Enderson Dias

Enderson Dias de Almeida is a professional jiu-jitsu athlete and a black belt under Vinicius Marinho who also worked extensively with coach Melqui Galvão while representing GF Team, Fight Sports, Dream Art, and MJN Jiu-Jitsu teams in the sport’s global circuit. Enderson Dias first made waves in the sport in the colored belt rank by medaling in the top International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) tournaments such as the World, European, and Pan Championships, later going on to cement his career at the professional level. He is also the twin brother of another well-known jiu-jitsu athlete, Larissa Dias.

Enderson Dias Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Enderson Dias de Almeida

Nickname: Enderson is often called “Varão” by his peers, a name that signifies “Devout” in Portuguese, which relates back to Dias’ religiousness.

Lineage: Luis França > Oswaldo Fadda > Monir Salomão > Júlio César Pereira > Vinicius Marinho > Enderson Dias

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2019 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2020 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF South American Championship (2017 blue, 2019 purple)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, LA (2019 purple)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, RJ (2017 blue)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2021** brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019* blue, 2021 brown)

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Meio Pesado (88,30 kg / 195.0 lbs)

Team/Association: MJN Jiu-Jitsu

Enderson Dias Biography

Enderson Dias was born on September 03, 1998, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his twin sister, Larissa, growing up in the Engenho Novo area located in the northern territory of Rio.

Influenced by his father – who was a Thai boxing coach – Enderson joined the local Muay Thai school at the age of 15. His love for martial arts drove him to jiu-jitsu two years later, a decision heavily influenced by one of his school friends who already practiced the gentle art at the time.

Enderson’s first instructor was none other than Vinicius Marinho, a well-known athlete in the region and one of the top GF Team representatives at the time. Soon after Dias started, his sister, Larissa, also joined the workgroup.

As a white belt, Enderson started seeing solid results on the competition scene, which included a silver medal in the Brazilian Nationals’ novice division in 2016. Galvanized by his performances, Dias became obsessed with training, running his schedule on a full-time basis from very early in his career.

The fruits of his labor saw a quick climb through the ranks of the sport, while under the guidance of coach Marinho. Dias would also work with other instructors once Vinicius left Brazil to live abroad, being particularly close to coach Melqui Galvão in Manaus. Ederson’s hard work led to his black belt promotion in January 2022 from the hands of Vinicius Marinho, after an eventful 2021 brown belt campaign, where he earned silver medals at the World and Pan Championships.