João Assonitis

João Assonitis is a professional grappler and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa and Darwin Falcão, representing the Double Five team in the sport’s international circuit. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Assonitis broke through globally while competing in the colored belt divisions of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).

João Assonitis Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: João Matheus de Melo Assonitis

Nickname: N/A

Lineage 1: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie >Carlson Gracie > Crézio de Souza > André Almeida > Rafael Barbosa > João Assonitis

Lineage 2: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Walter Guimarães > César Guimarães > Vinicius Amaral > Darwin Falcão > João Assonitis

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2024)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2024)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2023 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals NOGI (2023 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF South American Championship (2019 / 2020 blue)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2022 purple)
• 2nd Place AJP Grand Slam, RJN (2019 blue)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Team Nationals (2019 blue)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Championship (2020 blue)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2019** blue)

Favorite Position/Technique: Heel Hook

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

Team/Association: Double Five

João Assonitis Biography

João Assonitis was born in April 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

João was mostly into football (soccer), playing at local tournaments as a child before he found his love for skating and surfing.

As he reached the end of his childhood, Assonitis added martial arts to his weekly activities, namely striking (boxing & muay Thai), which he practiced from age 10 to 13.

As he reached his teens, João looked for alternative martial arts to train and expand his game. Influenced by his father, a black belt in luta livre (a Brazilian style of catch-wrestling) and his stepfather, a black belt in jiu-jitsu, Assonitis opted to pursue grappling. He found the perfect environment at Darwin Falcão’s gym in Rio, where he began his jiu-jitsu tuition.

Assonitis quickly made an entry into the local tournament scene with solid results. As he progressed through the local competitions, he eventually felt like moving to a bigger team with a stronger focus on the competition circuit with be beneficial. To help him achieve his goals in the sport, purple belt João joined Rafael Formiga’s squad, Double Five.

Under the guidance of Formiga, Assonitis was promoted to the brown and black belt ranks, the latter in a ceremony that took place in December 2023. João would later head to his former instructor, Darwin, to receive the rank from him in a sign of respect to his first mentor.