Helder Rodrigues

Helder José Rodrigues Júnior, known as Tropeço, was born on July 24, 2001, in Formiga, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. He started Jiu-Jitsu at 14, to lose weight, at a social project in his hometown, and got his blue belt from Leandro Carrilho.

At 16 he earned a scholarship to Casa do Atleta, in Poços de Caldas, where he arrived in 2018 and trained with Paulo Rezende, who promoted him to purple and brown belt. At blue belt he won Europeans in his weight class and the open class in 2020. At brown belt he won the Brazilian Nationals in 2022 and 2023 and the 2023 Worlds.

His black belt came in June 2023, from Rider Zuchi and Daniel Affini, and that same year he won the South Americans. In 2024 he won the Brazilian Nationals, began representing Atos and received the Worlds bronze after the IBJJF revised the ultra-heavyweight podium.

In 2025 he took silver at Pans, gi and no-gi, and bronze at No-Gi Worlds, and won the American Nationals in his weight class and the open class, a title he repeated in 2026.

His game is built on leg attacks. Of his 61 submissions in 72 black belt wins, 23 came by straight ankle lock and 14 by toe hold. In September 2026 he won the ACBJJ Eurasia Super Cup in Turkey, in the over 80 kg (176 lb) gi division.

He makes his Crown debut on November 8. In 2025 he beat Francisco Papasidero, another name in the bracket, in the open class of an IBJJF Open.