Cassio Werneck

Cassio Werneck won the medium-heavyweight world title in 2003 with Brazilian Top Team, beating Marcel Louzada in the final. The following year, now at middleweight, he reached the final again and took silver behind Marcelo Garcia.

Born in Brasília in 1974, he did capoeira and judo before starting jiu-jitsu in 1992. He received every belt from white to black from Ricardo “Tanque” Reis, who promoted him to black belt in 1998. At brown belt he had already been world runner-up in 1997.

He trained in the mornings at BTT and in the evenings with Sergio Penha, whom he calls his mentor. He first came to the United States in 1996 and in 2003 was invited to teach full time in Sacramento. There he hosted training partners such as Urijah Faber, Randy Couture and Frank Mir.

He fought twice in the WEC, in 2005 and 2006, and won both by submission, a triangle on Toby Imada and an armbar on Ashe Bowman. He kept competing in the masters divisions and runs Werneck Family Jiu Jitsu in Roseville. In 2013 he summed up the change he had seen in the sport to BJJ Legends: “Jiu jitsu used to be for martial artists. Now it’s a lifestyle.”