Isaac Doederlein

There were only seconds left in the 2022 featherweight final at Worlds when Isaac Doederlein found the sweep he needed. Down one advantage to Diego Sodré, the Alliance American reversed the position in the closing stretch, closed the match 2-0 and won, on his sixth attempt, the title he had chased since getting his black belt. It made him the sixth American man to win black belt Worlds.

His run in Long Beach had a bit of everything. In the round of 16 he submitted Israel Sousa with a straight ankle lock. In the quarterfinals he got past Alex Sodré on advantages after a 2-2. In the semifinal he fell behind Samuel Nagai on the scoreboard and came back with another footlock, the finish that shows up most in his game next to the choke from the back.

Born in Atlanta on November 12, 1992, he started judo at 11 in a group linked to his mother’s church. At 14 he moved to Arizona and found Jiu-Jitsu with Wellington Dias at Gracie Humaitá. A blue belt world champion in 2010, he moved to Los Angeles at 18 to train at Rubens Cobrinha’s academy, where he received his brown belt and, in 2015, his black belt. Before the promotion he won the World Pro, Pans and the Brazilian Nationals at brown belt.

At black belt he won the 2019 Brazilian Nationals and took bronze at Worlds and Pans that year, then won the 2020 Europeans. After the world title he won the Brazilian Nationals again in 2023, beating Alex Sodré in the final, and took bronze at Worlds, stopped by Nagai in the semifinal. That same year he reached the final of The Crown and lost to Nagai again, on advantages.

In 2024 he took bronze at Pans and lost in the Worlds quarterfinals to Meyram Maquiné, 5-4. In 2025 he took bronze at Pans and silver at the Brazilian Nationals, beaten by Cole Abate on advantages in the final, and made his UFC BJJ: Road to the Title debut with a win over Keith Krikorian before losing the semifinal to Carlos Henrique. He still represents Alliance.