Ultra heavyweight black belt Joao Gabriel Rocha is relocating from his home of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to the USA in a move he hopes will further his career. 

Speaking exclusively to FloGrappling, the 2015 ADCC Absolute division silver medallist explained where he’ll relocate, and why he decided to leave his home of Brazil. 

“[I’ve moved] to the Bay Area, San Jose. I’m really happy with this, it’s a personal dream of mine. I always wanted to have a gym,” says Joao Gabriel. 

Rocha, 23, trained with his coach Leandro ‘Tatu’ Escobar in the neighborhood of Tijuca in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, close to where he lived. 

Moving from Rio to Northern California to teach jiu-jitsu alongside his preparations for major tournaments such as the upcoming IBJJF World Championships, Rocha explains the motivation behind the move. 

I don’t have a gym here in Brazil, I live just from my sponsors, but it’s very difficult. It’s very complicated here, especially with the economic crisis happening at the moment.

Rocha is among a number of top Brazilian black belts that have relocated to the USA to open gyms and was one of the few world-class competitors at black belt still left in Rio de Janeiro. 

Watch Joao Gabriel Rocha work jiu-jitsu & wrestling no-gi takedowns with his brother Pedro, a member of the Brazilian national wrestling team