Francisco “Chiquinho de Cuiabá” Fernandes
Francisco José Pessôa Fernandes Júnior · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A world champion from blue belt to black, the Rio native raised in Cuiabá took the 2005 ultra-heavyweight title by beating Márcio Corleta in the final by two advantages.
- belts at which he won world titles: blue, purple, brown and black
- 4
Who is Chiquinho de Cuiabá
Francisco Fernandes Júnior reached the 2005 world title better known by his nickname than by his name. In the ultra-heavyweight final, Chiquinho de Cuiabá beat Márcio Corleta by two advantages and took the gold. GRACIEMAG introduced the champion to anyone puzzled by the name: “this is the beast Chiquinho de Cuiabá, a collector of titles at every belt and today a promoter of the sport in Mato Grosso.”
The collection went back a long way. In 1999, as a juvenile, he was a blue belt world champion in his weight class and in the open class. In 2000 he won ultra-heavyweight at purple belt and, in 2002, at brown, always for Gracie Barra. His black belt came in 2003, from Carlos Gracie Jr.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, he moved to Cuiabá as a child and grew up in a family of fighters. His father, Francisco “Chicão” Fernandes, is a coral belt and the master of Gracie Barra Cuiabá, and his sister, Luzia Fernandes, was a world champion in 2006.
Recent wins
- 2005Márcio CorletaWorlds, final · two advantages
Major titles
2005
- IBJJF Worlds Ultra-heavyweight Gold
Before black belt
- IBJJF Worlds 2002, brown belt, ultra-heavyweight Gold
- IBJJF Worlds 2000, purple belt, ultra-heavyweight Gold
- IBJJF Worlds 1999, juvenile blue belt, ultra-heavyweight Gold
- IBJJF Worlds 1999, juvenile blue belt, open class Gold
Spotted something to fix or update?
Any athlete can send VF Comunica a message suggesting a change to their own profile. Our newsroom checks every detail before updating the page.