Emmanuela Oliveira 
Aiden ‘The Panda’ is one of the members of the AOJ children’s army, a large team trained with professional rigor under the guidance of Guilherme and Rafael Mendes. Yellow-belt, Aiden reached the peak of his competitive career in 2024 at this stage of his life. He was the Brazilian Nationals champion, fighting for the first time in the country of Jiu-Jitsu, and won his second title at the Pan Kids, in Florida, moving up two weight divisions and finishing all of his matches. In grappling, he was invited to the first edition of the ADCC Youth after accumulating six titles in the organization. To achieve the “Grand Slam” of the kids, Aiden has as his goal the Euros for kids, scheduled for the end of October in Lisbon, Portugal.
“The most special tournament for me this season was Pan Kids because I was going for my 2nd title and I fought in a heavier division for a challenge to put my skills to the test. I have been training at AOJ for one year now, since July 2023. I have grown and improved so much under Professors Gui and Rafa Mendes, Tainan Dalpra, Cole Abate and Pablo Lavaselli.”.
The challenge of the Pan Kids, with bigger and heavier children, motivated Aiden to continue to submit himself to more demanding commitments. This season, he said that putting his skills to the test like that is an excellent way to evaluate his improvement in the sport.
“I wanted to put my skills to the test, I know it was a risk but like Professor Gui tells me everyday ‘trust the process and my training.’. I wanted to prove to myself that I may be small, but anything is possible. This season I have fought in heavier weight divisions and have proven great results in a couple major tournaments.”.
Training with the commitment of a professional athlete, Aiden told the VF Comunica team that he trains six to eight hours a day, five days a week. In the morning, he attends the adult class and in the afternoon he participates in exclusive training for the kids group.
“My preparations for these big competitions depends on which type of tournament I am fighting in, whether it is IBJJF Gi or ADCC. My training consists of adult morning classes and kids classes in the afternoon. I train 6,8 hours per day 5 days a week. Preparations include sparring rounds, specific training, drilling on techniques, and cardio.”.
Aiden ‘The Panda’ has already chosen Jiu-Jitsu as a profession. In the future, he wants the black-belt and world titles
Involved in Jiu-Jitsu since he was four years old, Aiden’s goals include a black-belt in Jiu-Jitsu and a successful adult career, with world titles in Gi and No Gi, as well as wanting to be the leader of his own academy. Early in his career as an athlete, Aiden was able to be part of important milestones in the sport, such as participating in the first edition of the ADCC Youth.
“When I compete in ADCC I adjust my grappling into training more Nogi, everyday, sharpening my skills, working with my Professors and Coaches closely. Learning from my training partners helps me prepare too. This year at the Youth Championship for ADCC I was the lightest one 31 kg versus 37,5 kg is a lot, but I aimed to try my best and never give up. I had a pretty stacked bracket and was fighting the best of the best in the world.”.
