned BJJ maestro is on a noble mission to help others become the best versions of themselves. His magic wand to change the world is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

2.1. Bruno Almeida Alves’s  Early Life and Amateur Fighting

2.1.1. Childhood & Influence of Royce Gracie

Born on October 6, 1983, in Brazil, Bruno Almeida Alves began judo training when he was only eight years old. At the age of 13, after watching Royce Gracie use his magic in UFC, Alves decided to pursue mixed martial arts.

2.1.2. Training Period at FreeStyle Academy  

Since a member of the Gracie family had stirred the desire to practice martial arts in Alves, it was natural for him to adopt jiu-jitsu training. He joined the Freestyle Academy in Pernambuco and trained under Charles dos Anjos. Shortly after, Charles handed over the academy to Ze Radiola and moved to the United States. The academy didn’t offer any training programs for children and teenagers. Therefore, Alves found himself practicing with much older men.

This little aspect of the training helped Alves to develop exceptional fighting skills and gave him an edge over grapplers his age. Radiola’s training methods further polished Alves’ inherent talent. Consequently, he quickly rose to fame and became one of the best fighters in Pernambuco.

2.2. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Pro BJJ Combat

2.2.1. Elevation to Black Belt Level

Alves competed and won some of the toughest competitions in the world at each belt level. As a purple belt, he was the six-time Pernambuco Champion. He also earned the title of European Champion twice at this level. In 2008, he was promoted to the brown belt level by his coach Ze Radiola. The spectacular performance at the IBJJF World and Pan American Championships convinced Radiola to promote Alves to the black belt level.

In 2009, Alves received the auspicious black belt. The status galvanized Alves even more, and he won more than 10 titles within the next two years.

2.2.2. Two Consecutive Years of Victory

In 2010, Alves went to Europe and stayed with his friend Victor Estima, who motivated him to train harder. All the work paid off when Alves ruled the world of martial arts for two long years from 2010 to 2011. He competed in high-level competitions, bested illustrious grapplers, and won several medals.

2.2.3. Massive Win at the BOA Super 8

The next big victory for Alves came in the form of the BOA Super 8. Alves gave his all in each match to earn the title.

Quarter-Final

Assessing the difficulty of the quarterfinal round of the BOA Super 8 tournament, the commentators termed this match the “final before final.” The toughest match of the Boa Super 8 Championship took place between Bruno Alves and Kit Dale. The equally talented grapplers entered the stage to influence the spectators and dominate each other. 

At the beginning of the fight, Alves tried to sweep Dale with a leg hook, and Kit attempted a closed guard. Alves was unsuccessful in his attempt to sweep Dale and quickly applied an omoplata. The technique worked well, and both competitors landed on the perimeter of the mats. The referee asked them to move to the middle of the mat and restart from the same stance. Alves then added the lapel grip to the original position and forced Dale to tap and submit. After submitting, Dale appealed that the lapel grip was an improvisation of the original position and should be penalized. But the fact that Dale was in a difficult position before the referee interfered did not go unnoticed by the judges. Therefore, Alves was declared the winner and semi-final qualifier.

Semifinals

In the semifinals, the spectators and commentators were in awe of the striking jiu-jitsu techniques displayed by Bruno Alves and Marcus Souza. They all voted that this fight deserved the “Fight of the Night” award.

The match began with Souza putting up his guard, which Alves managed to pass with ease. Souza kept up his aggressive movements to prevent Alves from scoring points, but he received them anyway. Souza then escaped to his knees and Alves tried to mount his back to secure the hooks. Alves was unsuccessful this time; the combatants had touched the perimeter of the mat and had to restart.

They resumed from the center. Alves applied an omoplata that Souza quickly countered. Desperate for points, Souza played a takedown technique on Alves. The pair again landed near the perimeter, but this time they fell off the edge of the platform onto the ground.

Hungry to win, they got back on the mat and tried to dominate each other yet again. Souza applied a toehold and Alves forced the pair to move from one end of the mat to the other. The referee interrupted the combatants and halted the fight. A few seconds later, the grapplers went at  it again. Souza applied a choking armbar with all his might, but he was too late. Just then the timer went off, and the submission attempt was cut short abruptly. Alves won the epic super fight with enough points. Overall, it was a spectacular show of combat art and prowess.

Final

The two-time world champion, Alves met William Dias in the finals of the BOA Super 8 in Melbourne. The match was an aggressive display of techniques and guts from both combatants. Alves took the lead by a single point (3-2). A few minutes into the match, Dias landed a calculated sweep and added two points to his scoreboard. Just then, the concluding siren was heard. The scoreboard now read (4-3). For a split second, it was a clear victory for Dias. Fortunately, the judges did not consider the sweep in favor of Dias and deducted the accrued points. This brought the scoreboard back to (3-2) and Alves to the lead. Without a doubt, it was a difficult trial, but Alves defeated Dias by unanimous decision.

2.3. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Historic Fights

Bruno Almeida Alves vs Clarke Gracie

In 2016, Bruno Almeida Alves faced Clarke Gracie at the IBJJF World Championship final. The two competitors fought hard for the title. When the fight ended, the referee raised Alves’s hands.

Bruno Almeida Alves became the IBJJF Middleweight World Champion.

Bruno Almeida Alves vs Rafael Dallinha

In 2014, Alves confronted Rafael Dallinha in the semi-finals at the IBJJF World Masters Championship. The middleweight bout ended in Alves’s victory. He was now able to compete in the finals.

2.4. Bruno Almeida Alves’s BJJ Instructorship

2.4.1. Founding SJJA Academy, Australia

In 2011, Alves introduced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Australia by establishing the SJJA Jiu-Jitsu Academy. With the vision of the champion at the helm of the institution, the success of SJJA Academy went through the roof.

Alves owes his successful jiu-jitsu career to the core values of martial arts that he learned over an extensive period of training and competing. Through his organization, he aims to extend the valuable experiences and wisdom of martial arts to his students. With this academy, he has already provided several international BJJ opportunities to aspirants. Alves had the honor to win the world’s toughest competitions, including the World Championship (Mundial), the Pan American, and the European Championship, among many others. He wants his athletes to get a chance to earn as many titles as possible like him.

2.4.2. Fighting and Producing Fighters

Alves smoothly handled fighting in the tournaments and teaching others. In 2012, after starting his academy, he competed in the NSW, the Queensland Open, and the Black Belt Challenge New Zealand. Alves secured the highest position on the podium every time. His participation in the championships made him an active trainer. Leading from the front, he became a role model for his students, who felt proud to be associated with a champion. With his constant guidance, their future in jiu-jitsu became safe and bright.

2.5. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Championships and Accomplishments

2.5.1. National

• CBJJ Brazilian National Championship

2.5.2. International

• UAEJJF World Pro Championship
• IBJJF World Master Championship
• Sydney International Open Pro
• Boa Super 8
• Challenge Black Belt Championship, New Zealand
• IBJJF European Championship
• Queensland Open
• UKJJF British Open
• IBJJF Melbourne Open
• NSW Championship
• CBJJE World Championship
• IBJJF South American Championship
• IBJJF Rio Open

2.5.3. Records/ Medals

• UAEJJF World Pro Championship
• IBJJF World Master Championship
• Sydney International Open Pro
• Boa Super 8
• Challenge Black Belt Championship, New Zealand
• IBJJF European Championship
• Queensland Open
• UKJJF British Open
• IBJJF Melbourne Open
• NSW Championship
• CBJJE World Championship
• IBJJF South American Championship
• IBJJF Rio Open

3. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Main Achievements

• Two-time UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion.
• Two-time IBJJF World Champion.
• One-time Sydney International Open Pro Champion.
• One-time BOA Super 8 Champion.
• One-time UKJJF British Open Champion.
• One-time IBJJF South American Champion.
• One-time European Open Team Challenge Champion
• Three-time World Pro Cup Trials Qualifier North/North East Interstate Champion.
• Six-time Pernambuco State Champion.
• Two-time European Champion IBJJF - By Country.
• Two-time Best Athlete of State Pernambuco.
• One-time NSW Champion.

4. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Main Achievement (Belts)

5. Bruno Almeida Alves’s BJJ Fight History

6. Bruno Almeida Alves’s Top Fights (Video Links)

Photo credit: sjjaonlinetraining