Antonio Carlos Junior “Cara de Sapato” (Checkmat)

Ranked as the “#1 BJJ Fighter to Watch in 2011″ by the Gracie Magazine, Antonio Carlos Junior is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under Helder Medeiros from the Checkmat Team (Paraíba affiliate). With an extensive list of medals in important tournaments such as the Mundial and the Brazilian Nationals, Antonio Carlos has become part of an exciting generation of competitors that started making a name for themselves at international tournaments in the late 2010/early 2011.

Antonio Carlos Jiu Jitsu

Full Name: Antonio Carlos Coelho de Figueiredo Barbosa Júnior

Nickname: “Cara de Sapato” which literally means shoe face (ugly), the nickname first came up when Ricardo Vieira was giving a seminar at Antonio’s academy. Vieira is renowned for giving funny nicknames to everyone he meets, and he saw Antonio as having a bigger chin then his(!), thus the name.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Ricardo Vieira > Helder Medeiros > Antonio Carlos

Main Achievements:

• Pan American Champion (2012 absolute)
• 2x World Champion (2010 weight & absolute/Brown);
• 8x Brazilian Champion (2011, 2010 weight & absolute – brown, 2009 – purple, 2008 weight & absolute blue, 2007 weight & absolute – blue junior);
• 2x World Pro Cup Trials Champion – RJ (2011 weight & absolute);
• 3x South American Champion (2008 weight & absolute – purple, 2007 – blue junior);
• 2x Brazilian National Teams Champion (2008, 2007);
• World Cup Champion (2006 – blue junior)

Other Important Achievements:

• National Teams Silver Medallist (2009);
• World Silver Medallist (2008);
• World Pro Cup Finals Bronze Medallist (2011)

Favorite Position/Technique: Taking the back from De La Riva Guard.

Weight Division: Peso Pesado (94kg/207lbs)

Team/Association: Checkmat

Antonio Carlos Junior Biography

Antonio Carlos Junior was born on the 16th of March, 1990 in João Pessoa, state of Paraíba – Brazil. He lived in Salvador da Bahia for a while, and it was there that he began his jiu jitsu training in 2005 with Renato Velame as an instructor. It was Renato Velame who graduated Antonio Carlos with the blue belt, Antonio then moved back to his hometown of Joao Pessoa, picking up where he had left off, training with the acclaimed instructor and competitor, Helder Medeiros – nicknamed “Bob Esponja” (Sponge Bob Square Pants) – it was training under Medeiros that Antonio Carlos blossomed to BJJ with several significant victories in many important state, national and international level competitions.

Cara de Sapato was pointed out by Gracie Mag as the number 1 fighter to watch in 2011 (see article here) after his victory at the Mundial earlier in 2010 where he won both his weight and the open weight division, closing both finals with his team mate Marcos Buchecha. “Cara de Sapato” would receive his black belt while still on the podium of the World Pro Cup Trials, after he submitted several high caliber competitors in the mixed brown and black belt division.

Antonio Carlos vs Antonio Peinado (Brasileiro 2012)

Antonio Carlos Jr vs Romulo Barral (Brasileiro 2012)

Antonio Carlos vs unknown (Brasileiro 2011)