BJJ

Matheus Diniz - BJJ Instructor at Marcelo Garcia’s Academy in New York

Matheus Diniz - BJJ Instructor at Marcelo Garcia’s Academy in New York

1. Matheus Diniz’s Details

Matheus Diniz’s Details
Name  Matheus Oliveira Diniz
Nickname  Gorilla, King Kong 
Born  Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Age  29 years
Date of Birth  8th April 1993
Weight  88 kg (194 lbs)
Weight Division Meio Pesado (88 kg-194 lbs)
Last Weigh-in 88 kg
Height  6’0’’
Foundational Style  BJJ
Career Disclosed Earnings  N/A
College University  N/A
Rank BJJ Black Belt
Head Coach  Marcelo Garcia
Last Fight  2022 ADCC
Favorite Technique “Blitz” Style Guard Passing
Lineage  Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Fabio Gurgel >Marcelo Garcia > Matheus Diniz
Team Association  Alliance – Marcelo Garcia
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2. Matheus Diniz’s Biography

Matheus Diniz is one of the top Black Belts under Marcelo Garcia. He earned a name as a grappler who showcased his maximum potential in his Brown Belt division. He won major championships in his color belt career and was included to the list of top-class grapplers of his generation

2.1. Take a Start with Capoeira

Born in the state of Minas Gerais on 8th April 1993, Matheus As a kid Diniz was a troublemaker as most of the brilliant kids usually are. They are hard to control and prone to do whatever they like and decide. He started his Martial Arts journey at the age of 10 in his school but Matheus was a mischievous kid and once he was expelled from school. After leaving his school, Matheus left his Capoeira classes.  

2.2. First Introduction with Jiu-Jitsu

At the age of 15 when Matheus was in high school, he heard of a boy who wanted to fight with him. Matheus tracked that boy who used to live in his neighborhood. There was a catch, the boy was a Jiu-Jitsu student in a gym.


Matheus went to his gym and invited him to fight. But the coach at that gym, named Rodrigo Ranieri, did not allow them to fight in his gym. The coach addressed both boys,

“No one is fighting here, from now on you will train together and become friends”.

This was the time when Matheus was introduced to BJJ and his first coach, Rodrigo Ranieri.

2.3. Joined Paulo Rezende’s Academy

After a well-spent few years in Rodrigo’s gym, Matheus wanted to follow the footsteps of legendary Marcelo Garcia. He moved to Poços de Caldas to continue his BJJ journey at Paulo Rezende’s gym, 300 km away from his home. He stayed in Paulo’s gym and trained in Jiu-Jitsu with full devotion.  

2.4. Invited by Marcelo Garcia

Throughout his journey from start to Brown Belt, Matheus was very much inspired by Marcelo Garcia. Both fighters belonged to Formiga and both trained under the same coach, Rezende. Marcelo Garcia saw the abilities of Matheus.


He invited Matheus to New York to join him and train in his academy. This was a golden opportunity for Matheus which he utilized. Under the great coaching of Garcia, Matheus’s BJJ skills potentially flourished.  

2.5. Nicknamed King Kong and Gorilla

Matheus attained various nicknames but “Gorilla” stayed with him for a long time. This name suited him very well because of his Gorilla-like walking style. He was also nicknamed “King Kong.” 

2.6. Matheus Diniz BJJ Pro Combat

Blue Belt, Purple, and Brown Belt Achievements 

A few years after joining Rodrigo’s gym, Matheus was promoted to Blue Belt by Rodrigo Ranieri. After the Blue Belt promotion, he joined Paulo Rezende’s gym. At Paulo Rezende, Matheus achieved his Purple and Brown Belts.

Promoted to Black Belt

Matheus made an extraordinary journey in the Brown Belt division. He achieved big achievements like Pans, World No-Gi, and New York Spring Open as a Brown Belt. After these consecutive big achievements, Marcelo Gracia promoted him to Black Belt in April 2015.    

Diniz’s Game Evolved under Marcelo Garcia

Under Marcelo Garcia’s coaching, Diniz improved his fighting style and made big achievements in the coming years. He won major championships like World and Pan under his legendary coaching.


Matheus won IBJJF World No-Gi for continuous two years in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, he also won IBJJF Pans under the weight and absolute categories. In 2014 he was runner-up in IBJJF World.    

Early Black Belt Performances

After the fabulous performance in the Brown Belt and promotion to Black Belt, both Matheus and Marcelo came into the spotlight. Matheus was burdened with a lot of expectations that he had to achieve.


In the IBJJF New York, Matheus executed his best performance against the MGA team. Matheus defeated Neiman Gracie and Gilbert Burns (BJJ & UFC legend) in the 94 kg and absolute division finals respectively and won two gold medals. This was one of the first-ever victories of Matheus in his Black Belt division.


In 2015, he again came into the spotlight when he defeated Garry Tonon in the absolute weight division of No-Gi Pans. He submitted this legend with Wrist Lock and won the final.     

At ADCC 2019

In 2019, Matheus was invited to fight at the ADCC World Championship. Matheus started his training with great effort. This was a great chance for him to attain the title of Champion in BJJ. Matheus was categorized in the 88 kg weight division and he had to fight big legends like Pedro Marinho, Craig JonesGabriel Arges, and Josh Hinger.


His first challenge at ADCC was Pedro Marinho, one of the great legends of Gracie Barra. He defeated this great legend with staggering points (5-0). In his second match, Matheus faced Gabriel Arges. He won the second match by the referee’s decision. In the semi-finals, Matheus faced the legendary Josh Hinger, from Atos and won the match by points.


In the final, Matheus faced Craig Jones who is famous for his leg-locking techniques. Matheus won his first-ever BJJ title by defeating Craig Jones in the final with points and became ADCC World Champion in the 88 kg weight category.         

Coaching Career

Matheus Diniz is now a BJJ instructor at Marcelo Garcia’s Flagship Academy situated in New York. His online lecture series is also available on the internet.  

Matheus Diniz’s Future in Jiu-Jitsu 

After becoming ADCC champion, Matheus Diniz was aiming to fulfill his dream of becoming IBJJF World Champion. In 2020 and 2021, Matheus Diniz faced defeat by Kynan Duarte, Lucas Barbosa, Fordon Ryan, and Otivio Sousa in the IBJJF World Championship. Now in 2023, Matheus is training hard and looking for another chance to become a World Champion.     

3. Matheus Diniz’s Historic Fights

3.1. Matheus Diniz Vs. Craig Jones

Matheus Diniz faced Craig Jones in the final of ADCC 2019. Matheus defeated various super fighters in the ADCC 2019 to reach the final of the championship. In the final, he was very energetic to take this championship title with him.


Matheus Diniz pulled the leg of Craig Jones and tried to mount him. Jones countered by applying full guard. He did not let Matheus mount him completely. Matheus successfully escaped from the full guard but secured top position. The next few minutes passed as Matheus tried to overcome Jones but Jones did not let him do so.


In the next few minutes, the audience saw different phases of head-to-head tussle, take down attempts, and again head-to-head. At the end of the match, Matheus was in the top position trying to overcome Jone when times up. After a 30 minute fight, Matheus won the match with 2 x 0 points and became the ADCC champion


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2019 ADCC Craig Jones Win Pts: 2x0 Final 88kg

3.2. Matheus Diniz Vs. Lucas Barbosa

Matheus Diniz faced Lucas Barbosa in the quarterfinal of the 2019 World Championship. Matheus Diniz was taken down by Lucas Barbosa at the start of the match but he did not let him score points.


Lucas tried his best to overcome Matheus but Matheus's energetic movements worked well. Matheus Diniz showed a fantastic comeback and not only escaped the mount but also pushed Lucas out of the boundary.


Next ten minutes passed in head-to-head tussle. Both competitors tried to take down each other. At the end of the match, Matheus Diniz found a chance to take down Lucas. Lucas countered by going for an arm lock but he could not submit Matheus as time was over. Matheus won the match with points 2x0.     


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2019 World Championship  Lucas Barbosa Win Pts: 2x0 Quarterfinals 88kg

3.3. Matheus Diniz Vs. Joseph Watson

Matheus Diniz faced Joseph Watson in the final of the 2020 Atlanta Winter Open. Joseph Watson started the match with a pulling guard in which Matheus secured the top position. Matheus did not let him apply full guard.


So Joseph tried to strangle his leg. In this struggle, Matheus succeeded to take the back of Joseph Watson. Later, Joseph freed his back but Matheus did not let him free completely and mounted him.


Finally, at the end of the match, Matheus mounted him completely and scored three points. Matheus won this match with 3x0 points.  


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2020 Atlanta WO Joseph Watson Win Pts: 3x0 Finals 88kg

4. Matheus Diniz’s Main Achievements

4.1. Matheus Diniz’s Main Achievements in International Tournaments

Years Events Weight Division
2013 IBJJF World NoGi Championship Medium Heavy
2014 IBJJF World NoGi Championship Medium Heavy
2014 New York Spring Open Weight and Absolute
2015 IBJJF Pan Championship Medium Heavy / Absolute
2015 IBJJF Pans Championship NoGi 88 kg / Absolute
2015 IBJJF New York Summer Open 88 kg / Absolute
2015 IBJJF New York No-Gi Summer Open 94 kg / Absolute
2018 Kasai Pro 185 lbs Grand Prix 84 kg
2019 ADCC World Championship 88 kg
2022 IBJJF Pan Championship 94kg / Absolute

4.2. Matheus Diniz Main Achievements as Black Belt

Year Event Belt Position
2015 IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi Black Belt 1st
2015 IBJJF New York Summer Open Black Belt 1st
2015 IBJJF New York No-Gi Summer Open Black Belt 1st
2015 IBJJF World Championship Black Belt 2nd
2015 IBJJF World Championship Black Belt 3rd
2016 IBJJF World Championship NoGi Black Belt 3rd
2017 IBJJF Pan Championship Black Belt 3rd
2018 Kasai Pro 185 lbs Grand Prix Black Belt 1st
2018 IBJJF World Championship NoGi Black Belt 3rd
2018 IBJJF World Championship NoGi Black Belt 3rd
2019 ADCC World Championship Black Belt 1st
2019 IBJJF World Championship Black Belt 3rd
2022 IBJJF Pan Championship Black Belt 1st

4.3. Matheus Diniz Main Achievements as Color Belt

Year Event Belt Position
2012 IBJJF World Championship Purple Belt 2nd
2013 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship Brown Belt 1st
2014 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship Brown Belt 1st
2014 IBJJF New York Spring Open Brown Belt 1st
2014 IBJJF World Championship Brown Belt 2nd
2015 IBJJF Pan Championship Brown Belt 1st

5. Matheus Diniz’s Professional Record Breakdown

5.1. Matheus’s Professional Record Breakdown

115 Matches 81 Wins 33 Losses
By Points  31 15
By Advantages  5 4
By Submission  37 7
By Decision  7 6
Penalties   0 0
EBI/ OT  1 1
Draw 1

5.2. Matheus’s Submission Method Breakdown

Method 37 Wins 7 Losses
Choke from Back  8 1
RNC 4 0
Face Mask Choke  2 0
Inverted Triangle  2 0
Flying Triangle  1 0
Crucifix Choke  1 0
Kimura  1 0
Bread Slicer  1 0
Japanese Necktie  1 0
Wrist Lock  4 0
Armbar  3 2
Triangle  2 1
Violin Armlock  2 0
Mata Leao  1 0
Lapel Choke  1 0
Kata Gatame  1 0
Submission  1 0
Bread Cutter Choke  1 0
Calf Slicer  0 1
Choke  0 1
Inside Heel Lock  0 1

6. Matheus Diniz Fight History

Year Competition Opponent W/L Method Weight Stage
2014 Metamoris 5 Vinny Magalhaes D --- ABS SPF
2015 Boca Raton Open Diego Gamonal W Armbar 88KG SF
2015 Boca Raton Open Murilo Santana L Pts: 7x4 88KG F
2015 Boca Raton Open Nathan Mendelsohn W Choke from back ABS 4F
2015 Boca Raton Open Diego Gamonal W Triangle ABS SF
2015 Boca Raton Open Ricardo Bastos W Wristlock ABS F
2015 Boston Spring Open Jordan Lutsky W Armbar 88KG 4F
2015 Boston Spring Open Murilo Santana L Armbar 88KG SF
2015 Boston Spring Open Renan Borges W Inverted triangle ABS 4F
2015 Boston Spring Open Murilo Santana L Armbar ABS SF
2015 World Champ. Tarcisio Jardim L Pts: 0x0, Adv ABS R1
2015 World Champ. Leandro Lo L Pts: 4x0 88KG 4F
2015 NY Summer Open C. Haraszti W Flying triangle 88KG 4F
2015 NY Summer Open Brian Beauty W Choke from back 88KG F
2015 NY Summer Open Chris Haraszti W DQ ABS SF
2015 NY No Gi Open Todd Brandon W Inverted triangle 94KG SF
2015 NY No Gi Open Neiman Gracie W Pts: 2x0 94KG F
2015 NY No Gi Open Jason Lees W Pts: 40x0 ABS SF
2015 NY No Gi Open Gilbert Burns W Pts: 8x2 ABS F
2015 NoGi Pan Ams Thomas Loubersanes W Pts: 8x0 88KG SF
2015 NoGi Pan Ams David Raab W RNC ABS 4F
2015 NoGi Pan Ams Gybson Sá W Pts: 4x0 ABS SF
2015 NoGi Pan Ams Garry Tonon W Wristlock ABS F
2015 NoGi Worlds Pedro Mello W Pts: 6x0 85KG 4F
2015 NoGi Worlds Lucas Barbosa L Pts: 4x2 85KG SF
2015 NoGi Worlds Nicholas Liaskos W Mata leao ABS R1
2015 NoGi Worlds Garry Tonon W Pts: 4x0 ABS R1
2015 NoGi Worlds Steven Patterson W Crucifix Choke ABS 4F
2015 NoGi Worlds Mahamed Aly W RNC ABS SF
2015 NoGi Worlds Felipe Pena L Pts: 10x2 ABS F
2016 Pan American Diego Ramalho W Pts: 13x0 88KG R1
2016 Pan American Murilo Santana L Choke 88KG 8F
2016 EBI 6 Lucas Rocha W EBI/OT ABS R1
2016 EBI 6 Richie Martinez W Violin armlock ABS 4F
2016 EBI 6 Rustam Chsiev L EBI/OT ABS SF
2016 World Champ. Thiago Sa W Pts: 5x2 88KG R1
2016 World Champ. Manny Diaz W Pts: 2x0 88KG 8F
2016 World Champ. Leandro Lo L Pts: 7x0 88KG 4F
2016 NY Summer Open Felipe Cesar W Lapel choke ABS SF
2016 NY Summer Open Diego Ramos W Wristlock 88KG RR
2016 NY Summer Open Diego Ramos W Violin armlock 88KG RR
2016 NY NoGi Open Daniel Mehrkar W Triangle ABS 4F
2016 NY NoGi Open Felipe Cesar W Pts: 8x0 ABS SF
2016 NY NoGi Open Murilo Santana W Pts: 5x0 ABS F
2016 Boston SIO Todd Mueckenheim W Points 94KG F
2016 Boston SIO James Quinlan W Kimura ABS 4F
2016 Boston SIO Lucas Valle W Choke from back ABS SF
2016 NoGi Worlds Kit Dale W RNC 85KG 4F
2016 NoGi Worlds Josh Hinger L Pts: 4x0 85KG SF
2017 Pan American Joseph Moku W Pts: 0x0, Adv ABS R1
2017 Pan American Erberth Santos L Pts: 6x2 ABS 8F
2017 Pan American Roberto Torralbas W Pts: 5x0 94KG 8F
2017 Pan American Nick Schrock W Pts: 5x0 94KG 4F
2017 Pan American Leandro Lo L Pts: 2x0 94KG SF
2017 NY Spring Open Nicolas Penzer W Kata Gatame 94KG SF
2017 NY Spring Open Romulo Azevedo W Choke from back 94KG F
2017 World Champ. Viking Wong W Pts: 6x0 ABS R1
2017 World Champ. Mahamed Aly L Pts: 7x0 ABS 8F
2017 World Champ. Arnaldo Maidana W Referee Decision 94KG 8F
2017 World Champ. Leandro Lo L Referee Decision 94KG 4F
2017 FIVE Super League Keenan Cornelius L Referee Decision 94KG SPF
2018 Atlanta W. Open Igor Paiva W Bread slicer 88KG SF
2018 Atlanta W. Open Charles Mcguire W Wristlock ABS 4F
2018 Atlanta W. Open Joshua Bacallao W Armbar ABS SF
2018 Continental Pro Olivier Kee-Seng W Pts: 11x0 85KG 4F
2018 Continental Pro Murilo Santana W Referee Decision 85KG SF
2018 Continental Pro Nick Calvanese W Submission 85KG F
2018 Pan American Max Gimenis W Choke from back ABS R1
2018 Pan American Tim Spriggs L Pts: 7x0 ABS R2
2018 Pan American Diogo Sampaio W Pts: 0x0, Adv 88KG 4F
2018 Pan American Lucas Barbosa L Pts: 2x2, Adv 88KG SF
2018 Kasai Pro 2 Richie Martinez W Pts: 7x0 84KG RR
2018 Kasai Pro 2 Felipe Mota W Pts: 2x0 84KG RR
2018 Kasai Pro 2 Pierre Leclerc W Japanese necktie 84KG RR
2018 Kasai Pro 2 Michael Perez W Pts: 2x0 84KG F
2018 World Champ. Diogo Almeida W Bread cutter choke 88KG R1
2018 World Champ. C. Negromonte W Pts: 2x2, Adv 88KG 8F
2018 World Champ. Lucas Barbosa L Choke from back 88KG 4F
2018 Grapple Fest Craig Jones L Referee Decision ABS SPF
2018 GrappleFest 3 Daniel Strauss W Referee Decision ABS SPF
2018 NoGi Worlds Vegard Randeberg W DQ 85KG R2
2018 NoGi Worlds Mauricio Oliveira W Referee Decision 85KG 4F
2018 NoGi Worlds Josh Hinger L Pts: 8x5 85KG SF
2019 Spyder Inv. Hyungcheul Kim W Pts: 13x0 100KG 4F
2019 Spyder Inv. Tim Spriggs L Pts: 3x0 100KG SF
2019 Spyder Inv. A. Munis L Referee Decision 100KG 3RD
2019 Pan American Esdras Barbosa W Choke from back 88KG 8F
2019 Pan American Murilo Santana W Pts: 4x2 88KG 4F
2019 Pan American Lucas Barbosa L Pts: 0x0, Adv 88KG SF
2019 F2W 111 Gustavo Batista W Referee Decision 85KG SPF
2019 F2W 112 Gabriel Arges L Referee Decision 88KG SPF
2019 World Champ. Tarsis Humphreys W Pts: 3x0 88KG R2
2019 World Champ. Lucas Barbosa W Pts: 2x0 88KG 4F
2019 World Champ. Felipe Pena L Pts: 2x0 88KG SF
2019 Third Coast Craig Jones W Points 85KG SPF
2019 Kasai Pro 6 Josh Hinger W RNC 86KG SPF
2019 ADCC Pedro Marinho W Pts: 5x0 88KG R1
2019 ADCC Gabriel Arges W Referee Decision 88KG 4F
2019 ADCC Josh Hinger W Pts: 3x0 88KG SF
2019 ADCC Craig Jones W Pts: 2x0 88KG F
2020 Atlanta WO Angelo Claiborne W Choke from back 88KG SF
2020 Atlanta WO Joseph Watson W Pts: 3x0 88KG F
2020 WNO 4 Gordon Ryan L Inside heel hook ABS SPF
2020 BJJ Stars 4 Otavio Sousa L Pts: 0x0, Adv 86KG 4F
2021 BJJ Stars Lucas Barbosa L Pts: 2x0 94KG SPF
2021 Road to ADCC Kaynan Duarte L Calf slicer ABS SPF
2021 Grapple Temple David Garmo W Face mask choke N/A SPF
2021 World Champ. Juan Cleber W Face mask choke 88KG R1
2021 World Champ. Otavio Sousa L Referee Decision 88KG 8F
2022 Charleston Open Jeferson Guaresi W Referee Decision 94KG SF
2022 Charleston Open Lucas Lisboa W Pts: 0x0, Adv 94KG F
2022 Pan American Lucas Lisboa W Choke from back 94KG R1
2022 Pan American Adam Wardzinski W Pts: 3x0 94KG 4F
2022 Pan American Pedro Machado W Pts: 0x0, Adv 94KG SF
2022 World Champ. Rider Zuchi L Pts: 4x2 94KG 4F
2022 ADCC Rodrigo Dib W Pts: 3x0 88KG R1
2022 ADCC Giancarlo Bodoni L Triangle 88KG 4F

7. Matheus Diniz’s Top Fights Links

Craig Jones vs Matheus Diniz - 2019 ADCC World Championships

Matheus Diniz v Adam Wardziński / Pan Championship 2022

Matheus Diniz v Lucas Lisboa / Charleston Open 2022

Matheus Diniz VS Joseph Watson / Atlanta Winter Open 2020


Photo Credit: @matheusdinizjj

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