Rodolfo Vieira: how a brown belt became the “Black Belt Hunter” and the biggest World Pro champion
At 19, the Brazilian beat a two-time world champion in Abu Dhabi, got his black belt at the airport and started a run of seven titles
Rodolfo Vieira has been called the “Black Belt Hunter” for more than 15 years. The nickname comes from one tournament: the World Pro, held every year in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. It is one of the biggest Jiu-Jitsu events in the gi, the traditional uniform. In 2009, at the first edition, the Brazilian was 19 years old and a brown belt, one rank below black belt. He went home as champion of a division that also had black belts.
Brown and black belts in the same bracket
In those first years, brown belts and black belts fought in the same division at the World Pro. To get a place in Abu Dhabi, athletes had to go through the trials, which are qualifying tournaments. Rodolfo trained under coach Julio Cesar Pereira at GFTeam, a team from Rio de Janeiro. He won his place at the South American trials in Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil, and beat black belts along the way. That is where the nickname came from.
The win over Braulio Estima
The first World Pro took place on May 1 and 2, 2009. In the semifinal in Abu Dhabi, Rodolfo beat Braulio Estima. At that time, Braulio was already a two-time black belt world champion and one of the top names in the weight class. For a 19-year-old brown belt, it was his first big international win. Rodolfo took the gold medal in the under 92 kg division (about 203 pounds).
The title paid US$ 7,000 to the champion. When Rodolfo arrived back in Rio de Janeiro, his coach Julio Cesar Pereira gave him the black belt right there at the airport.
Seven titles in Abu Dhabi
As a black belt, Rodolfo returned to Abu Dhabi and won both his weight class and the absolute in 2011. The absolute is the open division, where athletes of all sizes fight each other. He did the same in 2012. In 2013 and 2014 he won his weight class again and took silver in the absolute. With the 2009 gold, that makes seven World Pro titles in the gi, in divisions from 92 kg to 100 kg (about 203 to 220 pounds). No one has won the tournament more times.
A tournament that grew with him
Rodolfo’s story follows the growth of the event. In 2009, the total prize money was US$ 111,000. Ten years later, in 2019, the World Pro paid US$ 600,000 and had more than 5,000 athletes.
The World Pro in 2026
The 2026 edition is scheduled for November 9 to 21 at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. Athletes qualify through the continental ranking of the AJP, the organization that runs the tournament.
Who is the biggest name in World Pro history for you? Leave your opinion in the comments.
