Bernardo Faria - 5 Times BJJ World Champion

Bernardo Faria is a 2nd-degree BJJ Black Belt under Ricardo Marques. Ricardo Marques is himself a BJJ Black Belt under Sergio Bolao Souza. Not only under Ricardo Marques, but Bernardo Faria also trained under Fabio Gurgel “The General”. Bernardo Faria is considered one of the most deadly super-heavyweight champions of his age.

Bernardo Faria was born on 29 January 1987 in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. Juiz de Fora is a town in the State of Minas Gerais.

Bernardo Faria had a happy childhood. His father was an engineer and one of his brothers was a doctor. His one brother practiced Jiu-Jitsu and had an injury. So it became hard for Bernardo to start BJJ.

He was into different sports during his childhood. He was the goalkeeper in soccer. He was not an athletic child so after some time he was made the bench goalkeeper. Soon Bernardo left the soccer team.

When Bernardo turned 14, he started training in BJJ. Pedro Cid, his best friend, took Bernardo to his BJJ classes. In 2001, he persuaded Bernardo to train BJJ with him.

Bernardo’s first BJJ instructor was Ricardo Marques. Bernardo’s friend introduced him to Ricardo Marques. Upon seeing Bernardo, Ricardo asked about his age. As Bernardo was 14 years old and students at Ricardo’s academy were younger than him, Bernardo thought that Ricardo would refuse. But Ricardo, despite his busy coaching schedule, allocated separate teaching hours for Bernardo and his friend. It was because Ricardo Marques instantly recognized what fame Bernardo would bring to Jiu-Jitsu.

Bernardo gave his time and sincere efforts to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as he instantly liked the sport.

Bernardo, after training for 2 years under Ricardo Marques, went to compete. It was his first competition. He competed at the World Cup (CBJJO) as a junior belt. Bernardo thought that he was skilled enough to win but he lost the match. It triggered something in him and then he vowed to become an accomplished grappler no matter what.

After losing a major competition, Bernardo Faria became fully devoted to BJJ. His already arduous training regime became more rigorous. He trained at his full potential and then returned for the World Cup (CBJJO) the next year, in 2004. This time he earned second place and won a Silver medal. He also participated in the open weight division of the same tournament and won a Bronze medal.

This consecutive winning streak gave Bernardo a sense of control and validation. He started believing in himself more as his aim was to become a World Champion.

In 2007, Bernardo Faria aimed to compete at the Brazilian Nationals but suddenly he suffered from appendicitis. He had to take off the mats for some time and could not compete in the Brazilian Nationals. He had to take complete rest after the surgery.

Being a persistent fighter, Bernardo Faria again competed in the World Championship in 2007. He won 2nd place in the heavyweight division.

In 2008, Bernardo suffered from a torn meniscus injury. He was scheduled to compete in the World Championship 2008 but could not do so because of a knee injury.

He was promoted to Blue Belt in 2004 after claiming Silver and Bronze medals in the World Cup as a junior.

Bernardo remained a Blue Belt until 2005. The same year he won Silver and Bronze medals at the Mundial.

In 2006, Bernardo Faria received his Purple Belt.

Bernardo Faria became the Brazilian National Cup Champion in 2006 while he was still a Purple Belt.

Being a Purple Belt, Bernardo became the World Champion in 2006 in the Absolute Weight Division. Bernardo was waiting to win this title his whole life. It was his dream to become a World Champion. After this title, Bernardo Faria did not stop till this day. No challenge can ever stop him from competing and winning.

As nothing could stop Bernardo Faria from earning World Titles, he became a Brown Belt in 2007. It was after his Brazilian National Cup and World Championship. He learned a great lesson from his first defeat and then he nullified every possibility of his defeat. His comeback to BJJ in 2004 was one of the most brutal comebacks in the history of BJJ.

After recovering from his knee injury, Bernardo Faria was promoted to Black Belt by Ricardo Marques in 2008.

Bernardo’s family consisted of doctors and engineers. So he had to prove to them that he could continue BJJ for a living. His father was of the view that Bernardo must join college so that he could become a successful person.

That is when he decided to join Alliance Jiu-Jitsu.

After becoming a Black Belt, Bernardo Faria wanted to become a more accomplished and experienced fighter. This wish took him to Fabio Gurgel. He  wanted to pursue BJJ as a career. He thought he was not as dedicated to BJJ as much as he wanted to be. So with the consent of his instructor, Ricardo Marques, Bernardo Faria moved to São Paulo.

In São Paulo he joined a competitive and professional team under Master Fabio Gurgel. Bernardo then became a part of Alliance Jiu-Jitsu. Bernardo Faria was fascinated by Fabio Gurgel, the General of Sao Paulo Headquarters.

In June 2022, Bernardo Faria became the IBJJF Hall of Famer.

In 2018, Bernardo Faria opened his own BJJ school named “Bernardo Faria Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy” in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Bernardo Faria made a Youtube channel in 2019. The goal of this channel was to help practitioners improve their BJJ skills and to highlight the best BJJ practitioners. There are many instructional videos on his channel that help practitioners to learn BJ techniques. He often conducts rolling and sparring sessions with famous BJJ fighters such as Lucas Lepri, Marcos Tinoco, Braulio Estima, Bruno Malfacine, John Danaher, and many more.

Some of the techniques by Bernardo Faria are as follows:

Bernardo Faria is the co-founder of BJJ Fanatics. BJJ Fanatics is a website that contains instructional videos to help BJJ practitioners all across the world. In the video, Bernardo Faria talked about his struggle with BJJ and how to get into it. Bernardo Faria was a persistent fighter which is why he stuck with BJJ even after getting disheartened by his first defeat.

Despite being a World Champion, Bernardo Faria is always a calm and respectful fighter. He always behaves in a respectful manner with his peers and even with his opponents. You will never see him abusing anyone rather you will always see him in a calm manner.

Leandro Lo was a BJJ Black Belt under Cicero Costha. Bernardo is known for his abrupt leg attacks. He lunges at his opponent causing his opponent to lose balance.

Bernardo did the same lunge attack on Leandro but Leandro was well prepared for it. Bernardo took the dominant position but Leandro controlled him by having a great cuff grip.

Bernardo went for the armlock and then submitted Leandro via Armbar in just 6 minutes and 3 seconds.

Erberth Santos is a BJJ Black Belt under Luis Guilherme. Bernardo Faria went for the leg attack but Santos knew how to handle that.

He did not panic and took the dominant position. But Santos could not tackle Bernardo’s submission. Bernardo Faria submitted Santos via Kneebar in only 3 minutes and 31 seconds.

Leandro Lo being a BJJ Black Belt had great grappling skills. This match was the most anticipated one. Leandro was calm during the fight, otherwise, he does not have a calm fighting style.

Bernardo gained 1 advantage point. The fight was a tough one as none of the fighters were scoring points.

At the end of the match, Bernardo Faria submitted Leandro Lo via Arm in Ezekiel Choke.

Gabriel Arges is a BJJ Black Belt under Romulo Barral. Gabriel is a calm fighter. The fight between Bernardo and Gabriel started at a calm pace. Bernardo was a bit aggressive but Gi grips of Gabriel restricted Bernardo from getting a dominant position. Eventually, Bernardo submitted Gabriel via the Dogbar. Dogbar is actually a kneebar in an over-under position.

Roberto Abreu, a fierce fighter, under Francisco Albuquerque. The fight between Roberto Abreu and Bernardo Faria was an intense one as both fighters had aggressive fighting styles.

Roberto tried to apply submission during the fight but Bernardo escaped it. But in the end, Bernardo won the fight by submitting Roberto Abreu via Armbar. The match lasted for only 5 minutes and 48 seconds.

Timothy Spriggs, also known as Tim Spriggs, is a BJJ Black Belt under Julius Park. Both Tim and Bernardo gained 2 points at the start of the match. Tim was clearly aware of the fighting style of Bernardo so he was not giving him any chance to gain control.

Bernardo scored 18 points against Tim’s 2 points. It was evident that Bernardo was going to win the match. But Bernardo’s submission confirmed his victory. Bernardo submitted Timothy via Choke from Back.

• 5 Times World Jiu-Jitsu Champion
• 6 Times Pan American Champion
• 2015’s IBJJF’s Best Jiu-Jitsu Martial Artist
• Brazilian National Champion

Year	Event	Belt	Medal
2004	World Cup (CBJJO)	Blue	Silver
2004	World Cup (CBJJO)	Blue	Bronze
2005	Mundial	Blue	Silver
2005	Mundial	Blue	Bronze
2006	IBJJF World Championship	Purple	Gold
2010	IBJJF World Championship	Black	Gold
2011	IBJJF World Championship	Black	Silver
2012	IBJJF World Championship	Black	Bronze
2013	IBJJF World Championship	Black	Gold
2015	IBJJF World Championship	Black	Gold
2017	IBJJF World Championship	Black	Silver
2010	IBJJF Pan American Championship	Black	Gold
2012	IBJJF Pan American Championship	Black	Gold
2015	IBJJF Pan American Championship	Black	Gold
2016	IBJJF Pan American Championship	Black	Gold
2012	European Championship	Black	Gold
2013	European Championship	Black	Gold
2010	Brazilian National Champion	Black	Gold

Bernardo Faria vs AJ Agazarm 2015 IBJJF Pan Ams Open Class

Bernardo Faria VS Rafael Lovato Jr / World Championship 2010

Bernardo Faria VS Xande Ribeiro / World Championship 2010

Bernardo Faria VS Antonio Carlos Jr. / Pan Championship 2012

Photo Credit: @bernardofariabjj