Vinícius Ferreira

Vinícius Ferreira Gazola, commonly known as Vinícius “Trator”, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Fábio Gurgel and Michael Langhi, being also one of the top representatives of the Alliance Academy. Widely regarded as one of the top competitors of his generation, Ferreira conquered important titles in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit, including World, World No-Gi and Pan American gold medals.

Vinícius Ferreira Jiu Jitsu

Full Name: Vinícius Ferreira Gazola

Nickname: Vinícius is often referred to as “Trator” (the Portuguese word for a tractor vehicle), though his nickname was initially “Motor” (the Portuguese word for “engine”). Ferreira started being called Motor among his hometown’s BJJ competitive community, early on in his grappling career due to the work-rate imposed by Vinícius on the mats. The name would later change to Trator, once he joined the Alliance team in São Paulo, after a teammate jokingly said “you’re not just an engine, you are a tractor” – which are engines more commonly known for their torquing power, seemingly implying a relationship between Vinícius’ grappling style and the unstoppable force of the tractor. A joke that soon caught on by the workgroup.

Lineage 1: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti >  Fábio Gurgel > Vinícius Ferreira

Lineage 2: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Alexandre Paiva > Fernando Augusto > Rubens Charles > Michael Langhi > Vinícius Ferreira

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian No-Gi Nationals (2018)
• 1st Place CBJJ South Brazilian Championship (2019**)
• 1st Place IBJJF São Paulo Open (2018**)
• 2nd Place ADCC São Paulo Brazilian Trials (2017)
• 2nd Place Washington DC Open (2019)
• 2nd Place Kasai Trials/Elite Grappling (2019)

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2017 brown, 2016 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2018/2017 brown, 2016/2015 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2016 purple)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018 brown, 2016 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF Rome Open (2018** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF South American Championship (2016 purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF São Paulo BJJ Pro (2017 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2017** brown)
• 2nd Place ACBJJ South American Championship (2018 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2018 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pans No-Gi Championship (2017** brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Pressure Passing

Weight Division: Super-Pesado (100,50 kg / 222.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Alliance

Vinícius Ferreira Biography

Vinícius Ferreira was born on June 21, 1997, in Franca, a municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, where he grew up.

At the age of 12, Ferreira was struggling with weight-related issues, then deciding to join a boxing gym to help lower his body-mass, a sport he practiced for nearly 4 years.

2 years into his striking training and Vinícius was still fighting off some of his excess weight. To tackle the issue he decided to add jiu jitsu to his weekly activities, his first class taking place on March 2010 with coach Paulo “Índio”.

4 months into his training and Vinícius had his first taste of competition, reaching an honorable 2nd place at a local tournament. Trator was immediately hooked on to competition, starting then a routine that saw him competing every single weekend, year round, for a few years.

In trying to improve his skills, after 6 months of training with Índio, Vinícius decided to join coach Edson Ferreira’s gym (Paulo Índio’s instructor) where there had a higher level of competitors to spar with. It was Edson who graded Trator with his orange, green, blue and purple belts.

At the age of 17 Vinícius had already conquered over 160 gold medals but was ready to quit the sport as he did not see a professional avenue doing what he loved, in the long-run. In a last effort to stay in the game, Trator and his coach sent a CV to Fábio Gurgel, leader of the Alliance team in São Paulo city, hoping to get a scholarship at the famous academy. By a stroke of luck, Gurgel was starting a small project aimed at helping rising BJJ talent and was receptive to the idea of having Trator over.

On December 2015, after a sparring audition, Vinícius was accepted by Gurgel and the team, becoming part of the first set of students under the Alliance project. Trator was given food, shelter, and high-level training under a scholarship.

After nearly 3 years training under the Alliance banner, with many important titles conquered, on September 4, 2018, Vinícius Ferreira was promoted to black belt by his coaches: Michael Langhi and Fábio Gurgel.

Vinícius Ferreira Highlight

Vinícius Ferreira Lasso Sweep Tutorial