Daniel Moraes - 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt Champion

Finding a world-class coach with a successful sporting background and versatile coaching skills  is challenging and involves a bit of luck. Exceptional athletes or competitors who are still developing their instructing and coaching talents are common. In contrast, Daniel Moraes is considered among the exceptional top-class coaches and athletes of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Daniel Moraes is the dreamer, dedicated, illustrious, and 3rd degree Black Belt icon of BJJ. He set an exceptional record by 5 times winning the title of World Champion and also winning medals in 11 World Championships.

Moraes is an enthusiastic grappler and an experienced coach who helps Jiu-Jitsu lovers to excel in their careers. During his grappling career, he faced and put down the brightest stars of grappling, including Terere, Marcelo Garcia, and Marcio Feitosa. Besides his phenomenal record in the BJJ, he also maintained a good reputation in the MMA.

Daniel Moraes opened his eyes in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was born on 18th August 1981.

At the age of 5, Daniel Moraes had the chance to attend the Jiu-Jitsu program in the Late Clube Jardim Guanabara which is a family club in Brazil. Daniel grew up in a place where Jiu-Jitsu was flourishing. As time passed, he took full advantage of all the opportunities and became an emerging grappler of his time.

Daniel Moraes's first exposure to Jiu-Jitsu proved to be very beneficial and helped him to pursue his Jiu-Jitsu career. He decided to start his career as a martial artist with the motive to achieve a big name in combat sports. This motivation led him to the Royler Gracie academy. He joined the Jiu-Jitsu academy and started training under the elite mentorship of Marcelo Clemente and Royler Gracie.

Moraes also participated in several championships and was awarded the Blue Belt in 1999.

After winning the IBJJF World Championship in 2000, he was promoted to Purple Belt by his coaches.

Moraes was also awarded multiple titles and medals during his Jiu-Jitsu career. His phenomenal performance made him a talented BJJ enthusiast.

As the reward of his winning streak, in 2002 Moraes was awarded Black Belt by his coaches Marcelo Clemente and Royler Gracie.

He was also honored to have great mentorship from Darrel Gholar, and Relson Gracie that played an instrumental role in his BJJ success.

Almost every one grows up with a big dream in mind. All dreams become reality when dreamers work with dedication and persistence toward their goals. Also, motivation and persistence play a key role in the success of an idealist.

To fulfill his dream and turn it into reality, Moraes moved to the US and joined the Relson Gracie academy and became an affiliate at Relson’s academy.

Daniel Moraes didn’t limit his martial art career to Jiu-Jitsu. He actively partook in mixed martial arts from 2006 to 2008. He also secured multiple wins in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).

Florida Combat Academy is a mixed martial arts institution that is owned by Dennis Davidson. Dennis Davidson is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion who received Black Belt under Daniel Moraes. Daniel Moraes joined the Florida academy and upscale the grappling skills of BJJ practitioners. Under the great leadership of Moraes, Florida academy became the fastest-growing BJJ academy in the southeastern region of the USA.

As a coach, he conducted some seminars and trained some of the prominent names in the Jiu-Jitsu world like Alan Belcher, and Urijah Faber. Daniel Moraes always proved his elite BJJ skills as a fighter and a coach.

Daniel has a phenomenal record of winning a high number of titles in the world championships. He is a 3rd degree Black Belt holder and earned 11 Medals in the world championships under different categories. He also had a phenomenal record in Jiu-Jitsu with a list of accolades.

Besides having elite grappling skills, Daniel Moraes had extraordinary wrestling skills. He proved it by the successful takedown of the veteran wrestlers of his time.

This was a No-Gi grappling bout between the best lightweight competitor Daniel Moraes, and the Thailandese BJJ champion Nakapan Phungephorn.

Both fighters showcased their elite level of technical BJJ game in this fight which was a feast for the eyes of spectators.

Nakapan Phungephorn put down the Moraes through a strong close guard. At one point, the  final result seemed to be in Phungephorn's favor. However, Daniel is an excellent competitor putting on his extraordinary defensive and offensive skills.

In the end, Daniel Moraes won the match by points.

In 2009, this fight was between Daniel Moraes, and the UFC fighter Matt Arroyo.

This match was worth watching and an interesting display of No-Gi skills. Matt Arroyo controlled Daniel Moraes from standing close guard. The elite grappling skills of Matt amused the audience. Daniel Moraes tried to escape but his opponent strangled him. Matt Arroyo maintained his dominant position for 3 minutes.

After that, Daniel Moraes was successful in his effort to escape from the strong grip of Matt Arroyo. Moraes controlled Matt with a strong grip of his arms around his neck. He maintained his dominant mount position for almost 2 minutes. In the end, Moraes got the submission and won the match. 

In 2008, the Copa American Championship was held between Daniel Moraes and Roberto Abreu. Moraes and Roberto Abreu tried their grappling skills to pull each other down. However, Moraes succeeded in his attempt to pull down his opponent. He also tried a leg lock that was not successful. Then Moraes tightly controlled the neck of  Roberto Abreu with his arms. Roberto tried to escape from the strong grip of Daniel Moraes.

At the end, Daniel Moraes won by points. 

Daniel Moraes x Bill Cooper

Daniel Moraes // Rhalan Gracie // Copa America 2010

Daniel Moraes vs. Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu 9/20/2008

Daniel Moraes vs Pedro Brandao purplebelt match Oscar de JJ 2

Daniel Morais vs Manoel Baiano Semifinal- Interno de Jiu-Jitsu Nova União(Sobral)2012

Photo credit: @ilhanoticias , @sherdog