Johnatha Alves

Johnatha Alves got his black belt from Guilherme Mendes right after winning the brown belt final at the 2019 Worlds. Four years later, in 2023, the AOJ athlete from São Paulo was the black belt lightweight world champion.

Born in São Paulo on January 12, 1999, he started at around 9 with Caio Izidro, known as Jacaré, and later trained with Rodrigo “Sama” and Rogério “Alemão”, who gave him his blue belt. As a teenager he moved to Costa Mesa, California, as part of Believe & Achieve, Art of Jiu-Jitsu’s scholarship program.

At the colored belts he won Europeans, Pans and Worlds as a juvenile, in 2016, and was world champion at blue belt, in 2017, and at brown belt, in 2019. Guilherme Mendes, who gave him his brown belt in June 2018, is also the one who promoted him to black.

At black belt he won Pans four years in a row, from 2020 to 2023, and the IBJJF-FloGrappling lightweight Grand Prix in March 2023, beating Andy Murasaki in the final. The berimbolo is the trademark of his game.

At the 2023 Worlds he submitted João Machado with a scarf choke, beat Leo Saggioro 2-0 and got past Jackson Nagai on advantages in the semifinal. In the final he beat Pedro Maia 4-2. According to the IBJJF, he had been injured at the 2021 Worlds and lost a close match to Tye Ruotolo in 2022.

In March 2024 he lost to Jay Rodriguez by rear naked choke in overtime at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6. He has not been on the podium at the biggest IBJJF tournaments since.