Wellington “Megaton” Dias - BJJ Coral Belt

1. Wellington “Megaton” Dias’s Details

2. Wellington Dias’s Biography

Wellington Leal Dias Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 2, 1967. He earned fame due to actively participating in grappling and his love for competition. Dias participated in 16 IBJJF World Championships.

2.1. Started Martial Arts Career in Judo

Dias started his martial arts career learning judo during childhood. He trained at Rogeério Camões’s judo academy in 1970.  Currently, Dias is a 3rd-degree black belt in Judo.  

2.2. Introduction to Royler Gracie

Dias and Royler Gracie were originally neighbors and often went surfing together. During his time at Camões’s academy, Dias became training partners with Royler. Later, Royler would become Dias’s BJJ coach.  

2.3. Started BJJ Training

While still training in judo, Royler invited Dias to come to his gym to train in jiu-jitsu. Dias accepted the invitation and joined Gracie Humaitá after getting permission from Camões. Dias fell in love with jiu-jitsu on his first day of training and decided to take up jiu-jitsu alongside judo.   

2.4. Black Belt Promotion

In 1985, Dias was promoted to black belt by his first BJJ coach, Royler Gracie, at 18 years old.

2.5. Moved to the USA

Dias actively participated in all major BJJ competitions. During his BJJ career, he often visited the USA to compete in BJJ events. Eventually, Dias decided he wanted to stay and open an academy.

Dias wanted to open his BJJ academy in Los Angeles, California. But when he visited Colorado, Dias decided he liked Colorado and chose to stay there. He lived in Colorado for two years and met his future wife, Luciana.  

2.6. Opened Team Megaton BJJ Academy

When BJJ started to become more popular in the USA, many BJJ black belts came to Los Angeles to open academies. In response, Dias decided to move to Phoenix, Arizona to start his own academy. Now, he is the owner and head coach of Team Megaton BJJ Academy.    

2.7. Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation

Dias is responsible for introducing and popularizing jiu-jitsu in Phoenix for 30 years. Later, he would play a role in the formation of the Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation along with several other black belts. Dias is currently the president of the Arizona Jiu-Jitsu Federation.

2.8. Coral Belt Promotion

In March 2022, Dias was promoted to a coral belt by his old friend and BJJ coach, Royler Gracie. He shared his belt promotion with his fans through an Instagram post.

2.9. Father of Martial Arts Legend Mackenzie Dern

Dias is the father of well-known grappler and MMA fighter Mackenzie Dern. Dias trained his daughter during her early childhood.Dern became a big name in the UFC and has never been submitted in any UFC fight. She also won in major championships like the World Gi and No-Gi Championships, Pan, American National, European Open, and ADCC Championships.

2.10. Most Famous Nickname in the Martial Arts World

Dias got his nickname “Megaton” from his first judo coach, Rogério Camões. Dias often threw his training partners with lots of force like a megaton bomb, causing Camões to frequently call Camões “Megaton.” The nickname became synonymous with Dias’s identity, becoming one of the most highly-ranked nicknames in the martial arts world.    

2.11. Wellington Dias’s IBJJF Record

Dias ranked first place in the IBJJF Masters with 2164.5 points and ranked second place in the IBJJF Master Grand Slam with 1156.6 points. In the CBJJ rankings, Dias is seventh place with 180 points.

2.12. Wellington Dias’s Family

Dias’s wife Luciana also practiced BJJ when they met in Colorado. She is currently a BJJ black belt under her husband. Their daughter, Mackenzie Dern is also a BJJ black belt under her father. Dias is also the grandfather of Moa Dern Santos, Dern’s daughter. 

2.13. Wellington Dias’s Top Students

Aside from Dern, another famous MMA fighter who learned under Dias was Evan Dunham. Dunham is one of the top UFC fighters to have won “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night.” He has also promoted various grapplers to the rank of black belt. 

2.14. Wellington Dias’s Passion for Jiu-Jitsu

Dias often said in his videos that he loves competing in jiu-jitsu, whether he wins or loses. According to Dias,

2.15. Wellington Dias’s Hobby

Dias is a calm and positive thinker. Due to his age, Dias cannot train in BJJ for more than four hours. He spends most of his time with his dog and riding his motorcycle in the Arizona mountains. Dias also does a cross-country motorcycle trip with friends at least once per year. 

2.16. Wellington Dias’s Fighting Style

If you ever watched Megaton while competing, you will definitely find the style of fighting of old-school Jiu-Jitsu. As Dias spending much of his time training with the Gracies, his execution of traditional basic BJJ techniques is solid and accurate. He performs best from a top position and has impeccable guard passing skills. 

3. Welling Dias's Historic Fights

3.1. Wellington "Megaton" Dias vs. Marco Carneiro

Dias faced Marco Carneiro in the 2019 IBJJF European Championship finals. Dias started the fight by trying to strangle his opponent. Within the first minute, Dias was on the ground trying to apply a full guard. But Carneiro countered and tried to grab the lapels of Dias’s gi.

Eventually, Dias managed to pin Carneiro on the ground and scored two points for this successful takedown. Later, Dias tried to fully mount Carneio, but the latter managed to break free. At this point, Dias began to showcase his core strength and strong base. He managed to control Carneiro’s movements while scoring nine points within one minute. Dias eventually submitted Carneiro via an armbar in just 3 minutes and 25 seconds.

3.2. Wellington “Megaton” Dias vs. James McGar

Dias faced James McGar in the 2021 Austin Open semifinals. McGar started the match by pulling guard but not maintain his grip around Dias's groin. Dias responded by grappling McGar’s legs and then mounting from the side. He scored three points for passing the guard. Within the first minute, Dias scored two points for a sweep and four points for a complete mount.

Now on top, Dias completely mounted and controlled McGar. Then, he transitioned to the side until gradually taking McGar from the back. Dias then applied a collar choke. Dias submitted McGar via a collar choke within 2 minutes and 7 seconds of the first round.

3.3. Wellington “Megaton” Dias vs. Robert Marvin

Dias faced Robert Marvin in the 2021 Phoenix Open finals. Dias started the fight by applying a full guard, while Marvin took the top position. Dias tried to get out from under Marvin to take the top position. However, Marvin managed to grapple Dias’s legs and prevented his various escape attempts. Near the end of the fight, Dias still could not secure the top position, forcing him to apply a triangle choke. Dias submitted Marvin via a triangle choke within two minutes, becoming the 2021 Phoenix Open Absolute Weight Champion.

4. Wellington Dias’s Main Achievements

5. Wellington Dias’s Professional Record Break

5.1 Wellington Dias’s Professional Record

38 Matches	18 Wins	20 Losses
By Points	4	3
By Advantages	0	0
By Submission	13	15
By Decision	0	0
By Penalties	0	0
By DQ	0	0
Others	1	4

5.2 Method of Submission

Method	12 Wins	13 Losses
Armbar	4	5
Armlock	1	0
Collar Choke	3	5
Guillotine	1	0
Kata Gatame	1	0
Triangle	2	3

6. Wellington Dias’s Fight History

Year	Competition	Opponent	W/L	Method	Weight	Stage
1996	IBJJF World Championship	Helio Moreira	L	N/A	Light Feather	F
1997	Rickson Gracie Tournament	Fabio Santos	W	Guillotine	N/A	N/A
1997	Rickson Gracie Tournament	Mario Aiello	W	Triangle	N/A	N/A
2007	IBJJF Pan Championship	Fredson Paixao	W	N/A	Feather	E
2008	IBJJF World Championship	Mario Reis	L	Points	Feather	QF
2009	European Championship	Mario Reis	L	Armbar	Feather	F
2009	World Championship	Rubens Charles	L	Collar Choke	Feather	QF
2009	IBJJF Pan Championship	Mario Reis	L	Triangle Choke	Feather	E
2010	European Championship	Rafael Mendes	L	Armbar	Feather	SF
2010	Brazilian JiuJitsu Nationals	Samir Jose Cantre	L	N/A	Feather	N/A
2011	American National Championship	Cristian Lopez Villegas	W	Points	Light	N/A
2011	IBJJF Pan Championship	Bruno Malfacine	L	Triangle	Light-Feather	SF
2013	IBJJF Pan Championship	Renato Vieira	L	Points	Feather	E
2014	IBJJF World Masters	Sami Al Jamal	W	Pts: 1x0	Feather	F
2014	IBJJF Atlanta Open	Jonathan Thomas	L	Collar Choke	Feather	F
2014	IBJJF World Championship	Mario Reis	L	Armbar	Feather	E
2015	Chicago Spring	João Miyao	L	Collar Choke	Feather	F
2016	IBJJF European Open	Sadi Acikalin	W	Kata Gatame	Feather	N/A
2016	IBJJF European Open	Tony Schneider	W	Armbar	Feather	F
2017	IBJJF British National	Inder Biant	W	Collar Choke	Feather	SF
2017	European Championship	Wiliam Vanni	W	Ambar	Feather	F
2017	IBJJF World Master	Mario Sperry	W	Pts: 4x2	ABS	F
2017	IBJJF Pan Championship	Kelly Johnson	W	Armlock	Feather	F
2017	Long Beach Open	Joshua Hinger	L	Footlock	Medium-Heavy	F
2018	IBJJF World Master	Alexandre Abrahão da Silva	W	Collar Choke	Feather	SF
2019	IBJJF World Championship	Renato Canuto	L	Armbar	Light	E
2019	IBJJF European	Marco Carneiro	W	Armbar	Light	F
2019	IBJJF World Master	Marco Barbosa	L	Pts: 0x2	Light	SF
2020	Houston Open	Tyler Scalisi	W	Armbar	Light	N/A
2020	Houston Open	Alexandre Molinaro	L	Armbar	Light	SF
2020	Portland Open	Amir Yafawi	L	N/A	Medium-Heavy	F
2021	Austin Open	Paulo Castro	W	Pts: 3x0	ABS	F
2021	Dallas Open	Peter Molinelli	W	Trainagle	Light	SF
2021	Phoenix Open	Robert Marvin	W	Triangle	ABS	F
2021	Austin Open	James McGar	W	Collar Choke	ABS	SF
2022	Austin Winter Open	Matheus Galvao	L	N/A	Light	SF
2022	Oklahoma City Open	Alexandre Molinaro	L	Collar Choke	Light	F
2022	Houston Fall Open	Daniel Sathler	L	Triangle	Light	F
2023	Indianapolis Open	Michael Sheehan	L	Collar Choke	Light	F
2023	IBJJF World Championship	Espen Mathiesen	L	Footlock	N/A	N/A

7. Wellington Dias’s Top Fights Links 

Photos Credit: @megatondias