Kaynan Duarte

Kaynan Duarte is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under André Galvão, having also worked extensively with coaches José Luis and Paulo Ledesma, being one of the main competitors of the Atos Jiu-Jitsu Academy during the late 2010s and early 2020s. Duarte first made an appearance on BJJ’s mainstream media after his win at the 2017 ADCC Rio de Janeiro trials, an outstanding achievement conquered as a purple belt. He went on to cement his status as one of his generation’s top competitors in the years that followed with multiple world titles with the IBJJF and the ADCC.

Kaynan Duarte Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Kaynan Casemiro Duarte

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Reyson Gracie > Osvaldo Alves > Luis Dagmar (Careca) > André Galvão > Kaynan Casemiro Duarte

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place ADCC (2019 / 2022 / 2024**)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2019*** / 2021 / 2022)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship No-Gi (2020**)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2022**)
• 1st Place IBJJF Grand Prix No-Gi (2024)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2019)
• 1st Place Kasai Pro 5 Grand Prix (2019)
• 1st Place Spyder Invitational GP (2019)
• 1st Place Third Coast Grappling 6 GP (2021)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, RJ (2018)
• 2nd Place Copa Podio Grand Prix (2018)
• 2nd Place UAEJJF King Of Mats, MSK (2019)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2023)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pans Championship No-Gi (2018*)
• 2nd Place WNO Championship (2021)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pans Championship No-Gi (2018)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2021* / 2023*)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2019*)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2017 purple, 2018** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Juvenile Championship (2014** blue)
• 1st Place ACBJJ World Championship (2017 brown)
• 1st Place ADCC Brazilian RJ Trials (2017)
• 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2017** purple, 2018** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2017** purple, 2018 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Juvenile Championship (2015** blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2018* brown)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2018 brown)
• 1st Place Iron Brown Belt Champion (2017)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam – RJ (2017 brown)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam – LA (2016 purple)
• 1st Place SPYDER Invitational (2018 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship Juvenile (2014*)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2018 brown)
• 3rd Place ADCC Brazilian SP Trials (2017)

* Absolute
** Weight and absolute
*** Stripped of title for PED use

Favorite Position/Technique: Well Rounded

Weight Division: Peso Pesado (94,30 kg / 208.0 lbs)

Team/Association: N/A

Kaynan Duarte Biography

Kaynan Duarte was born on January 24, 1998, in Pederneiras – a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil.

During his pre-teens, Duarte developed an interest in judo, which he joined. This sparked Kaynan’s curiosity for martial arts grew and as his cousin practiced jiu-jitsu, he added this to his activities.

Coach José Luis (also known as “Zé Cavalo”) was Kaynan’s first instructor, back in his hometown. José was unaffiliated with a major team, therefore, as Duarte’s grew as an athlete in the juvenile blue belt category he started making regular trips to São Paulo to train at Cicero Costa‘s academy – PSLPB in search of the highest level of sparring.

Duarte’s quest for the best places where to expand his grappling knowledge led him to Bauru, and coach Paulo Ledesma. Ledesma was part of the Atos Jiu-Jitsu franchise, and soon enough Zé Cavalo would also join the team, leading Kaynan Duarte to the AJJ headquarters in San Diego – California (2016) ahead of the UAEJJF Los Angeles Grand Slam. The experience was greatly enjoyed by both Kaynan and team leader André Galvão, who invited the youngster to return for the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.

With time, the relationship between Kaynan Duarte and André Galvão grew and the young player became one of the more respected members of the talent-dense San Diego headquarters. It was Galvão who promoted Duarte to brown and black belt, both achieved while standing on top of the podium at the IBJJF World Championship – 2017 and 2018, respectively.

On February 7, 2020, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Kaynan Duarte had failed his doping test with “a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents”. As a consequence of the test, performed on June 2, 2019, after Duarte’s victorious performance at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, Kaynan was stripped of his world title and banned from IBJJF events for 1 year. More details here.

Early in 2026, Kaynan opted to distance himself from the Atos association after rumors emerged regarding alleged unprofessional behaviour from some in the team’s management. He went on to join the Art of Jiu-Jitsu team.

Cover photo by Vitor Freitas.

Kaynan Duarte vs Gustavo Batista