Alvaro bobadilla bjj

BIOGRAPHY

I was born in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil in April 1977 and I discovered jiu jitsu in 1985, at the age of 7 when I had my first contact with jiu jitsu at the Monir Academy in Vila da Penha (a suburb of Rio de Janeiro). As I was a very naughty kid, my mother was determined to send me to a martial art academy.It was when I fell in love with JJ, this great sport. I started training and then, my teacher decided to have me compete in the 1986 state championship. I  was sick with ‘ dengue’  on the day of the competition and on that day I had a fever and my whole body ached, but I was determined to go anywayMy mother didn’t want to take me to the competition, but I really insisted that she take me, because I really wanted to compete. She took me, and that’s when I won my first state championship at the age of 9.

With my parents’ divorce, I had  to live with my father and as it was in another neighborhood, I had to stop training. But at the age of 15, I decided to start training JJ again.  I returned to the  Monir Academy and was welcomed by teachers Monir Salomao and Marcos Barreto (JURUNA).  I went back to training and took part in  several internal and regional competitions. I was a blue belt at that time. In 1995, Mestre Monir died of a heart attack. On that day I was competing in a championship when he started to feel bad. The academy was in grief but Marcos Barreto (Juruna)  continued with his training. It was when I fought the 2nd Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship (CBJJ) and got the bronze medal after 8 fights in the featherweight category. With that, I managed to qualify for the 1st world jiu jitsu (IBJJF).

In 1996, still a blue belt,  we went to Minas Gerais ( another state of Brazil ) to compete .After several fights I came across a purple belt in the final. Without knowing what was happening, I looked at my teacher Juruna and he said: ”I will give you the purple belt if you win this fight. So, I won with a triangle and became champion in Minas Gerais, for the glory of God, receiving the purple belt at the end of the year.

1st tournament
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monir academy
monir academy
monir academy
monir academy
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In 1997, I was approved at  the Gama Filho University  to study  Physical Education.  I went to the  Pan American Jiu Jitsu (IBJJF) in Hawaii to compete and I got the  vice championship. Returning to Brazil, master Julio Cesar went to the academy to invite me to join his team and obtain a scholarship at the college where I was studying. That was  when I joined the Gama Filho  jiu jitsu team.

I was  the Carioca State Champion in 1997, qualifying for the World Cup in the same year.

In 1999, I competed at the Pan American tournament in Orlando and got 2nd place again, thus qualifying for the world championships as a brown belt and winning 3rd place in  the world championship which was a  very high level event  that took place at the Tijuca Tennis Club. Those who were involved in JJ knew what the JJ environment was like at that time.

I started refereeing in 1996,  in small events until I got to the LINJJI (Liga Niteroiense de jiu jitsu) and at the Rio Federation (FJJ-Rio), when the late master Beto Ferrão encouraged me to take the official course for CBJJ referees. In 1999, after being approved in the course, I refereed the CBJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship in  that same year. After competing in several events, I was awarded the black belt at the end of 2000, when I graduated as a physical education teacher and started a new major on physiotherapy at the same university, conciliating my career as an athlete, physical education teacher, referee and jiu teacher when in 1997 I started to teach  i at the Perfect Body Academy in Vigario Geral.

In 2004, I refereed the jiu jitsu world championship for the first time, performing in several finals in the adult black belt featherweight, middleweight and heavyweight categories with several famous fighters  as Marcelo Garcia, Bibiano Fernandes, Fernando Terere, Fabricio Werdum, among others. In that same event I was considered one of the three best referees of the event by  theTatame magazine, along with Augusto tanquinho and Muzio de Angelis

Since then I have not stopped refereeing major events in Brazil and abroad.

Soon after that , I became referee coordinator at FJJD-Rio, directing the entire refereeing body in jiu jitsu events. With that I taught several refereeing courses, for the training of new referees, thus improving the quality of our sport.

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Soon after, I went to Santiago de Chile on vacation and where most of my family lives, and there I met a jiu jitsu teacher, held seminars in the country, and saw an open door to a new country. So I was able to take Gfteam to Chile too. I was responsible for more than 5 teams in the country. I held several championships with the help of students who live there. The most important was the first international event that Chile ever hosted, which was the tryouts for the World Cup in Abu Dhabi and the prize was four airline tickets to  Abu Dhabi.

In 2008, I graduated from  the physiotherapy course also at the Gama Filho university, and then I had 2 complete graduations. I have always liked studying and improving myself in studies focused on fighting. Therefore,  I took many specialization courses focused on jiu jitsu injuries. I worked with many renowned doctors in Brazil and was able to learn a lot, helping athletes recover from their injuries, thus quickly getting them back on the mats.

In 2010 I was invited to referee the 2 World Pro in Abu Dhabi and until today I am invited to the same event every year.

I was invited to referee the highest paid event in the  history of  jiu jitsu organized by Carssinho gracie jr in Biella, Italy. It was  an event in which I was also able to fight. I had several fights and made the final with Megaton and came in second place.

In 2013 I was international master champion. That year I was invited to be responsible for an Argentinean team in Santa Fe (SFFT).Master Juan Pinto is the leader and main Master of this team and it  is among the largest teams in the country.

At the end of 2014 I was invited to work in the United Arab Emirates. I knew I was leaving a lot behind. At that moment I had 9 branches in Brazil, branches in Chile, partners in Argentina,  IBJJF official referee, I coordinated FJJD-Rio arbitration, personal trainer and physiotherapy patients, an MMA team, but I felt it was time to change, and then I went to Arab lands, thus inaugurating a great jiu jitsu project in the country’s armed forces.

In 2015, already living in Abu Dhabi, I was invited to be one of the refereeing coordinators at the UAEJJF.

Now, living in Abu Dhabi I didn’t stop doing what I’ve always loved; competing, refereeing, teaching some refereeing courses, training referees, and coordinating the UAEJJF team of referees in the country.

In 2019 I wanted to compete in an event outside the country, so as I was on vacation and I  went to Las Vegas -US to compete in the international masters. At that time,a magazine mentioned my name as one of the best in the category, but unfortunately the medal did not come.

Returning from vacation, I continued working in the country’s armed forces, teaching BJJ, refereeing and thus winning some championships in the country. I lived there for six and a half years and wanted a new challenge so I decided it was time to move on.

In April 2021, I arrived in Australia, during the pandemic. The world was  stopped, airports were closed, and there were no championships. After 3 years without competing, I competed at the Pan Pacific 2022 and was champion in the Gi and No Gi Master 3 category. Thank God everything went well and here we are representing our GFTeam team in Australia

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GFTEAM

Our team was UGF (Universidade Gama Filho) since 1997. With the end of the scholarships and the end of the contract with the staff member, our master decided to change the name of the team and founded the GFTeam (Grappling Fight Team) in 2008.

In 2009 Rodolfo Vieira  went to Abu Dhabi to compete in the 1st world Championship in the Emirates and still a brown belt,  he won against all the heavy black belts. He was one of our team’s poster boys representing the team well in Arab lands. With that, we are more than 1000 schools in Brazil and more than 500 in foreign soil.

Our team is the second largest school in the world, led by our master Julio Cesar.

MMA

In my MMA career, I started training at the age of 30, and I was Champion in Shooto Brasil Amador. After three amateur fights, I decided to make my professional debut at the age of 31 at WOCS3 (an event hosted by Tata and Philipe Lima).

In 2011 I became responsible for MMA at GFTeam Matriz in Meier, from which great athletes like Isaac Pimentel and Pedro “Kezen” Arruda came out.

In 2013 I competed in my last event as a professional athlete in Arraial do Cabo, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, the Summer Edition Arraial do Cabo.

It was an incredible experience as my opponent was 15 years younger and a local athlete.

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thanks

Monir Salomao (in memorian)

I am so grateful that my first contact with jiu jitsu was with my master Monir. I remember when I was 7 years old he told my mom: “This little guy has a big future. He is so tough and courageous”. For a little boy to hear that from my master, was very encouraging, and it changed my mind. When master Monir died I was 18. I still have great memories of him. I am so thankful for his legacy and for what he did to Jiu Jitsu.

Marcos Barreto "JURUNA"

Thank you for all your support in my carrier, your friendship and teachings. I am honored to have been the student of the first World Champion in the rooster weight category of the Jiu Jitsu History.

Julio Cesar

Thank you my master Julio, I am grateful to have you as my master. We have a long life story. You have always encouraged me, and believed in me even when I didn’t. You have the capacity of extracting the best things of people. I found a father in you. Along all these years you have being giving me advice about my personal life and on the mats. I love you so much! Thank you for everything!