the Peso Leve division, mainly known as the light weight class is one of the most competitive divisions in jiu jitsu and it has been since the early days of the sport. This is a comprehensive list of the top players in this division (past and present).
Kron Gracie is the son of Brazilian jiu jitsu legend, Rickson Gracie and a top competitor in BJJ’s black belt division. A fierce competitor and world championships medalist, Kron Gracie made a name for himself in the grappling scene in the lower belts competition through an incredible run in some of the most important tournaments in the world where managed to establish a 51 straight submission win streak.
3x BJJ World Champion and 5 BJJ World silver medals. This impressive resume defines this amazing competitor from Gracie Barra, today the head coach of GB America.
Another talented fighter from the illustrious Alliance jiu jitsu team, this BJJ black belt under Jamelao is also one of Brazil’s top wrestlers, having competed in the Brazilian National Olympic Team.
Ramon Lemos is the head jiu jitsu coach and co-founder of the famous Atos BJJ Team, having formed some of today’s top BJJ fighters, competitors such as Guilherme and Rafael Mendes, Gilbert Burns, Rodrigo Caporal amongst others. Ramon Lemos has also been involved with the grappling tuition of top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters such as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Rodrigo “Minotauro”.
He is the Vice-President of the Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (AZSBJJF) and a top instructor from Nova Uniao. Gustavo was also part of a generation of fantastic fighters from the late 1990’s that terrorised the BJJ mats all over the world at the time.
An American Black Belt under Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, Tony Pacenski has been training Jiu Jitsu for well over a decade, seeking the best in the business to for tuition. He is an instructor for the BJJ Revolution Team with two teams, one in California and another in Pennsylvania.
Roberto Atalla is one of the finest Jiu Jitsu black belts teaching in Europe today. This legendary BJJ instructor and former World Champion is one of the founders of the Rio Grappling Club, an academy that has been producing some of the best European grapplers for the passed few years.
Rafael dos Anjos is a fantastic MMA fighter with an amazing record fighting for the UFC. He is also a great Black Belt from the Gracie Barra team. Get to know more about this great lightweight fighter, from how he started in BJJ to his climb through the MMA ranks.
Gilbert Burns, also known in the Jiu Jitsu community as “Durinho” is one of the Top BJJ lightweights in the World having won some of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. The Atos Team standout came to the limelight of Jiu Jitsu in 2009 after he reached the final of the Mundials, but his great moment came in June 2011 wen he defeated favorite Kron Gracie for the World BJJ title.
Claudio Mattos is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt from Belo Horizonte, a student of Vinicius Magalhaes at Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte, Claudio is one of the toughest Lightweights in the World.
The head coach of the Ryan Gracie Team in Sao Paulo, Celsinho is one of the best lightweights in the world and has become one of the best coaches around in a short amount of time. Get to know more about this Roberto Correa Black Belt
One of the best lightweight fighters to have ever competed in Jiu Jitsu, this Rio de Janeiro Native has collected tittles in both the World BJJ stage and at Submission Wrestling top tournaments, here you will find details about his background and his rise to glory.
Another fantastic Black Belt from the Checkmat Academy, this Rio de Janeiro native has been training BJJ for the most part of his life. Starting off with Murilo Bustamante and training today under Coach extraordinaire, Ricardo Vieira.
Carlos Portugues Vieira has been one of the top BJJ competitors and instructors in the World, wining the Pan Ams, Europeans and Brazilian Nationals
Lucas Lepri a World Champion Jiu Jitsu fighter from Alliance Team, with titles in both Kimono and No-Gi Competitions with equal success.
one of the hottest MMA prospects out of Brazil, this Jiu Jitsu Black Belt from the Nova Geracao team has made a rampant start of his MMA and BJJ career
Leonardo Santos is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt from the Nova Uniao team, being one of the most important fighters for BJJ in the early 2000’s. With numerous titles in his career, Leo Santos was regarded by many as the best lightweight fighter of his generation, having victories over several great fighters such as Leo Vieira, Tiago Alves. Leo Santos put an end to his career with the kimono to follow his brother’s footsteps (Wagnney Fabiano) in turning into a professional MMA fighter.
Bruno Amorim, the Draculino Magalhaes Black Belt from Gracie Barra is a fierce competitor in BJJ with several titles.
A BJJ fighter, Competing under Rodrigo Medeiros, Rafael Dallinha is an excellent coach and a avid competitor in the USA West Coast
Augusto Mendes, commonly known as “Tanquinho”, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Master Francisco Mansur, being also one of the big names of …