Gabriel Almada 
Luciano Alex, AKA Tuca, was one of the first athletes revealed by Marcio de Deus to stand out in competitions. He now lives in Junction City, Kansas, and runs one of the TMD House bases in the United States. Luciano doubles as a professor and athlete and has achieved impressive results in championships. In recent months, he has been champion of the Opens in Dallas, Kansas City, St. Louis and Memphis, organized by the IBJJF, and has won several local championships.
“Tuca” has been a regular competitor for over a decade and has a gold medal on his CV from the 2017 European Championships, for example. He was one of those responsible for putting Infight on the podiums of major championships when the team was still in its infancy. He has been a black belt since December 2018 and already has a long background in the elite.
In an interview with VF Comunica, Luciano Alex listed the most important points of his game and emphasized that a black belt fight is decided on the details.
“The strongest points of my game are my strategy, my mind and my knowledge of the rules. As much as I’m a black belt, I need to be constantly evolving, studying, taking care of my mind, body, diet and our faith! This is very important. With all this, it’s easy to conduct a 10-minute fight. The fight is decided on the details, these aspects make the difference in my game,” said Luciano.
The Infight athlete spoke about his time in Kansas and said how he improves his game even against his professor Marcio de Deus.
“This phase in Jiu-Jitsu has been great, I can fight close to my students and show a bit of who I am. But I know I still have a lot to improve in my game, I’m not training like I used to in Brazil, but I can keep it up and I’m looking for new techniques. I study Jiu-Jitsu every day, my master Márcio sends me positions to train and my fiancée shares Jiu-Jitsu content with me all day. I also talk to Tiago Mascarenhas about drill. I’m enjoying this moment and inspiring other people. I’m excited for the next challenges,” said Luciano.
Luciano’s life changed completely when he left Rio de Janeiro for the United States. Despite the difficulties he faced adapting to the new routine, the black belt recognized that it was important for him to value the moments with his family more and to mature as a man.
“I’ve learned a lot of things here, like how to value my family, how to mature more. Living away from my family and my culture has helped me mature as a man and as a human being. That’s been very good for me. It’s important to pay attention to the people you love, because once you’ve come here, all that’s left is nostalgia. If you’re not prepared, you won’t be able to stay here, and one thing I learned when I got here was ‘don’t give up’. If you have a dream, don’t give up, it will be worth it. Once you set foot here in the USA, you’ll already feel a different climate and you won’t go back to Brazil with the same thoughts,” said “Tuca”.
Marcio de Deus’ pupil assured that he is motivated by his many personal achievements, such as financial stability, and stressed that he intends to help more and more people with his work.
“I went through a bit of culture shock being away from my family, but I’ve changed my financial reality and that of my family too. This is very gratifying: to be financially stable in an area I enjoy and to see my dreams come true. I was always sure that one day or another I would make a living from Jiu-Jitsu. To give you an idea, I’ve never worked with anything other than Jiu-Jitsu. Thanks to God, I’m able to help out at home, I’ve built my sister’s house and I’ve brought people to spend time in the United States. I also help with registration, give out gi’s, among other things. So life here in Kansas has opened many doors for me to help people, I’m grateful to God for everything,” Luciano reflected.
Like Gabi Pessanha, Anderson Kauan and Maria Claudia, Luciano was one of the diamonds cut by “MD” in Cidade de Deus. Today, the project is a reference in teaching and TMD House has become one of the most respected schools in the Jiu-Jitsu community. Luciano stressed that Marcio’s great purpose is to train champions on and off the mats and to change lives.
“The TMD House Institute goes beyond Jiu-Jitsu, Master Marcio’s main goal is to change people’s lives. The project is essential in the Cidade de Deus community. The TMD Institute changes lives in Brazil. After this process, we came to show our work in the USA, with my brother Victor Matheus’ first branch in California. Having a base in the United States was one of Marcio’s dreams in order to send students to a safe place abroad. Here, people spend a season living off Jiu-Jitsu and learning a new language. So it’s like a factory, Márcio discovers the talent, sees what area the student excels in – athlete or professor – and takes them to the United States. Soon, we’re going to dominate the world, mark my words,” said “Tuca”.
Luciano Alex recalled his beginnings in Jiu-Jitsu and said that today he is a mirror in the community where he was raised.
“I came from a very difficult community in Rio de Janeiro. Everyone knows the CDD, where there are many ways to make money. Opportunities came my way after I met TMD, so I wanted to go against the statistics. I took the hard road and wanted to make my family proud. Today my mother uses me as an example for her friends, and that’s very gratifying, it’s priceless,” concluded the black belt.
