Celso “Celsinho” Vinicius (Gracie Barra)
Celso Vinicius
Celso Vinicius in Detail
Full Name: Celso Venícius Alves Pinho Júnior
Nickname: “Celsinho” means Little Celso
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlos Gracie Junior > Roberto Correa > Celso Vinicius
Main Achievements (Black Belt):
- 3x World Champion (2008, 2006, 2005);
- Pan American Champion (2008);
- South American Champion (2009 – Middleweight Division);
- World Pro Cup Silver Medallist (2011)
- World Bronze Medallist (2007)
Favourite Position/Technique: Half Guard
Weight Category (BJJ): Peso Leve (Lightweight) 74Kg – 167lbs
Association/Team: Gordo JJ/Ryan Gracie JJ/ Gracie-Barra
Celso Venicius Biography
Born in December 27, 1983 in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil. He started training in 1998, the reason being, he used to watch Mixed Martial arts (MMA) and loved how the guys from jiu jitsu would control the ground action and how they looked so technical doing it.
In 2000 Celsinho made his mark in the Jiu Jitsu World and Media as he fought on the expert adults division of a major grappling tournament being just 16 years old. He went on to fight in the final against the “phenom” that was Thiago Fernandes (now deceased), a final that lasted 20 minutes. The match ended as a draw and the organization awarded both fighters with the first prize.
As the years went by, Celso won more and more competitions solidifying himself as one of the hottest lightweight prospects in the world, and in 2004 after winning the World Championships in the Brown Belt Division, Celsinho received his Black belt on the Podium from the hands of his long time master Roberto Correa.
Another big moment in Celso Vinicius’s life came about in 2009 after the death of Ryan Gracie (Jiu Jitsu’s original “enfant terrible”). As Ryan passed away leaving his academies in São Paulo (which combined had around 1000 students) without a head coach, it was agreed that Mr Vinicius would take charge of the vacated position. In fact, Mr Vinicius told in an interview to the magazine Tatame shortly after the takeover, that Ryan had contacted him previous to the incident and asked him to join in as an assistant coach, which made the process easier.
Celso Vinicius vs Orlando Zanetti (Sul Americano 2009)
Celso Vinicius vs Mario Reis (Mundial 2006)
