Francisco Cuneo

Francisco Cuneo is an Argentinian grappler and a black belt in both judo and jiu-jitsu. Hailed as one of the top judo competitors in South America and a former member of Argentina’s National Judo Squad (2005-2014), Cuneo would later transition to BJJ, competing extensively in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit and earning a black belt under Master Ricardo De La Riva while working also with Murilo Santana and Eduardo Santos.

Francisco Cuneo Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Francisco Cuneo

Nickname: Cuneo is often called “Paco” which is a traditional way of shortening the name Francisco in Spanish-speaking nations.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Ricardo De La Riva > Francisco Cuneo

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2022)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2022)
• 2nd Place IBJJF American Nationals (2021)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2020)

Main Achievements (Judo):

• 2nd Place Pan Championship (2009)
• 3rd Place Brazil World Cup (2008)
• 3rd Place PJC World Cup (2012)
• 3rd Place Olympic Festival (2014)

Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)

Favorite Position/Technique: Uchi Mata & Guillotine

Team/Association: Gentle Art / Unity JJ

Francisco Cuneo Biography

Francisco Cuneo was born on October 21, 1984, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, growing up in the Caballito neighborhood.

The first sport Cuneo fell in love with was judo, an activity he started at the age of 16, with sensei Pablo Diaz Soto at a local judo venue named Club Italiano. Deeply embedded in judo culture from the get-go, and supported by coach Diaz Soto, a former instructor at the Argentinian National Judo Squad, Cuneo started making waves in the tournament circuit early on.

In 2004, three years into his judo training, Francisco Cuneo conquered his first Argentinian National. Although only a brown belt at the time, Cuneo was competing in the toughest division of the adult category, the Seniors, a class built for black belts and pro athletes. The title would earn him his black belt rank and a place on Argentina’s National Team, a position Francisco kept from 2005-to-2014, there working with sensei Tigran Karhanyan and Paula Pareto.

Although a judoka at heart, Francisco was interested in jiu-jitsu from early in his grappling career, seeing it as a path to a more complete game. A more technical ground approach to complete Cuneo’s world-class stand-up skills.

Early on Francisco Cuneo started visiting the jiu-jitsu academies of Sebastian Munoz and Francisco Questa, two BJJ pioneers in Argentina. Following the jiu-jitsu federation’s protocol for top-tier judo players, instructors Munoz and Questa promoted Cuneo to purple belt. During these times, Cuneo also trained at Lotus Jiu-Jitsu with Mariano Grana, although the majority of Cuneo’s development in BJJ took place through his own research.

In 2014 Francisco Cuneo started a jiu-jitsu class of his own as a De La Riva team affiliate. Although a purple belt in BJJ at the time, Cuneo was already a celebrated judoka with a wealth of experience competing in both rulesets. After continuous visits to Brazil to train, Francisco earned his black belt from Ricardo De La Riva. The promotion took place in late 2016.

With time, Francisco’s interest in jiu-jitsu drove him away from judo. He became a full-time BJJ practitioner in 2019, after earning an invite from Eduardo Santos of the Gentle Art Studio (Lotus Club New York) to travel to America. While in New York City, Francisco worked with both Gentle Art and Unity Jiu-Jitsu.