Cyborg Abreu wins four golds at Fort Lauderdale Open
At 45, the Fight Sports leader won ultra heavyweight and open class gold at adult black belt in both the gi and no-gi
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu left the IBJJF Ft. Lauderdale International Open with four gold medals on Saturday (October 17) at the Broward County Convention Center in Florida. At 45, the black belt won both the ultra heavyweight and the open class divisions at adult level in the gi, then did it again in the no-gi tournament held the same day, taking on much younger opponents just a short drive from Miami, home of Fight Sports.
The division he picked stands out. Old enough to compete at Master 4, Cyborg chose to enter the adult bracket, the most competitive one at the event. On social media, he summed up the weekend in one line: “Four medals and a team title!”
Gi open class final against Luccas Lira
In the open class, Cyborg faced Luccas Lira of Lira Jiu-Jitsu in the final. The two had already met in February, in the open class semifinal of the Miami Winter Open, and Cyborg also got past him that day. Lira reached the final after taking silver at heavyweight, where he lost to Enderson Dias de Almeida of Elementum.
Felipe Carlos Oliveira (GF Team), the lightweight champion, and Igor Nascimento da Costa Feliz (R1NG BJJ), the middleweight champion, took bronze.
Gi gold at ultra heavyweight
Before the open class, Cyborg handled his own weight class, beating Abraham Marte Messina of GF Team in the final. Gustavo Lopes Borges (UFC Gym) and Leonardo Amora Gosling (Gracie Barra) took bronze.
A name that spans generations
Born in Campo Grande, Brazil, Roberto de Abreu Filho earned his nickname after a car accident in 2000, when he was still a blue belt. He needed more than 300 stitches on his left arm and was back competing just four months later. That fast comeback gave him the name he still carries today.
A black belt under Francisco “Toco” Albuquerque of Nova Geração, Cyborg won six No-Gi World titles between 2010 and 2021, the 2013 ADCC open class and two Pan titles, in 2008 and 2022. The tornado guard became the signature of his game. In 2011 he founded Fight Sports in Miami, and the team finished sixth in the overall standings of the gi tournament.
The 2026 season marks his return to the IBJJF circuit after serving a three-year suspension announced by USADA in 2023. It was also the year he said goodbye to ADCC, in Krakow, where he beat Eli Braz and went out in the quarterfinals. In a 2023 interview with VF Comunica, he summed up what keeps him competing: “I never fought for the titles. I did it, and still do it, for the pleasure of fighting and living my dream and my purpose in life.”
Other adult black belt highlights
On the women’s side, Iris Nascimento da Costa Feliz of R1NG BJJ won middleweight and the open class, with Larissa Dias of Elementum taking silver in the absolute. Together with her brother Igor, Iris helped the family leave Fort Lauderdale with two golds and a bronze at black belt.
Does a 45-year-old winning the adult open class in both gi and no-gi surprise you, or is Cyborg still one of the best heavyweights in the world? Let us know in the comments.
Read also: Thierry Felipe wins open class in his black belt debut and Erich Munis completes The Crown 2026 field, chases a fourth title
