Matheus Godoy

Matheus Godoy Romero is a jiu-jitsu athlete from Brazil’s “swampland” of Pantanal and a black belt under Alan Régis (Tatuapú), also known as one of the top representatives of the Alliance Team. As a competitor, Godoy gained notoriety while competing with the gi, and winning important tournaments of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), United Arab Emirates Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro Tour (AJP) and Spyder Korea Invitational.

Matheus Godoy Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Matheus Godoy Romero

Nickname: Often referenced as “Pombo” – word for Pidgeon in Portuguese, a nickname that has been associated with Godoy since his white belt days, given by his coach Alan Régis. The reason behind the name, unfortunately, was lost with time.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Francisco Fernandes > Alan Régis > Matheus Godoy

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place SPYDER Invitational (2017)
• 1st Place IBJJF Tel Aviv Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Amsterdam Open (2018**)
• 1st Place UAEJJF World Pro BR Qualifiers (2019)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Floripa Winter Open (2018)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Floripa Spring Open (2017)
• 3rd Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, Abu Dhabi (2018)
• 3rd Place UAEJJF Grand Slam, London (2018)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF South Brazilian Championship (2015 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2016 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF South American Championship (2013 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF South American Championship (2015 brown)

** Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Kneebar

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

Team/Association: Alliance

Matheus Godoy Biography

Matheus Godoy was born in May 23, 1993, in Aquidauana, a rural town in Mato Grosso do Sul, known as a southern gateway to the Pantanal tropical wetlands of Brazil.

Although he had brief contact with taekwondo during 4th grade, it was through jiu-jitsu that Godoy truly fell in love with martial arts and competition, a sport he initiated in 2005 at the age of 12 with coach Delson Bueno.

Living in a small town in a rural part of the country, there was not a lot of high-level training grounds nearby, and for that reason, Godoy spent much of his time hopping in between gyms, from his hometown to the state capital, Campo Grande, where he trained extensively with Alan Régis (also known as Tatuapú).

For most of Godoy’s career up to purple belt, he represented team Gracie Barra / Tatuapu JJ. 2011 was Matheus’ first contact with the Alliance group when he traveled to the United States to compete at the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in California. There Matheus befriended a few competitors, representatives of the Alliance headquarters from Sao Paulo, a bond that grew even stronger in the following years. So much so that in 2014, as a purple belt, the young Mato Grosso athlete moved to São Paulo to train with the team on a full-time schedule.

Unfortunately for Godoy, he had a serious injury while training in São Paulo and was forced to return to Campo Grande to recover, but his connection with the team remained strong and shortly after earning his brown belt, Matheus opened his own affiliate of the Alliance franchise.

In 2015, the young Mato Grosso native applied for the United Arab Emirates jiu-jitsu national program, a structure that brings top brown and black belts from across the world to coach in the country’s public school system. Matheus’ application was accepted and he started spending his time in between the UAE and Brazil from then on.

Although a gym owner and a representative of the Alliance Academy at the time, Matheus was promoted to black belt by Alan Tatuapú in late 2016.